Guidance Videos
These short videos are intended to provide guidance on specific topics surrounding student privacy, or have been produced as easy-to-use companions to existing guidance documents. New videos are added periodically.
U.S. Department of Education
A Service of the Privacy Technical Assistance Center and the
Student Privacy Policy Office
These short videos are intended to provide guidance on specific topics surrounding student privacy, or have been produced as easy-to-use companions to existing guidance documents. New videos are added periodically.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, provides certain rights for parents and eligible students around student education records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, provides certain rights for parents and eligible students around student education records
Introduction to Blockchains for Educators is the first in a series of videos intended to introduce the technology behind blockchains and provide in
Email is an easy way to communicate with students and parents. Prior to sending an email, it’s important to evaluate the risk associated with sending student information and recognizing if it is personally identifiable information (PII). This video walks you through best practices on how to email student information.
This video, intended for parents, provides guidance and information on what questions they might want to ask their schools or districts if they have questions about the data the district collects and/or maintains. The video also provides an overview of the types of questions parents should ask and why.
This video provides an overview and rationale for why districts need to develop a program to protect student data.
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. This video describes why a school would want to use designated student directory information and the types of information that fall into this category. It also explains the process that schools and districts must adhere to when designating directory information.
Parents need to feel confident that the education information collected and stored by your district is securely maintained and only used for educational purposes. This video highlights common parent questions, and provides best practices that districts can implement to communicate with parents about data privacy.
This Privacy Technical Assistance Center teacher training video is aimed at helping K-12 school officials to better protect student privacy while using online educational services and applications. The video, intended for use during teacher in-service days or professional development meetings, offers a short summary of the issue and provides some examples to help educators identify which online educational services and applications are privacy-friendly and protect student data from improper use and disclosure.
The Department of Education is committed to student privacy. We administer the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and we provide technical assistance to help schools and school districts use best practices in their use and management of information about students. This site aims to assist stakeholders in protecting the privacy of students by providing official guidance on FERPA , technical best practices and the answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Responsibility for the Department’s student privacy operations lies in the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer. To learn more about FERPA please click on the video to the right.