Short answer: Don't post individual students with dollars raised. Show class or school totals, and use first name and last initial only with written opt-in. Check the school's media and directory-information opt-outs before using names or photos. Keep contact details off paper forms, and ask any online provider in writing what children's data it collects, shares and keeps.
Most read-a-thon privacy problems come from good intentions: a leaderboard to build excitement, a photo of a proud reader, a pledge sheet that asks for a phone number. Each can put a child's name, face or family details somewhere they shouldn't be. This page covers what to avoid, what to do instead, the two federal laws organizers most often ask about, and what to ask an online provider before you share a single name. For the rest of the event, see our full read-a-thon guide.
Method note: This page summarizes public guidance for planning purposes and is not legal advice; ask your school district or a lawyer about your specific situation.
What to avoid
| Avoid | Why | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Public boards, slides or posts listing full names with dollars raised | It ranks children by their families' giving and puts names in public view. | Post class, grade or school totals of minutes and participation. |
| Photos or video of students posted without checking permission | Some families have opted out of media for safety, custody or personal reasons. | Check the school's media opt-out list first, or photograph books and hands, not faces. |
| Phone numbers, emails or addresses on paper that travels | Logs and pledge sheets get left on buses and in classrooms. | Ask for a first name or initials only. Donors who need a receipt contact the organizer. |
| Uploading a class roster to an online service | Shares student records outside the school, possibly without a legal basis. | Let families register themselves, or confirm the basis with the school first. |
| Fundraising pages that show a child's full name, photo and school | That combination makes a child easy to find. | Use a first name and last initial, or a nickname, and no photo of the child's face. |
Our pledge sheet and reading logs were designed around these rules. They ask for a first name or initials only and have no contact fields. The walkthrough of the read-a-thon pledge sheet explains each field.
Leaderboards without names
A visible scoreboard is one of the most effective parts of a read-a-thon. It just doesn't need children's names. Ranked by safety, from safest:
- Whole-school or whole-group total on a thermometer or progress chart.
- Class or grade totals, in minutes and participation rate. Our printable class minutes tally chart records a count of readers who logged each day, never names.
- Anonymous milestones, such as "14 readers passed 500 minutes this week."
- First name and last initial, minutes only, and only for families who opted in.
Never post dollars next to an individual child, even with opt-in. If you post names at all, ask for opt-in in writing. An opt-out form is not enough, because a family that missed the form will be posted. The guide to inclusive read-a-thons explains why dollar rankings also hurt students without sponsors.
The read-a-thon prizes and incentives page has recognition ideas that don't depend on a ranked list.
Photos and video
- Ask the school office for its media opt-out list before anyone takes photos. Give it to whoever posts on social media.
- Photograph the reading, not the reader. A pile of books, a reading fort or a class from behind tells the story without identifying anyone.
- Don't tag or caption with full names. Use the class or grade instead.
- Get written permission for video of a child reading, and say where it will be shared. A private message to donors differs from a public post.
- Let families delete. Name one person who will take down any photo on request, quickly.
Live video read-alouds raise their own questions about public links and recording. Our page on virtual and at-home read-a-thons covers safe settings.
FERPA basics for parent groups
FERPA, the federal student records law at 34 CFR Part 99, applies to schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funds. Under the regulation, a school may disclose "directory information," such as a student's name, grade level or photo, only after giving public notice and a chance for families to opt out (34 CFR Part 99).
What that means in practice for a read-a-thon:
- A roster is a student record. If the school shares a class list with your PTA, PTO or an outside service, it needs a directory-information basis or family consent.
- A family's opt-out applies to your boards and pages too. A family that opted out of directory information may not want their child's name on your board or a platform's page, even if your group never touches official records.
- Ask the school, not the platform. Only the school knows its directory-information policy and who opted out. Ask before you request any list.
- Self-registration avoids most of it. When families sign themselves up, you aren't receiving records from the school at all.
The Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office publishes plain-language guidance and answers questions at studentprivacy.ed.gov.
COPPA basics for online services
COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. According to the FTC's COPPA FAQ, it applies to operators of websites and online services directed to children under 13, and to operators with actual knowledge that they collect personal information from children under 13. Schools may consent in place of parents only when the service is for educational use with no other commercial purpose (FTC COPPA FAQ).
Our inference, not a legal ruling: a fundraising service is not an educational use in the FTC's sense, so a school's consent likely does not cover it. If children under 13 will enter information themselves, such as creating a page, uploading a photo or receiving messages, ask the provider how it handles children's data and whether it collects parental consent itself.
The FTC amended the COPPA Rule on April 22, 2025, and its FAQ points to the revised rule for current requirements (FTC COPPA FAQ, updated July 2026). When you ask a provider about children's data, ask specifically whether it follows the amended rule.
The simplest design keeps children out of the data flow altogether. A parent or guardian creates any online page, and supporters' details go to the adult.
Questions to ask an online pledge provider
If the platform will hold any student names, photos or grades, ask the school whether the district must review it first. Some districts review any campaign that uses student data, and your state's student-privacy law may require the provider to sign a data privacy agreement. Another federal law, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), limits using information collected from students for marketing; the Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office explains it.
Before you choose any online pledge platform or payment provider, send these questions in writing and keep the answers in your handoff folder.
- What student data do you collect? Name, grade, teacher, photo, birthday? Which fields are required, and can we turn the rest off?
- Who creates the account? Can a parent or guardian create it, so that no child under 13 enters information?
- Who can see what? Are student pages public, searchable or link-only? Can we hide individual totals and leaderboards?
- Do you contact children directly? Do you send emails, texts or app notifications to students, and can we turn them off?
- What happens to donor information? Who sees donors' names and contact details? Do you email donors about other campaigns or products?
- Do you sell or share data? Do you share student or donor data with third parties, including for advertising? Get the answer in writing.
- How long do you keep data, and can we delete it? Ask for a retention period and how the group can request deletion after the event.
- Do you need a roster from the school? If so, confirm with the school that it can share one before you agree.
- How do you secure student data? Have you had a breach, and how would you notify us if one happened?
- Will you sign the district's data privacy agreement if the district requires one?
A provider that answers clearly and lets you switch off public leaderboards and child contact is easier to defend to your families.
How our free tools handle data
The free tools on this site don't collect student information. The family reading minutes tracker saves minutes and supporter pledges only in the browser on the device being used. Nothing is sent to us or to your school. Families can delete it with one button, and we suggest a nickname instead of a child's full name. Our printables ask for a first name or initials and no contact details.
Privacy checklist
- The school has confirmed its media opt-out list and directory-information policy.
- No roster has been shared without the school confirming the basis for it.
- Paper forms ask for first names or initials only, with no contact fields.
- Public boards show class, grade or school totals, not individual dollars.
- Any individual shout-outs use first name and last initial, with written opt-in.
- Photos avoid faces of opted-out students, and captions don't use full names.
- Live video uses private links and adult hosts, and isn't recorded without permission.
- The district has said whether it must review the provider, and the provider has answered the ten questions above in writing.
- Children under 13 don't create accounts or receive messages directly.
- One named person handles takedown and deletion requests.
- After the event, logs and pledge sheets are returned or shredded and online data is deleted on schedule.
Sources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR Part 99: Family Educational Rights and Privacy. ecfr.gov (accessed October 19, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office, Protecting Student Privacy. studentprivacy.ed.gov (accessed October 19, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions. ftc.gov (accessed October 19, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Can we read top readers' names over the morning announcements?
Announcing milestones by first name is usually lower risk than posting names online, but it still singles students out. Check with the school about any families who opted out of directory information first. A safer pattern is to announce class results and anonymous milestones ("three readers in second grade passed 1,000 minutes") and let teachers congratulate individuals in the classroom.
Is a PTA or PTO covered by FERPA?
FERPA applies to schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funds, and it governs what those schools disclose from student records. A parent group usually isn't the school, but it often receives information from the school, such as a roster or class lists. The school is responsible for having a basis to share it. Ask the school what it can share and keep anything you receive limited to the read-a-thon.
What should we do if a family asks us to take down a photo?
Take it down right away, without asking for a reason, and confirm when it's done. Remove it from every place it was shared, including newsletters you can still edit and any slide shows planned for the celebration. Then check whether that family is on the school's media opt-out list. If they are, find out how the photo slipped through so it doesn't happen again.