State offers districts a refresher in student privacy

Their records are private, got that? And districts are responsible for protecting the integrity and accuracy of the data they collect and maintain.

Why is that suddenly so important? Maybe it's the fact that thousands of Sarasota students are suing Princeton Review over the public posting of their personal information on the Internet.

Education commissioner Eric J. Smith writes a memo to superintendents: "With the recent disclosure that confidential student records entrusted to an outside vendor were left vulnerable to public access, it is important that we, as public stewards of those records, be reminded of our responsibilities regarding this matter." He adds:

(D)ata managers, their staff, and other agency and school personnel must become familiar with the laws that ensure the confidentiality of the records, as well as the legal concepts underlying those laws. We strongly recommend that district personnel responsible for student records be familiar with all law and rules regarding the confidentiality of student records.

Enough said.