[IP] NJ State Identification Number for all K-12 students
Begin forwarded message:
From: Joel Reidenberg <reidenberg@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 26, 2006 10:56:13 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: NJ State Identification Number for all K-12 students
The NJ Commissioner of Education made a presentation yesterday about
the state's plans to create a state-issued student id number for
every K-12 student in all NJ public schools before the end of this
year. The Commissioner claimed that every state was creating the
same state-issued student identifier. From the presentation, there
does not appear to be any thought given to security, restrictions on
the use of the identifier when the students are no longer enrolled in
public schools (ie this becomes a de facto national id number),
restrictions on data access (e.g. how does the state plan to keep its
felons away from the data), and restrictions on illegitimate uses of
the data. Unless I am missing something, the purported
justification, the federal No Child Left Behind Act reporting
requirements, does not make any sense.
To give you an idea of the scope of data tracking, the NJ program
will require each school district throughout the state to report the
following personal information to set up the database:
"• Local Student Identification Number
• First Name
• Middle Name
• Last Name
• Generation Suffix (if applicable)
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• City, Country of Birth
• County Code of Residence
• District Code of Residence
• Attending District Code
• Attending School Code
• Program Entry Date (referring to “Program” as it applies to the NJ
School Register
• Attending School Entry Date
• School Code of Residence
http://www.nj.gov/njded/njsmart/082906memo.pdf
Once the database is established, the state plans to require
reporting of individual student performance.
If all states are indeed creating these tracking databases, the
intrusiveness and risks to student privacy are staggering. Looks
ripe for litigation!
Regards,
Joel
**********************************************
Joel R. Reidenberg
Professor of Law and Founding Director
Fordham Center on Law and Information Policy
Fordham University School of Law
140 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023
Tel: 212-636-6843
Fax: 212-636-6899
Email: reidenberg@xxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://reidenberg.home.sprynet.com
**********************************************
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