ERIC Number: ED612839
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jan
Pages: 28
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
The State Student Privacy Report Card: Grading the States on Protecting Student Data Privacy
Stickland, Rachael
Network for Public Education
In 1974, Congress passed legislation known as the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act" or FERPA, in response to "the growing evidence of the abuse of student records across the nation." The law was written to protect the confidentiality of information held in a student's records. With the introduction of technology in schools, education has changed dramatically since FERPA was enacted forty-five years ago. Digital record-keeping has replaced traditional paper files, classroom assignments and assessments are often delivered online via laptops or tablets, teachers use social media platforms, websites and "free" apps in class, and many operational functions historically performed by schools are now outsourced remotely to contractors. Since 2013, over 120 student privacy-related laws in at least 40 states have been passed, creating a confusing patchwork of statutes. As a result, students generate enormous amounts of sensitive electronic data about themselves every day, not all of which is clearly protected by federal law. Though some organizations have tracked this legislation, what has so far been missing is a comprehensive analysis of student privacy laws that evaluates their strength in terms of transparency, parental and student rights, data security protections, and other critical issues. The Network for Public Education and the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy created this report card to provide a snapshot of the legal progress made by the fifty states and the District of Columbia to protect students' privacy since 2013. The hope is that this report card will be used to better understand how a state's student privacy protections compare to others, and how they could be improved. [This report was produced by the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy (PCSP). Leonie Haimson contributed to the writing and editing of this report.]
Descriptors: Privacy, Information Security, Student Rights, Parent Rights, Access to Information, Data Use, State Legislation, Educational Legislation, Student Records, Law Enforcement, Fees, Preschool Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Postsecondary Education
Network for Public Education. 225 East 36th Street, Apartment 10-O, New York City, New York 10016. Tel: 646-678-4477; e-mail: info@networkforpubliceducation.org; Web site: https://networkforpubliceducation.org/
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Parents; Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Network for Public Education (NPE)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 1974
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A