Privacy of student data - or lack there of

A friend sent me a link to an article in the New York Times titled "New York parents furious at program, inBloom, that compiles private student information for companies that contract with it to create teaching tools"

The project is called inBloom – a massive national database of personal information on public school students – and it is already up and running.  So far, at least 9 states are using or planning to use the system: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina.

I find it quite concerning, especially since I do not remember any discussion of this.  With all the cases of identity theft, why would we want to do this?  Shouldn't parents have an opt-out option?  Or better yet, require an opt-in?

On a related note, I was disturbed when I received the first e-mail from Lisa Wagner about Jefferson.  I asked her where she got my email address.  Her reply "FOIA."

So, I found her FOIA request and sent my own in with the exact same wording.  I received a file from the district with a list of all district parents with their address, phone number and email address.  I do not plan to use it.  What I find disturbing is:  

1.  I thought this information should be private, and parents should have an opt-out option, much like an unpublished phone number, or the option for your child’s information not to appear in the PTA school directory.

2. My name and information was not in the data.  I have signed up for CUSD 200 district emails, but my youngest has graduated high school.  The District gave Lisa Wagner something different than they gave me.

The district needs to have a clear policy on how any request for data on teachers, students or their families is to be handled. The district should not release private information without permission.  If elected, this is a topic that I will insist we take-up.

Jan Shaw

Candidate CUSD 200 school board

Janshaw200.com