As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the country, administrators and educators are seeking guidance on how to provide privacy-protective online learning and responsibly disclose information to their communities. This webpage provides a regularly updated list of student privacy and security resources, including those created specifically in response to COVID-19 and previously available resources that may be useful.
Last updated 8/31/2021
FPF COVID-19 Resources
- Student Privacy Training for Educators – Emergency Professional Development
- Student Privacy Communications Toolkit: For Schools & Districts
- Elevating Student Voices: Conversations about Student Privacy with Undergraduates During COVID-19
- Rethinking Video Mandates In Online Classrooms: Privacy and Equity Considerations and Alternative Engagement Methods (with NEA)
- Education During a Pandemic: Principles for Student Data Privacy and Equity
- 13 Interviews with State, District, and School Student Privacy Leaders
- Reopening Schools Issue Briefs:
- Student Privacy and Special Education: An Educator’s Guide During and After COVID-19 (with National Center for Learning Disabilities)
- Teachers’ Data Privacy While Teaching Online, guest blog by Emilia Rastrick
- Online Learning Best Practices for Schools and Educators
- Webinar: Classrooms in the Cloud: Student Privacy & Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic, slides available here (co-hosted with CITE and F3 Law)
- Social (Media) Distancing: Online Learning and Privacy During a Pandemic
- Cyberattacks Leverage Fear of Coronavirus: How Educators Can Prepare and Respond, guest blog by Amy McLaughlin
- FAQs: Disclosing Student Health Information During the COVID-19 Pandemic (with AASA)
- FPF’s Wiki of COVID-19 Privacy & Data Protection Resources
COVID-19 Resources, Federal Government
- May Schools Disclose Information about Cases of COVID-19?, U.S. Department of Education
- COPPA Guidance for Ed Tech Companies and Schools during the Coronavirus, Federal Trade Commission
- Remote learning and children’s privacy, Federal Trade Commission
- FERPA and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 FAQ, U.S. Department of Education
- FERPA and Virtual Learning (1-page list of resources), U.S. Department of Education
- FERPA and Virtual Learning webinar slides and recording, U.S. Department of Education
- Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education
- FAQs on Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Civil Rights
COVID-19 Resources, State Government
- Assessing the Security of Online Collaborative Tools, Colorado Department of Education
- Best Practices for Educators, Colorado Department of Education
- Best Practices for Families, Colorado Department of Education
- Getting Connected Online, Colorado Department of Education
- Getting Started at Home, Colorado Department of Education
- Guidance on E-Learning Technology, Colorado Department of Education
- Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Education Services and Other COVID-19 Privacy Guidance, Colorado Department of Education
- Remote learning resources, Connecticut’s Commission for Educational Technology
- Privacy and Security for Distance Learning, Louisiana Department of Education
- FERPA and Virtual Learning, Texas Education Agency
- FERPA and Virtual Learning short video, Utah State Board of Education
- Q&A on Remote Learning and Student Confidentiality, Utah State Board of Education
COVID-19 Resources, Other Organizations
- COVID-19 Resources, including Protecting Students in Virtual Classrooms: Considerations for Educators and Considerations for Distance Learning: a 7-Point Strategy, Center for Democracy and Technology
- Privacy and Equity in the New School Year, Center for Democracy and Technology
- Is it Safe to Reopen Schools?, Center for Reinventing Public Education
- Distance learning resources at Wide Open School, Common Sense Media
- COVID-19 Response: Preparing to Take School Online, CoSN
- Cybersecurity Considerations in a COVID-19 World, CoSN
- Privacy Considerations Checklist, CoSN
- Video Conferencing Tools in the Age of Remote Learning: Privacy Considerations for New Technologies, CoSN
- Maintaining Student Data Privacy and Public Transparency During the Pandemic, Data Quality Campaign
- Maintaining Trust as Data Use Changes: Student Data Privacy and the COVID-19 Crisis, Data Quality Campaign
- Resources for Educating All Learners during COVID-19, Educating All Learners Alliance
- EDUCAUSE DIY Survey Kit: Remote Work and Learning Experiences, EDUCAUSE
- Post-Pandemic Future: Implications for Privacy, EDUCAUSE
- 10 Key Steps to Establish Distance Learning Amid COVID-19, F3 Law
- Providing Effective and Equitable Digital Learning for all Students: Key Considerations for Districts, Learning Keeps Going
- Webinar: Student Privacy Issues and COVID-19, slides available here, Paul O’Neill, NCSECS
- Student Privacy and COVID-19 resource, Student Data Privacy Consortium
- Parent-Teacher Conference: Staying Safe Online in COVID-19, Tricia A. Howard
- Zoombombing resources, University of Southern California
Relevant Resources Created Prior to the Pandemic
- The Educator’s Guide to Student Data Privacy, FPF and ConnectSafely
- The Parents Guide to Student Data Privacy, FPF, National PTA, and ConnectSafely
- Parents: Raise Your Hand and Ask Schools How They Protect Student Data, FPF
- Easy Tips for Keeping Student Data Safe When Taking Your Work Home, Student Privacy Compass guest blog by Susan Bearden
- 3 Easy Ways for Educators to Keep Online Accounts Secure, Student Privacy Compass guest blog by Susan Bearden
- 3 Easy Steps for Educators to Make a Secure Passphrase, Student Privacy Compass guest blog by Susan Bearden
- Sniffers and Snoopers and Hackers, Oh My! Protecting Yourself from the Risks of Public Wi-Fi, Student Privacy Compass guest blog by Susan Bearden
- Privacy Technical Assistance Center, U.S. Department of Education
- California Data Privacy Guidebook, CCSESA, CITE, and F3 Law
- Student Data Privacy website and Training Videos, Utah State Board of Education
- An Overview of Federal Laws Impacting Student Information Collected Through Networked Technologies, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
- EdTech Privacy Evaluations, Common Sense Media
- Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning Toolkit, CoSN
- Privacy Resources, EDUCAUSE
- Forum Guide to Education Data Privacy, NCES
- Data in the Cloud: A Legal and Policy Guide for School Boards on Student Data Privacy in the Cloud Computing Era, National School Boards Association
- Data Security for Schools: A Legal and Policy Guide for School Boards, National School Boards Association
- Predictive Analytics in Higher Education: Five Guiding Practices for Ethical Use, New America
- Resource Registry, Student Data Privacy Consortium
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