Audience Landing Page

This section houses all guidance documents, training materials, policy letters and other resources dedicated to protecting student privacy.  To narrow the list of documents below, use the drop down menus to select the type of resource, the topic and/or the audience and click the ‘apply’ button.  An updated list of resources will then be displayed below.

Guidance

Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of FERPA Enforcement

The Department is committed to protecting student privacy. To provide more timely and effective assistance to parents and students and to address a recommendation made by the Department’s Office of the Inspector General to “implement a risk-based approach to processing and resolving FERPA complaints,”  the Department is modifying its investigatory practices to more efficiently address and resolve complaints and violations under FERPA.  

Guidance

Technical Assistance on Student Privacy for State and Local Educational Agencies When Administering College Admissions Examinations

The administration of college admissions examinations by SEAs and LEAs raises potential legal issues under FERPA, IDEA, PPRA, and State privacy laws, and generally raises concerns about privacy best practices. In particular, the pre-test surveys administered in connection with these exams raised privacy concerns that SEAs and LEAs must consider when contracting with the testing companies. This document discusses the legal issues, and advises SEAs and LEAs about how to remain in compliance when administering the tests. The document also conveys best practice recommendations to encourage transparency and parental involvement.

Guidance

Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) General Guidance

This guidance document reviews parents’ rights under the PPRA and education officials’ obligations in implementing the PPRA.  The PPRA applies to the programs and activities of a State educational agency (SEA), local educational agency (LEA), or other recipient of funds under any program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. (20 U.S.C. § 1232h, 34 CFR Part 98)

Best Practices

SPPO Guidance List

The list of documents here includes all “guidance documents,” as defined in Executive Order 13891, Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents, 84 Fed. Reg. 55235 (Oct. 9, 2019), issued by the Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO).  As a general matter, guidance documents are statements of general applicability, intended to have future effect on the behavior of regulated parties, that sets forth a policy on a statutory, regulatory, or technical issue; or an interpretation of a statute or regulation.

Recorded Webinars

Credit Interoperability and Blockchain Solutions - Webinar

In the first installment of our three part webinar series, we will discuss an important credit interoperability use case — reverse transfer, where postsecondary institutions facilitate data transactions between with other academic institutions to award credentials to students when they physically transfer. During this session, we will explore where in the implementation of this system occur implications for data privacy and security, how FERPA applies in these cases, and what questions were addressed by the institutions involved to ensure FERPA compliance.