NASHVILLE (AP) — A legal opinion by the Tennessee attorney general says school districts must give a variety of student data to approved charter schools and their operators.

In the opinion Wednesday, Attorney General Herbert Slatery writes that school districts with policies that ban releasing the information can only do so temporarily.

It says districts must first give parents a chance to opt out and then amend their policies to release the information, which ranges from students' contact information to their participation in sports and activities.

The opinion requested by state Education Commissioner Candice McQueen comes after Nashville and Shelby County, which includes Memphis, have recently refused to release the information to charter schools operators.

Charters use the data for recruitment and marketing purposes but may not share the information with outside parties.