With software being used in classrooms and installed on laptops provided to students, there is the risk of companies culling personal information of students. The weakened FERPA laws are little to no help in providing student privacy protection so it is up to teachers, administrators and parents to ensure that no personal information gets into the hands of commercial enterprises.
Two organizations, the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, have put together a toolkit for parents that is free and available to all.
To follow is a repost of the information originally published at Student Privacy Matters.
Parent Toolkit for Student Privacy
We understand that protecting your child’s sensitive data at school can be pretty overwhelming and it’s often difficult to know where to begin.
To get you started on the right track, we’ve created the Parent Toolkit for Student Privacy: A Practical Guide for Protecting Your Child’s Sensitive School Data from Snoops, Hackers and Marketers in collaboration with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. We offer clear guidance on what privacy rights your child has in federal law, what to look for in school vendor’s Privacy Policies, and tips on how to advocate for your school or district to adopt best practices in ensuring your child’s sensitive data isn’t breached or abused.
Learn how to protect your child’s privacy today; download the toolkit HERE.
You can also join our webinar, co-hosted with CCFC and Parents Across America, on Tuesday, May 23rd at 8:00 p.m. Eastern to learn how to use the toolkit. Register here today!
You may also download individual sections of the toolkit below:
- Introduction: Why should parents be concerned?
- Table of Contents
- Section I: What is student data?
- Section II: Parents’ rights under federal law to protect their children’s privacy
- Section III: Tips for parents looking to protect their children’s privacy
- Section IV: Student privacy best practices for states, districts, schools, and teachers
- Section V: Talking to teachers, schools, and districts about student privacy
- Section VI: Advocating for student privacy in schools, districts, and beyond
- Section VII: Student privacy FAQs
- Appendix A: Request to inspect education records held by the school, district or state
- Appendix B: Sample letter to opt out of disclosure of directory information
- Appendix C: Sample letter to opt out of military recruitment
- Appendix D: Additional questions to ask your teacher or principal
- Appendix E: Sample petition
- Appendix F: Tips for media outreach and sample press materials
- Additional resources
Seattle Education 