Overview

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) treats data confidentiality and the privacy of student educational records very seriously. It complies with all federal laws including Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), state statutes, and guidelines to protect confidential data.

 

Resources for Parents/Families

• FERPA is the federal law that is designed to protect student data by giving parents certain rights with respect to their child’s education records.
  • A 4-minute video introduction to FERPA: Student Privacy 101
  • FERPA guidance document for parents
  • A video on Student Directory information (FERPA allows schools and districts to designate certain basic student information as directory information, and share that information without consent if certain additional requirements are met)
  • A video designed to help parents identify questions to ask their child’s school about student data
• State Law
  • Connecticut Public Act 16-189 – In the spring of 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly passed P.A. 16-189, An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy, to provide additional protections for student data.  Specifically, the bill requires boards of education to enter into a written contract with a contractor any time the board of education shares or provides access to student information, student records, or student-generated content.
  • See the  P.A. 16-189 presentation for more information.
  • Please note, Public Act 17-200 extended the deadline for districts to be in compliance with the provisions of P.A. 16-189 from October of 2016 to July 1, 2018
• CSDE Policies
  • What data does the CSDE collect? Check out CSDE’s Data Acquisition Plan
  • What does the CSDE do with the data it collects? How does it protect the data? Answers in CSDE Data Privacy and Protection FAQ
  • CSDE Data Suppression Policy for protecting aggregate data

• A 4-minute video introduction to FERPA: Student Privacy 101
• FERPA “Do’s & Don’ts”  - A Guide for Teachers (from Fordham University)
• “FERPA . . . What is it and how do we comply?”  A brief FERPA basics video

• A 4-minute video introduction to FERPA: Student Privacy 101
• The National Forum on Education Statistics has a number of guides and resources for schools and districts.  Two of note include:
  • The “Forum Guide to the Privacy of Student Information: A Resource for Schools”
  • The “Forum Guide to Education Data Privacy”
• Student Data Privacy Communications Toolkit
• The US Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has created a pair of online training courses for districts (requires registration).
  • “FERPA 101: For Local Education Agencies” is a course on the basics of FERPA. 
  • “FERPA 201: Data Sharing under FERPA” is a more advanced course for district leadership. 
  • PTAC provides a wide variety of documents, videos and other resources for district staff on their Protecting Student Privacy website.
• State Law
  • Connecticut Public Act 16-189 – In the spring of 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly passed public act 16-198, An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy, to provide additional protections for student data.  Specifically, the bill requires boards of education to enter into a written contract with a contractor any time the board of education shares or provides access to student information, student records, or student-generated content.
  • See the  P.A. 16-189 presentation for more information.
  • Please note, Public Act 17-200 extended the deadline for districts to be in compliance with the provisions of P.A. 16-189 from October of 2016 to July 1, 2018
• CSDE Policies
  • What data does the CSDE collect? Check out CSDE’s Data Acquisition Plan
  • What does the CSDE do with the data it collects? How does it protect the data? Answers in CSDE Data Privacy and Protection FAQ
  • CSDE Data Suppression Policy for protecting aggregate data
• Developing a Privacy Program for your School District (Video – 2 minutes) (Checklist)
• Data Governance – the system that undergirds data protection    
• National Forum on Education Statistics – Guide to Education Data Privacy