Student Privacy Protections in Morgan Hill Case – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today applauded a federal court order strengthening protections for student data in the case of Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association vs. California Department of Education.

“The court has heard loud and clear from California’s families that they want their students’ privacy protected. This is a good first step. The court responded to these concerns and ordered additional measures to safeguard data,” Torlakson said. “The California Department of Education will continue to fight vigorously to protect student privacy rights as this case proceeds.”

In her March 1 order, U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller noted the large number of objections to the potential release of student data received by the court following the posting of the Notice of Disclosure of Student Records on February 1. In response to the objections, the court ordered that the CDE maintain custody of the most sensitive of its databases, the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System #CALPADS#, while running searches for information requested by the plaintiffs. The court also reiterated that no student personally identifiable information may be released to the plaintiffs unless and until they demonstrate to the satisfaction of the court that the method to be used to store the sensitive student data is secure. The parties are still litigating the extent of the disclosure of student data.

Source: Student Privacy Protections in Morgan Hill Case – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

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