News and Announcements

Several laws and regulations protect the confidentiality of information about your children when that information identifies them. Such information, which includes student-specific data, is known as “personally identifiable information” or “PII.”

The federal laws that protect your child’s PII include the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). State laws, such as N.Y. Education Law 2-d and the related regulations of the N.Y. State Commissioner of Education; and the DOE Chancellor’s Regulation A-820 also protect the confidentiality of your child’s PII.

Under New York state law, if you are a parent of a child in the New York City public school district (the DOE), you have the following rights regarding the privacy and security of your child’s PII:

Your child’s PII cannot be sold or released for any marketing or other commercial purposes.

If your child is under age 18:

You have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of your child’s education records within 45 days of the DOE receiving your request and verifying your identity.

You also have the right to request changes to your child’s education records when you believe they are inaccurate, misleading, or violate your child’s privacy.

Your rights extend to education records stored by DOE contractors or other outside parties on the DOE’s behalf.

• You have the right to be notified if a breach or unauthorized release of your child’s PII occurs.
• You have the right to make complaints about possible breaches and unauthorized disclosures of your child’s PII and to have such complaints addressed. The DOE must provide you with a response no more than 60 calendar days from when we receive your complaint. If more time is needed, the DOE will provide an explanation to you, along with an approximate date for a response.

How to submit complaints to the NY State Education Department (NYSED):

• Online: http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacysecurity/report-improper-disclosure
• By email: CPO@mail.nysed.gov
• By mail:
  • Chief Privacy Officer
  • New York State Education Department
  • 89 Washington Avenue, Albany NY 12234
• By phone at: 518-474- 0937

How to submit complaints to the DOE:

• By email: studentprivacy@schools.nyc.gov
• By mail:
  • Chief Privacy Officer,
  • Office of the General Counsel Room 308
  • New York City Department of Education
  • 52 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007