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The Noith Caiolina Institute foi Constitutional Law
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www.ncicl.oig
}uly 2S, 2u1S
Common Coie will biing majoi changes to the way K-12 cuiiiculum is set anu how
stuuent uata is collecteu, stoieu, anu useu. News iepoits ieveal that the uata collecteu is
not always what one might associate with euucational piogiamming. Foi example, Reuteis
iepoiteu that uata collection incluues not just stuuents' names anu acauemic infoimation
but also hobbies, attituues towaiu school anu caieei goals.
2
This iaises the issue of whethei
the stuuent uata collection iequiieu unuei Common Coie is so peivasive anu intiusive that
it violates the constitutional iight of piivacy. This papei examines this question anu
concluues that Common Coie unueimines stuuent piivacy anu iequiies seiious
ieconsiueiation.
!"#$%&' )#*+,- %./ 0,1/2., 3%,%. The 0.S. Supieme Couit has not yet explicitly stateu
that inuiviuuals have a iight to contiol peisonal uata, but it has opineu that unuei the iight
set of facts, it woulu be open to iecognition of such a iight in the futuie. In 4+%52. $6 )72, a
gioup of patients anu uoctois challengeu a New Yoik state law iequiiing uoctois to iepoit
infoimation to a state uatabase on patients who weie piesciibeu ceitain uiugs that aie
pione to abuse.
S
Noting the state's impoitant inteiest in maintaining public health anu the
steps the state took to piotect peisonal uata collecteu unuei the piogiam, the Couit
sustaineu the piogiam.
4
But, the Couit expiesseu ieseivations about the "thieat to piivacy
implicit in the accumulation of vast amounts of peisonal infoimation in computeiizeu uata
banks oi othei massive goveinment files."
S
"The iight to collect anu use such uata foi
public puiposes," the Couit explaineu, "is typically accompanieu by a concomitant statutoiy

1
Foi moie infoimation, please contact executive uiiectoi }eanette Boian at
uoianncicl.oig oi staff attoiney Tylei Younts at tyountsncicl.oig. Eithei attoiney may
be ieacheu at 919-8S8-SS1S.
2
"K-12 Stuuent Batabase }azzes Tech Stait-ups, Spooks Paients," Reuteis, Stephanie Simon,
Naich S, 2u1S (available at http:www.ieuteis.comaiticle2u1SuSuSus-euucation-
uatabase-iu0SBRE922u4W2u1SuSuS).
S
429 0.S. S89 (1977).
4
8/6 at S98-6uu (noting legal liability foi bieaches of uata secuiity pioviueu foi unuei the
law).
S
8/. at 6uS.
2
oi iegulatoiy uuty to avoiu unwaiianteu uisclosuies."
6
Since the New Yoik statute
pioviueu piotections against bieaches of uata secuiity, the Couit stateu, "We theiefoie
neeu not, anu uo not, ueciue any question which might be piesenteu by the unwaiianteu
uisclosuie of accumulateu piivate uata - whethei intentional oi unintentional - oi by a
system that uiu not contain compaiable secuiity piovisions."
7
Thus, while the
accumulation of vast amounts of peisonal uata uoes not in anu of itself piesent
constitutional pioblems, failuie to take piopei piecautions against, anu iemeuies foi,
unwaiianteu uisclosuies coulu give iise to a legal claim foi bieach of piivacy.
Stuuent piivacy is specifically auuiesseu by a feueial statute. The Family Euucation
Rights anu Piivacy Act (FERPA) is a feueial law that piotects the piivacy inteiests of
stuuents. It affoius paients the iight to access anu amenu theii chiluien's euucation
iecoius, anu gives them some contiol ovei the uisclosuie of the infoimation in these
iecoius. FERPA geneially pievents an euucation agency oi institution fiom shaiing stuuent
iecoius, oi peisonally iuentifiable infoimation in these iecoius, without the wiitten
consent of a paient. Amenuments in 2uu8 anu 2u11 alteieu FERPA iegulations to make ie-
uisclosuie of stuuent uata by a State Euucation Authoiity (SEA) foi the puipose of
conuucting stuuies much easiei. Accoiuing to the Bepaitment of Euucation,
"Inteipietations of oui cuiient FERPA iegulations cieateu obstacles foi States in theii
effoits to comply with ARRA's |Ameiican Recoveiy anu Reinvestment Act of 2uu9j
iequiiement that SLBS |State Longituuinal Bata Systemj incluue the 12 elements specifieu
in the Ameiica C0NPETES Act, anu theieby allow foi the shaiing of euucation uata fiom
pieschool to highei euucation."
8

97552&,#7. 7: 3%,% ;+"2%,2.- 0,1/2., !"#$%&'6 The extent to which peisonal stuuent
uata will be collecteu by Noith Caiolina unuei Common Coie iemains unansweieu.
9
Noith

6
8/.
7
8/6 at 6uS-u6.
8
Family Euucational Rights anu Piivacy Final Rule, 76 Feu. Reg. 7S6u4, 7S6u9-1u (Bec. 2,
2u11) (couifieu at S4 C.F.R. pts. 99.S, 99.SS, 99.S7).
9
Ciitics point to the National Euucation Bata Nouel (NEBN), which is a system cieateu by
the feueial goveinment foi tiacking P-2uW (i.e., Pie-K thiough eaily woikfoice) uata foi
euucational ieseaich. Although the NEBN contains seveial hunuieu uata points on
inuiviuual pupils, the mouel itself is not binuing on any state, but seives as a mouel foi
S
Caiolina, along with eveiy othei state, "committeu to builuing longituuinal uata systems by
2u11 as a conuition of ieceiving state stabilization funus,"
1u
unuei the ARRA.
11
To qualify,
the uata systems hau to tiack 12 ciitical uata elements that aie iuentifieu in the Ameiica
C0NPETES Act,
12
incluuing, to name a few, test scoies, tiansciipts, uemogiaphic, anu
eniollmentuiopout infoimation.
1S

A stuuy ieleaseu in 2uu9 by Foiuham Law School's Centei foi Law anu Infoimation
Piivacy ieveals some of the piivacy pioblems with stuuent longituuinal uatabases.
Following a suivey of all fifty states, ieseaicheis founu that euucational uatabases acioss
the countiy ignoie key piivacy piotections foi stuuents. The iepoit founu that vast
amounts of peisonally iuentifiable uata anu sensitive peisonal infoimation about stuuents
aie stoieu by the state uepaitments of euucation in electionic waiehouses oi by thiiu paity
venuois on behalf of the states. Reseaicheis concluueu that such uata waiehouses usually
lack auequate piivacy piotections (incluuing policies goveining access, use, anu ietention
of stuuent uata), aie fiequently not compliant with FERPA, anu leave school chiluien
unpiotecteu fiom uata misuse anu uata bieaches.
14
Although this iepoit pieuates the uata
collection of Common Coie, it is neveitheless instiuctive on the pioblems with longituuinal
uata systems iequiieu by ARRA anu cential to the Common Coie Initiative's opeiation.
In 2u12, Noith Caiolina announceu that it ieceiveu a $S.64 million giant fiom the
0.S. Bepaitment of Euucation to uevelop anu implement its P-2uW (i.e., Pie-K thiough

states to emulate. National Centei foi Euucation Statistics, "NEBN Fiequently Askeu
Questions," http:nces.eu.govfoiumuatamouelfilesNEBN_FAQs.puf.
1u
Bata Quality Campaign, "Bata Quality Campaign Announces Annual Piogiess Repoit on
State Euucation Bata Systems," Nov. 2S, 2uu9, http:uataqualitycampaign.oignews-
eventspiess-ieleasesuata-quality-campaign-announces-annual-piogiess-iepoit.
11
P.L. 111-S, Sec. 14uuS.
12
8/6 at Sec. 14uuS(u)(S). Foi the 12 uata elements, -22 P.L. 111-SS8. 64u1(e)(2)(B).
1S
0.S. Bepaitment of Euucation, "Statewiue Longituuinal Bata Systems Fact Sheet," }uly
2uu9, www2.eu.govpiintpiogiamsslusfactsheet.html. 022 %5-7 P.L. 111-SS8.
64u1(e)(2)(B).
14
Chiluien's Euucation Recoius anu Piivacy: A Stuuy of Elementaiy anu seconuaiy School
State Repoiting Systems, }oel R. Reiuenbeig, p. 24-S1 (0ctobei 28, 2uu9) (available at
http:law.foiuham.euuassetsCLIPCLIP_Repoit_Chiluiens_Piivacy_Final.puf).
4
woikfoice) longituuinal uata system.
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Chaptei 116E of the ueneial Statutes tasks the
Noith Caiolina Longituuinal Bata System Boaiu
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with cieating an inventoiy of what
stuuent uata will be collecteu anu iepoiting it to the }oint Legislative 0veisight Committee
befoie the system is launcheu.
17
That inventoiy anu iepoit is not yet publicly available,
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anu thus the public uoes not know exactly what infoimation oi how many uata points will
be collecteu. Bowevei, the appaient lack of piotection of peisonally iuentifiable stuuent
uata is tioubling. When taken togethei with the iecent amenuments ielaxing FERPA
iegulations goveining the collection anu shaiing of stuuent uata, the commitment to
piotecting stuuent piivacy unuei Common Coie is questionable at best, anu likely
iepiesents the type of shoitcoming that the Couit in 4+%52. iuentifieu as potentially legally
ueficient.
2u

!56789:;56
Common Coie iepiesents a significant eiosion of stuuent piivacy inteiests. While
little is known about what stuuent uata will be collecteu, what we uo know iaises woiiies
that stuuent uata is at iisk. Steps must be taken to ensuie stuuent infoimation is not
misuseuanu, those steps must be taken now befoie the uata collectio! #$%&!'(

1S
NC Bept. of Public Instiuction, "NCBPI Receives uiant to Funu Statewiue Longituuinal
Bata System," News Release, }une 18, 2u12,
http:www.ncpublicschools.oignewsioomnews2u11-122u12u618-u1.
16
N.C. uen. Stat. 116E-S(a).
17
8/. 116E-4(a)(4). In auuition, Noith Caiolina has conuucteu a pilot test in the uuilfoiu
County Schools with a nonpiofit stuuent uata anu euucational infoimation oiganization
calleu inBloom (foimeily the Shaieu Leaining Collaboiativean offshoot of the Council of
Chief State School 0fficeis). inBloom Piess Release, "inBloom Inc. Launches to Enable
Peisonalizeu Leaining Thiough Easiei Access to Infoimation Technology," Feb. S, 2u1S,
https:www.inbloom.oiginbloom-launch.
18
2u12-2u1S Repoits to the }oint Legislative 0veisight Committee,
http:www.ncleg.netuocumentsitescommittees}LE0CRepoits%2uReceiveu2u12%2
uList%2uof%2uRepoits%2uBue%2uto%2uEu%2u0veisight.puf.
2u
429 0.S. at 6uS-u6.