CSBA pushes to protect students' personal information
Published: February 24, 2016
In light of a recent court order that would force the California Department of Education to release up to 10 million student records to attorneys of a third party, CSBA reaffirms its commitment to student privacy and its willingness to help families protect sensitive student information.
Recently, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that in order to determine whether California school districts are providing appropriate special education services, student records maintained by the CDE must be released to plaintiff’s attorneys in the case of Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association v. California Department of Education. The Court has appointed a special master to assist with the discovery process and ensure confidentiality, but the records being disclosed may contain personally identifiable student information such as social security numbers. Affected parties include all of the following:
- Parents and guardians of a child with disabilities
- Parents and guardians of a student who is attending or attended a California school at any time since January 1, 2008
- Anyone over the age of 18 who is currently attending a California school or attended a California school since January 1, 2008
CSBA is urging that the courts, the plaintiffs and the CDE find a way to provide the desired information without potentially compromising the privacy of every student educated in the California public school system since 2008. For additional information regarding the court order and how to object to the release of student records, see CSBA’s guidance provided to all CSBA members in a Feb. 18 email.
CSBA's commitment to protecting students’ personal information is also embodied throughout CSBA’s sample policies, and is specifically addressed in the following:
CSBA encourages districts to review their own student privacy policies and to contact Policy Services to learn how CSBA can help keep your policies up to date with changes in the law.