We publish a directory free of charge to our parents/families only. It includes all of the school information that you described, family information, including phone, address and email.
We get permission slips. It's not been a problem for us.
Our Parent Support Committee is chaired this year by a Mom that recently moved here from the mid-west. (We're in northern Virginia.) She has proposed that we publish a "Buddy Book". In essence, it's a directory of all students. We would obtain information and permission from parents and then sell the books at cost to non-members and distribute them at no charge to PTO members. This is new to me. I'm not aware of anyone in our area that provides this service.
She has shared several samples from areas where she previously lived. They all contained the students'names, parent names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses. I'm not sure that I'm comfortable publishing that information. I suggested that maybe we include only class lists, which would just be names, nothing more than the yearbook would divulge anyway.
As we have talked through it I have come to see a multitude of uses for this kind of thing. We could include names and contact information for local, state and national politicians as well as the School Board members and the School Board meeting dates. We could include the PTO annual calendar, the school's annual calendar, school policy information, titles included in our Parent Lending Library, etc., etc., etc. It could become a real tool to empower parents and help them network.
However, I've already had some discouragement from the other officers about releasing this kind of information. Our principal isn't real comfortable either. She was more receptive to the class list idea and is checking with the school system's legal counsel on this part for us. Both she and the assistant principal like the other information that would be included.
I guess I'm asking what experiences any of you could share with this kind of thing.
-Is it well received by the parents?
-Do administrators support it?
-Do you charge for it?
-What time of year do you distribute it?
-Do you feel it poses a security risk for
children or parents?
-What kind of information do you include?
