Access to student records
A board member’s access to student records may be limited under federal law. The Family Educational Rights and…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
On Wednesday, an Ohio appellate court ruled that the media was not entitled to the education records of a deceased former student.
On Aug. 4, 2019, a 24-year-old man killed nine people, injuring 27 more…
Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on
If you have towering piles of papers, bulging boxes of student files, or teetering stacks of outmoded technology storage, and you’re wondering how to manage it all, check out our records retention webinar: …
Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on
In December, the Legal Ledger reported that the Federal Commission on School Safety, formed by President Trump after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, had released its report and recommendations. In…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
Yesterday, the federal Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) released an FAQ about how photos and videos should be treated under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
FERPA generally prohibits school districts from disclosing personally identifiable…
Posted by Sara Clark on
The U.S. Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has issued a guidance video concerning the use of email in schools and student data privacy. In the short video, the Department briefly explains the protections afforded student personally identifiable information (PII) by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and asks school employees to evaluate the risks associated with using email as a convenient means of transmitting such sensitive information.
If you haven’t starting utilizing…
Posted by Megan E. Greulich on
House Bill (HB) 359, Ohio’s new Safe at Home program, became effective yesterday, Sept. 8. The HB 359 bill analysis is available here. The program creates a system of address confidentiality implemented through the secretary of state’s (SOS) office. The new provisions appear in Ohio Revised Code (RC) sections 111.41, 111.42…
Posted by Jennifer Hardin on
On Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling in State ex rel. School Choice Ohio, Inc. v. Cincinnati Pub. School Dist. [Cincinnati Public School District was dismissed as a respondent in this case when it entered into a settlement agreement with SCO.]
In October 2013, School Choice Ohio (SCO) submitted a public records request to Springfield City School District, requesting:
- Student’s and parent’s/guardian’s name,
- Parent’s/guardian's complete address and email address…
Posted by Megan Greulich on
This morning, the Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments in School Choice Ohio Inc. v. Cincinnati Public School District and Springfield City School District. School Choice Ohio (SCO) filed the lawsuit after the Springfield City School District denied SCO’s request for student names and addresses. In 2013, Springfield adopted a policy that stopped student names, addresses, phone numbers and other identifying data from being designated as “directory information” under the Family Education Rights and Privacy…
Posted by Sara Clark on
On January 14, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the "Uninterrupted Scholars Act of 2013." The Act amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which generally prohibits the release of personally identifiable information from student education records without written consent from a parent or eligible student.
Before the Act's passage, the records of foster youth could not be easily obtained by agency caseworkers. A child welfare worker was required to obtain parental consent for the transfer of education records or receive a court order from a judge. The…