Calls needed to senators’ offices!<\/p>\n
See the message below from a leading student-privacy warrior in NY.
\nThe Capitol phone number is\u00a0202.224.3121<\/p>\n
From: Leonie Haimson
\nDate: Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 12:18 PM
\nSubject: Action alert! for student privacy<\/p>\n
We just heard that RIGHT NOW, the Senate HELP (Health Education Labor and Pensions committee) is negotiating over the re-authorization of the\u00a0Education Sciences Reform Act.\u00a0\u00a0We were told that there are Democrats on the committee who are pushing for relaxing limits on access to personal student data, and are saying that researchers should be able to obtain open-ended access to complete student data sets\u2013 and that they shouldn\u2019t have to even specify which specific student level data they want for what purposes.<\/p>\n
We are urging\u00a0all parents\/advocates to call their Senators in DC ASAP and if possible\u00a0on Monday\u00a0morning<\/b> ESPECIALLY if your Senator is on the HELP committee (listed with links to their contact info below) and especially the Democrats, and ask to speak to their education staffers with the following message: <\/p>\n
As regards the Education Sciences Reform Act, student data used by researchers should be de-identified and anonymized to the extent possible.\u00a0\u00a0In NO case should any researcher obtain open-ended access to personally identifiable student data without parental consent.\u00a0 There must be strict oversight and protocols, and the researcher must explain exactly what type of personal data they need for what particular purpose and why it is absolutely necessary to complete their analysis and why this could not be achieved with anonymized data.<\/b><\/p>\n
If you have more time to talk,\u00a0you can point out that there have been more than 700 reported breaches of personal data from educational institutions since 2005 according to \u00a0http:\/\/www.privacyrights.org\/data-breach<\/a><\/p>\n You can also point out that the NCES has said that Fair Information Practices require that only personal information that is directly relevant and necessary for the specified purpose should be collected and\/or shared…<\/p>\n Please email us if you have any questions.<\/p>\n It is especially important that parents\/advocates who live in the states represented by Dems below call\u00a0on Monday.<\/p>\n Thanks Leonie and Rachael Senate HELP Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n Democrats by Rank<\/p>\n Tom Harkin (IA) Republicans by Rank<\/strong><\/p>\n Lamar Alexander (TN)
\nCo-chairs, Parent Coalition for Student Privacy<\/p>\n
\nBarbara A. Mikulski (MD)
\nPatty Murray (WA)
\nBernard Sanders (I) (VT)
\nRobert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
\nKay R. Hagan (NC)
\nAl Franken (MN)
\nMichael F. Bennet (CO)
\nSheldon Whitehouse (RI)
\nTammy Baldwin (WI)
\nChristopher S. Murphy (CT)
\nElizabeth Warren (MA)<\/p>\n
\nMichael B. Enzi (WY)
\nRichard Burr (NC)
\nJohnny Isakson (GA)
\nRand Paul (KY)
\nOrrin G. Hatch (UT)
\nPat Roberts (KS)
\nLisa Murkowski (AK)
\nMark Kirk (IL)
\nTim Scott (SC)<\/p>\n