Their records are private, got that? And districts are responsible for protecting the integrity and accuracy of the documents they gather and preserve.

Why is that suddenly so critical? possibly it’s the fact that thousands of Sarasota students are suing Princeton Review by the public posting of their personal data on the Web.

Education commissioner Eric J. Smith writes a memo to superintendents: “With the recent disclosure that confidential student records entrusted to an external vendor were left vulnerable to public access, it is

crucial that we, as public stewards of those records, be reminded of our responsibilities regarding that matter.” He adds:

(D)ata managers, their staff, and other agency and school personnel must become familiar with the laws that ensure the confidentiality of the records, as well as the legal concepts underlying those laws. We strongly recommend that district personnel responsible for student records be familiar with all law and rules regarding the confidentiality of student records.

Enough said.

Original post by Jeff Solochek