Letter Clarifies Report Rules for Disabilities

School districts are allowed to refer to a student’s disability or special education status on report cards, but they should generally refrain from such notations on student transcripts, according to new guidance released by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Oct. 17 guidance letter , from the department’s office for civil rights, or OCR, is intended to clear up a source of confusion for some educators, who have worried that referring to a student’s disability in any way on report cards or transcripts could be a violation of that student’s privacy rights.

“Under federal disability-discrimination laws, the general principle is that report cards may contain information about a student’s disability, including whether that student received special education or related services,” wrote Stephanie J. Monroe, the department’s assistant...