Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) and Ranking Member Marcia Fudge (D-OH) today introduced the Student Privacy Protection Act(H.R. 3157), bipartisan legislation to update student privacy protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. The bill will modernize privacy protections, improve communication between parents and school officials, and hold schools, states, and independent entities accountable for their use of student information.
"Mobile applications, cloud computing, and other innovative tools play an increasingly important role in a student’s education," said Chairman Rokita. "Unfortunately, legal safeguards over student privacy have not kept pace with the rapid technological changes taking place in America’s classrooms. The bipartisan reforms in this bill will strengthen privacy protections to ensure schools can provide a 21st century education, while keeping their students’ personal information safe and secure. I want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Fudge, for working with me to advance these important and necessary reforms."
"Technology plays an essential role in educating our nation’s children, enhancing learning, and empowering educators with better information to meet the individual needs of their students," said Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. "While the use of technology in education continues to advance, laws governing the management of student records – often electronic – have not. The Student Privacy Protection Act clarifies the definition of student records and how they are kept, increases parental access and consent, strengthens accountability and transparency, and protects student records from dangerous data breaches and theft. It is time our laws reflect today’s technological reality. We must take the steps necessary to protect the privacy and data of all students and families."
Read more about the the Student Privacy Protection Act at: http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399178