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District staff brief board on student records policy, plans written FERPA procedures
Summary
Risk-management and academic staff presented revisions to the district’s student-records and confidentiality policy and said the changes will be accompanied by a board-approved procedure for FERPA-compliant data sharing and contract reviews.
Risk management and academic staff told the board on April 8 that revisions to the student-records/confidentiality policy will be paired with a new, board-approved procedure covering FERPA compliance and third-party data-sharing.
Todd Sussman, the district privacy officer, said the district intends to add a procedure because current and new statutory guidance requires clearer, written processes about parental notice, contracting and disclosures. Sussman said the revised policy aligns district practice with federal law (FERPA) and Florida guidance; the accompanying procedure will describe how staff will evaluate contracts and data-sharing requests, including required clauses, delivery methods and security expectations.
Board members asked how expedited contract reviews can be completed without delaying nonprofits and vendors that support student services. Sussman and staff said common causes of delay include missing information in vendor templates (for example, requests that include student photographs or survey export fields that count as education records). Risk-management staff said they try to give fast turnarounds once the correct information and transfer provisions are provided.
Why it matters: Student-records handling and third-party data sharing are regulated under federal FERPA and state guidance. The district said it will adopt a written procedure to describe how disclosures are handled, how vendors and contracts must protect student data, and how parents will be notified.
Ending: Staff said they will return with the written procedure for board approval and will provide examples of the common contract issues that cause review delays so the board and departments can streamline requests.
