District Data Inventory Privacy Tool/Parents Bill of Rights
The Lancaster Central School District is committed to protecting the privacy and security of student data and teacher and principal data. In recognition of the risk of identity theft and unwarranted invasion of privacy, the District affirms its commitment to safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII) in education records from unauthorized access or disclosure in accordance with state and federal laws. In promoting that objective, the Lancaster Central School District in accordance with New York Education Law Section 2-D and its implementing regulations, establishes this Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security:
- A student’s personally identifiable information (PII) cannot be sold or released for any commercial purpose. PII, as defined by Education Law § 2-d and FERPA, includes direct identifiers such as a student’s name or identification number, parent’s name, or address; and indirect identifiers such as a student’s date of birth, which when linked to or combined with other information can be used to distinguish or trace a student’s identity. Please see FERPA’s regulations at 34 CFR 99.3 for a more complete definition.
- The right to inspect and review the complete contents of the student’s education record stored or maintained by an educational agency. This right may not apply to parents of an Eligible Student.
- State and federal laws such as Education Law § 2-d; the Commissioner of Education’s Regulations at 8 NYCRR Part 121, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA") at 12 U.S.C. 1232g (34 CFR Part 99); Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") at 15 U.S.C. 6501-6502 (16 CFR Part 312); Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment ("PPRA") at 20 U.S.C. 1232h (34 CFR Part 98); the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) at 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. (34 CFR Part 300); protect the confidentiality of a student’s identifiable information.
- Safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices including but not limited to encryption, firewalls and password protection must be in place when student PII is stored or transferred.
- A complete list of all student data elements collected by NYSED is available at http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacy-security/student-data-inventory and by writing to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234.
- The right to have complaints about possible breaches and unauthorized disclosures of PII addressed. Complaints must be submitted in writing to the District’s designated Data Protection Officer (DPO) at 177 Central Avenue, Lancaster, NY 14086. Additionally, complaints may be submitted to NYSED at http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacysecurity/report-improper-disclosure, by mail to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234; by email to privacy@nysed.gov; or by telephone at (518) 474-0937.
- To be notified in accordance with applicable laws and regulations if a breach or unauthorized release of PII occurs.
- Educational agency workers that handle PII will receive training on applicable state and federal laws, policies, and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices that protect PII.
- Educational agency contracts with vendors that receive PII will address statutory and regulatory data privacy and security requirements.
The contractor acknowledges that they have read this document and understand the terms and conditions contained herein. The document is incorporated as part of the Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) and/or Data Security and Privacy Standards Addendum with the Lancaster Central School District.
Supplemental Information Regarding Third-Party Contractors
In the course of complying with its obligations under the law and providing educational services to District residents, the Lancaster Central School District has entered into agreements with certain third-party contractors. Pursuant to these agreements, third-party contractors may have access to "student data" and/or "teacher or principal data," as those terms are defined by law and regulation.
For each contract or other written agreement that the District enters into with a third-party contractor where the third-party contractor receives student data or teacher or principal data, the District will secure an additional bill of rights from each contractor that will include supplemental information including, but not limited to, the following:
- The exclusive purposes for which the student data or teacher or principal data will be used by the third-party contractor, as defined in the contract;
- How the third-party contractor will ensure that the subcontractors, or other authorized persons or entities to whom the third-party contractor will disclose the student data or teacher or principal data, if any, will abide by all applicable data protection and security requirements, including but not limited to those outlined in applicable laws and regulations (e.g., FERPA; Education Law Section 2-d);
- The duration of the contract, including the contract’s expiration date, and a description of what will happen to the student data or teacher or principal data upon expiration of the contract or other written agreement (e.g., whether, when, and in what format it will be returned to the District, and/or whether, when, and how the data will be destroyed);
- If and how a parent, student, eligible student, teacher, or principal may challenge the accuracy of the student data or teacher or principal data that is collected;
- Where the student data or teacher or principal data will be stored, described in a manner as to protect data security, and the security protections taken to ensure the data will be protected and data privacy and security risks mitigated; and,
- Address how the data will be protected using encryption while in motion and at rest.
List of software that the District utilizes and their privacy policies.