Privacy Handbook for Student Information Online

School districts across the country rely on online service providers and technology companies to improve education and facilitate school administrative functions. These services typically involve the transfer of student information to third-party commercial organizations and raise significant privacy concerns for student information. The Fordham CLIP research study "Privacy and Cloud Computing in Public Schools" showed that major gaps exist in the protection of student privacy for many of the services used by schools. The study identified that school districts have a tremendous need for assistance in addressing privacy and called for the development of a national clearinghouse and research center to develop and distribute materials for schools to be able to use. This Privacy Handbook for Student Information Online: A Toolkit for Schools and Parents is designed to provide some of these materials, and Fordham CLIP is pleased to publish the Privacy Handbook for use in school communities.

Under the direction of Professor Joel R. Reidenberg, the Technology and Law Practicum course at Fordham Law School prepared this set of materials to assist school communities in addressing online privacy issues. These materials offer tools for school administrators, teachers and parents to better understand and address online privacy protections and legal requirements. The Privacy Handbook is designed as a series of stand-alone documents, professional development presentations and checklists that can be updated and supplemented over time.

The package consists of a complete binder in PDF format and each tool as a stand-alone file, including the slides for the professional development presentations. All files may be downloaded and used free of charge by school communities. Any commercial uses will require prior written permission from the tool authors.

Fordham CLIP welcomes comments on the materials and suggestions for additional tools that would be of use to school communities. Comments and suggestions may be sent to [email protected].

Privacy Handbook Materials

Download complete binder

Individual Tools