Wasatch FERPA and Common Core

The School Board approved a 30 day comment period on the FERPA changes approved in April, without any review or public comment period.   As this reconsideration was done last week, the comment period ends about 15 June.    Residents may want to weigh in on the subject of releasing private student information.  From the School website:   "For comments on policies contact Vicci Gappmayer here.  Last Modified on Friday at 3:36 PM"     (For comparison the Kitchen Use Policy is also up for review; one might ask which is more important, but we won't.)  
 
An Open Letter to the Wasatch School Board  (sent via , and sent to as LTE to the Wave)

It is my understanding that Wasatch Schools are in the process of reviewing the modifications made to the local FERPA policy.    (Anyone of you is invited to join on the Impact program to provide the answers to these question and discuss the issue. It has been a item of discussion already and, thus far, no one has heeded the request to represent the school.)

1    I also understand that some people are saying it is necessary to make the changes because it is required by law.  If so, could you please provide a reference to that law?  Who gave the information to the school board?

2    If it is NOT required, what is the reason for the change?

3    While the DoE implementation of the Federal FERPA law was changed last year to allow (not require) more dissemination of personal student information, why is it beneficial to the student or parent?

4    If the information is to "prove" the value, or measure the success, of some 2020 goal (see below), how does that justify releasing private information to a database?

5    Do Wasatch County students really need or, benefit from, having K-12 information in some computer database that may only be as secure as the Utah medical records that were breached recently?

6    If it wasn't allowed before the change of rules by DoE; did, or does, the federal FERPA law allow it now?  Have your attorneys checked that?

7    I would also suggest that #8 "To certain designated government or educational authorities;"  is rather vague.   Designated by whom, designated where and for what purpose?

From the DoE for the proposed NPRM to allow release of more personal student info.

Concerning testing, FERPA and private student info dissemination, the DoE modified their regulations governing privacy.

"As States develop their longitudinal data systems, the Department has been informed of significant confusion in the education field surrounding what are permissible disclosures of personally identifiable student information from education records. . . "

"the NPRM proposes requiring a State or local educational authority or an agency headed by an official listed in 99.31(a)(3) to use a written agreement that designates any authorized representative to whom it will redisclose personally identifiable information from education records without consent."

Why is this change needed - according to the proposal? 

"High quality data and robust data systems will help us measure our progress towards President Obama's goal for us to be first in the world in college completion by the year 2020 and better meet the needs of parents, teachers, and students."


Apparently to prove this new program, whether federal or by a consortia, we need to allow the release and collection of MORE private information to "better meet the needs of " the education establishment, federal government and for propaganda and justification.

For more on the NEW Common Core see What is Common Core?  and Utahns against Common Core