Turning Private Information of Florida’s Children Over to the Education for Profit Industry
It’s quickly moved under the radar, and SB 878 will be considered by the Senate Appropriations today. Misleading titled Education Accountability on the senate website, Sen. Bill Galvano’s (R-Bradenton) bill follows adjustments Sec. of Education Arne Duncan made to the Federal Education Rights Privacy Act (1974) as a means to solidify Common Core Standard grip on education policy. Sheila Kaplan explains:
As the 45 states that have adopted Common Core Standards begin implementation serious concerns are being raised about the impact on the privacy of students and their families. The federal Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, or FERPA, was enacted in 1974 to protect the privacy of education records and directory information, which includes name, address, phone number, date of birth, and e-mail address, among other personally identifiable information.
Schools are a rich source of personal information about children that can be legally and illegally accessed by third parties. With incidences of identity theft, database hacking, and sale of personal information rampant, there is an urgent need to protect students’ rights under FERPA and raise awareness of aspects of the law that may compromise the privacy of students and their families.
In 2008 and 2011, amendments to FERPA gave third parties, including private companies, increased access to student data. It is significant that in 2008, the amendments to FERPA