Web Resources

With limited exceptions, student information maintained by a public schools is considered confidential. Federal and state law protect the privacy of student data.

• Wisconsin Public Records Law
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
  • FERPA (law)
  • FERPA (regulations)
  • Family Policy (FERPA and PPRA) Compliance Office
• Special Education and Privacy
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (34 CFR 300.127 and 300.560-300.576)
  • Special Education - Pupil Records
• Eligibility for Free and Reduced Price Meals and Privacy
  • National School Lunch Act (42 USC 1758)
    Scroll down to (b)(6) Use or disclosure of information.
  • Documents and Forms for the National School Lunch Program
    • Scroll down to a series of links under "Limited Disclosure of Children's Free and Reduced Price Meal Eligibility"
    • Scroll down to Eligibility Manual for School Meals - Federal Policy for Determining and Verifying Eligibility. See charts on pages 53 and 94 and the Q&As on pages 58-60.
  • Reissuance of Policy on Limited Disclosure of Children's Eligibility Information to Title I and the National Assessment of Educational Progress
• Data Sharing and Cooperative Interagency Research on Wisconsin Preschool through Postsecondary Education Programs (2009 Wisconsin Act 59)
• Publications on Privacy and Student Records
  • Statistical Methods for Protecting Personally Identifiable Information in Aggregate Reporting (NCES) 
  • Protecting the Privacy of Student Records - Guidelines for Education Agencies (by NCES and NFES)
  • Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information - State and Local Education Agencies (by NFES)
  • Forum Guide to the Privacy of Student Information - A Resource for Schools (by NFES)
  • Student Records and Confidentiality (By WI DPI, a guide for local education agencies)
  • Sharing Information Across Systems (By WI DPI)
• How will student privacy be protected under the Individual Student Enrollment System?
  • Frequently Asked Questions about the WSLS No-Release Indicator
  • Individual Student Enrollment System User Agreement
• Wisconsin Longitudinal Data System User Agreement
• Using the Wisconsin Web Access Management System (WAMS) As a Tool to Protect Student Privacy
• Why are data for some student groups not publicly reported?
• Laws relating to pupil identification numbers: s.118.169, Stats., Overview of Privacy Act of 1974