Privacy concerns arise over student data - USATODAY.com:
"Privacy concerns have touched off a debate this summer about whether schools should change the practice of sharing student contact information with outside sources.
School districts and colleges nationwide are allowed to sell or share student lists that contain information such as the names, ages, phone numbers and home addresses of students.
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 lets schools decide how much student information they designate as public record for use in school directories, yearbooks and other school publications, says Jim Bradshaw, with the U.S. Department of Education. Outside groups have access to public record information.
'Once the data gets out, they have no real control over what happens,' says David Holtzman, a former security analyst and author of the book Privacy Lost."
"Privacy concerns have touched off a debate this summer about whether schools should change the practice of sharing student contact information with outside sources.
School districts and colleges nationwide are allowed to sell or share student lists that contain information such as the names, ages, phone numbers and home addresses of students.
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 lets schools decide how much student information they designate as public record for use in school directories, yearbooks and other school publications, says Jim Bradshaw, with the U.S. Department of Education. Outside groups have access to public record information.
'Once the data gets out, they have no real control over what happens,' says David Holtzman, a former security analyst and author of the book Privacy Lost."