Ferpa|Sherpa

On February 18, 2016, The Software and Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) Education Technology Industry Network (ETIN) co-sponsored a webinar with the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) and AASA: The School Superintendent’s Association. Over the past three years, many states have passed or implemented new student data privacy laws affecting schools, state departments […]

Despite 49 states introducing more than 400 bills on student data privacy since 2014, states have yet to address privacy protections for school surveillance or its inequitable effects. A new NASBE report examines this important, emerging issue, identifying the benefits and potential problems posed by school surveillance. In “School Surveillance: The Consequences for Equity and […]

Experts predicted that student data privacy would be a major issue in 2015, and they were right: As of March 26, state legislatures in 41 states had introduced a combined 160 student privacy bills, more than the total number introduced in all of 2014. Many of those bills would give state boards of education a […]

A surge in state legislation on student data privacy this year has continued to empower state boards of education with authority over student privacy. So far this year, 47 state legislatures have introduced more than 180 bills in total, 16 of which have become law. In a third of those states, legislators are considering or […]

Since 2014, policymakers in almost every state have considered laws to ensure the safety of student data, and the US Congress is considering seven bills on student data privacy. At the same time, the Every Student Succeeds (ESSA) Act requires that states adopt evidence-based interventions to improve school performance. The education research to inform these […]

The patchwork of state laws creates an opportunity for the federal government to think critically about its role in safeguarding student privacy.

More can and should be done at both the state and federal levels to protect student privacy. Congress should bolster federal baseline student privacy protections and not preempt states from enacting laws that provide additional protections.

The debate about the safety of student data arose quickly, and there are good ways to address parent concerns. Opting out of data collection is not one of them.

Since 2013, one or both of the student data privacy laws passed in Oklahoma and California have shaped bills that were introduced in 35 state legislatures and became law in 14 states. The Oklahoma law, passed in 2013, focuses on actions of staff at the school, district, and state levels. The California law, passed in […]

Addressing parents’ fears that student data will be abused requires states to shift toward proactive management of education records.