FPF Student Privacy Train-the-Trainer Program

The FPF Student Privacy Train-the-Trainer Program for 2021 is now closed for applications.

About the Program

Since 2013, over 130 new student privacy laws have passed in 41 states, with more bills and regulations being rolled out each year. This results in many new requirements for educators and administrators to implement. Some state laws include the threat of jail or large fines when school staff even unintentionally violate student privacy. Unfortunately, few states have received funding or support in implementing these new laws. At the same time, multiple new federal guidance documents have been released, changing past understandings about FERPA, COPPA, and other related federal student privacy laws. This massive shift in the legal landscape makes it hard for attorneys serving schools and districts to keep up and provide the most accurate advice to their clients. This isn’t only a legal problem: as technology changes and the amount of information schools collect and maintain increases, ensuring that new educators and administrators come into their schools with the skills needed to adequately protect student privacy in their day-to-day work and conveying best practices to schools is extremely challenging.

Recognizing the demand for practical, informed privacy guidance, the Future of Privacy Forum, a nonprofit focused on consumer privacy, is launching a Train-the-Trainer program in 2020 to multiply the people on the ground with the capacity to provide basic student privacy support. The FPF Student Privacy Train-the-Trainer Program will build the capacity of local education agency (LEA) and education service agency (ESA) staff to help the schools and districts they serve, equip college of teacher education professors and staff to integrate student privacy best practices and important legal trends into their institution’s curriculum, and train attorneys for K-12 educational agencies and institutions to advise their clients and train their peers on this changing legal landscape.

Objectives

Knowledge: Expand and deepen your student privacy and security knowledge.

Networking: Establish ongoing relationships with a close cohort of student privacy professionals.

Training: Acquire resources and relationships needed to train and influence others.

Participant Requirements

For the pilot program, we are primarily recruiting staff from educational service agencies and colleges for teacher education, attorneys for local and state education agencies, or instructional coaches/librarians whose job includes training responsibilities, but interested individuals from other backgrounds are encouraged to apply as well. Those in the groups above and those working for educational agencies and institutions will be prioritized over other applicants. The pilot program will only include up to fifty participants total. 

Participants should have a strong interest in student privacy, the willingness to conduct student privacy trainings at their institutions or relevant conferences, and be able to dedicate approximately eight hours per month for virtual webinars (1-2 hours) and asynchronous activities (6 hours). The February kickoff workshop will be held February 25-26, 2021. Participants may also need to travel to Washington, D.C. for in-person workshops in November 2021, depending on current conditions. Travel scholarships are available for a limited number of participants. 

Participant Benefits

Throughout the program, participants will also develop resources necessary to empower others to protect student privacy, including a personalized student privacy training toolkit, and foster a network of likeminded peers. Attorneys will receive CLE credits for all in-person and virtual trainings and educators will receive continuing education units, as applicable.

Email ttt@fpf.org if you have any questions.

How to Apply or Nominate

Simply complete the application below.

If you would like to nominate someone for the program, please provide information in the nomination form below.