Letters of Importance

Letter in response to an inquiry on FERPA regarding a request from a parent for a copy of a suveillance video of a hazing incident involving multiple students, and for copies of witness statements regarding the incident.

This letter was sent to Liberty University in regards to a request for clarification on the extent FERPA would require Liberty University to provide individuals allegedly involved in fraud rings with the opportunity to inspect and review investigation reports prepared by the University related to suspected financial aid fraud.  

Schools have long been targets for cyber thieves and criminals.  We are writing to let you know of a new threat, where the criminals are seeking to extort money from school districts and other educational institutions on the threat of releasing sensitive data from student records.  In some cases, this has included threats of violence, shaming, or bullying the children unless payment is received.

The U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host a joint workshop on December 1, 2017 to explore the intersection of Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).

This workshop will solicit input from a variety of education technology vendors, schools, parents, advocates, and privacy professionals to discuss their experiences navigating FERPA and COPPA while implementing education technology in a classroom setting.  The Department and the FTC are interested in learning about experiences, both positive and negative, in navigating the intersection of these statutes.   

You can find a full list of questions, and information about how to submit comments, in the attached document.   The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be at the FTC’s Constitution Center, 400 7th St., SW, Washington, DC.  It will be webcast live on the FTC’s website. 

Any organization with electronic records is vulnerable to security breaches, and education agencies are no exception. The PTAC Data Breach Scenario is one of a series of exercises intended to assist schools, districts, and other educational organizations with internal data security training. The Password Data Breach interactive exercise is aimed at district management and provides a simulated response to a district-level data breach. Over the course of 1-2 hours, this customizable exercise leads participants through a scenario involving a breach of student information and other personally identifiable information. The exercise focuses on the processes, procedures, and skills needed to respond. The package includes three parts: Facilitator’s Guide, PowerPoint Slides, and Exercise Handouts.

The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) conducted a series of focus groups to gain insight into teachers’ needs for training on student privacy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This report documents the findings of these focus groups, as well as recommendations on how to develop new student privacy and FERPA training for teachers.

This document is a template notice for notifying parents and eligible students (students over 18 years of age or attending a school beyond the high school level) about the type of information from student’s education records, designated by a School District as “directory information,” that schools may disclose without consent, unless advised to the contrary.  This version is the Spanish translation.

This document is a template notice for school districts to notify parents and obtain consent or allow parents to opt their child out of participating in certain school activities under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

This document is a template for postsecondary institutions to use for eligible students to consent to the disclosure of PII from educational records to their parents.