States Privacy Laws Strengthen Federal Student Data Privacy Statutes and Provide Additional Security Protection

As more schools have created 1:1 environments and now have thousands of devices to manage, there has been growing concern on the part of educators and policy makers that student privacy be fully protected. Schools and districts in every state must follow the federal statutes—FERPA and COPPA. However, as data breaches have become more common and schools have realized they needed to strengthen their security systems, educators, parents, and lawmakers have worked together to enact state laws that are more comprehensive and prescriptive. This is particularly true for vendors who provide digital tools and services to schools and districts.

At this point, 41 states have passed 126 laws dealing with student privacy since 2013. The purpose of this section of the Education Framework website is to focus on states that have the highest level of activity around data privacy at this time. When there is legislative news, we will update the state’s page to reflect it. Our goal is that these pages provide a useful tool for those working to keep student data secure.

New York - EdLaw Section 2d

Missouri - House Bill 1490

California - SOPIPA, AB 1584

Illinois - House Bill 3606

Connecticut - Public Act 16-189