Do you have a suggestion for a resource on students’ or minors’ privacy to include on this page? Send it via email to oif@ala.org.
Federal Student Privacy Laws
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Full text of the law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1232g
Student Privacy 101: Student Privacy at the U.S. Department of Education
FERPA – SHERPA Student Privacy Resource Center
(sponsored by the Future of Privacy Forum)
FERPA Primer: The Basics and Beyond
by George C. Hlavac, Esq., and Edward J. Easterly, Esq.
Privacy and Children’s Data: An Overview of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Berkman Center Research Publication No. 23
Complying with COPPA: A FAQ for Businesses and Parents
Federal Trade Commission
Scholarly Articles on Minors’ Privacy
Privacy for Children
Columbia Human Rights Law Review
Minors’ Constitutional Right to Informational Privacy
University of Chicago Law Review
Youth, Privacy, and Reputation
Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University
Library Records Open to Parental Scrutiny: A New Set of Internet Access Controls for Minors?
29 Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts 361
(available through Lexis/Nexis; on file with the Office for Intellectual Freedom)
From the article: Parental access provisions that are intended to chill a child’s exercise of free intellectual inquiry are arguably viewpoint discriminatory in that they practically reduce a minor’s choice of information to ideas that are parentally sanctioned. Library records confidentiality statutes should ideally be narrowly tailored to allow greater intellectual freedom to older minors, especially in light of the fact that minors’ access to objectionable internet materials is already limited under the filtering regime imposed by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Asserting mature minors’ free speech interests in the confidentiality of library records is important in developing a liberal free speech jurisprudence regarding both mature minors and internet access.
Standards and Principles
Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools
Library Privacy Checklist for Students in K-12 Schools
Student Privacy Bill of Rights
Strive Together: Student Data Privacy: Best Practices
Privacy and Cloud Computing in Public Schools
Fordham Center On Law And Information Policy
The Library’s Role in Protecting Teens’ Privacy: A YALSA Position Paper
Privacy: An Interpretation of the ALA Library Bill of Rights
Information for Students, Parents and Educators
Law Enforcement Access to Student Records: A Guide for School Administrators & Ed Tech Service Providers
Future of Privacy Forum
Student Privacy
Spying on Students: School-Issued Devices and Student Privacy
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Protecting Your Child’s Privacy Online and Children’s Privacy
Federal Trade Commission
Learning To Be Watched: Surveillance Culture at School
National Educational Policy Center – University of Colorado at Boulder
Surveillance Self-Defense for LGBTQ Youth
Electronic Frontier Foundation
5 Back to School Privacy Tips for Parents of K-12 Students
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
The Educator’s Guide to Student Data Privacy
ConnectSafely.org/Future of Privacy Forum
Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning Toolkit
CoSN – Consortium for School Networking
EPIC Student Privacy Project
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Privacy Technical Assistance Center
U.S. Department of Education
Sample Resources
The PTAC Toolkit (Best Practice Resources for data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices related to student-level longitudinal data systems)
Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services (with video)
Checklist for Developing School District Privacy Programs (with video)
Policies for Users of Student Data: A Checklist
Protecting Your Child’s Privacy Online [Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) FAQ]
Federal Trade Commission
Educational Privacy
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy
Student Privacy 101
World Privacy Forum
Data Privacy: Get Schooled
Free online course on the use of data in education that includes a discussion of privacy concerns.
Canvas Network
News and Viewpoints
Why Digital Education Could Be a Double-Edged Sword (Student Data Privacy)
PBS News Hour
Which Students Get to Have Privacy?
danah boyd
The Privacy Problem
Helen Adams, School Library Journal
When FERPA Fails to Make the Grade, States Rachet Up Student Privacy Laws
Khaliah Barnes, EPIC
Is Student Privacy Erased As Classrooms Turn Digital?
Christian Science Monitor
Why a Student Privacy Bill of Rights is Desperately Needed
Washington Post
White House backs student data privacy bill
The Hill
Privacy Bill May Fail Student Data Protection
A school data privacy bill may protect companies more than students.
U.S. News and World Report
Schools, Government Agencies Move to Share Student Data
Education Week
A Special Report on Student-Data Privacy
Education Week
Why Many Kids Are Leaving Social Networks
Christian Science Monitor
ACLU, Tenth Amendment Center Join Forces on Data Privacy
Education Week
Legislative Outlook
News Updates
More States Pass Laws to Protect Student Data
The Lowdown on Federal Student Data Privacy Legislation of 2015
Laws Enacted in the States, 2014-2015
California Student Online Personal Information Protection Act
Arkansas Student Online Personal Information Protection Act
Maine Student Privacy Information Act
Maine – An Act To Safeguard Students’ Personal and Private Information
Maryland Student Data Privacy Act of 2015
Nevada – An Act relating to education; making various changes concerning policies governing data which includes information about
pupils that is maintained by the Department of Education
New Hampshire – An Act establishing privacy protections for student online personal information
Oregon – Adopt specified standards related to student education records
Virginia – Students’ Personally Identifiable Information
Virginia -School service providers; student personal information
Washington – The Student User Privacy in Education Rights Act
Proposed Federal Laws
S.1322 – Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2015 (Sponsors: Senators Markey (D-MA), Hatch (R-UT) and Kirk (R-IL)
S.1341 – Student Privacy Protection Act (Sponsor: Senator Vitter, R-LA)
S.1563 – Do Not Track Kids Act of 2015 (Sponsor: Senator Markey (D-MA)
S. 1788 – Safeguarding American Families from Exposure by Keeping Information and Data Secure Act (Sponsors: Senators Daines ( R-MT) and Blumenthal (D-CT)
H.R.2092 – Student Digital Privacy and Parental Rights Act of 2015 (Sponsors: Representatives Messer (R-IN) and Polis (D-CO).
H.R. 2734 – The Do Not Track Kids Act (Sponsor: Representative Barton (R-TX)
H.R.3157 – Student Privacy Protection Act (Sponsors: Representatives Rokita (R-IN), Fudge (D-OH), Kline (R-MN), and Scott (D-VA)