Leaders of the New York State legislature called on the State Education Department to put a halt to their plan to turn over confidential student information to inBloom, the controversial program funded by the Gates and Carnegie Foundation with technology supplied by Rupert Murdoch’s Wireless Generation.
According to Gotham Schools:
“Last week, Republican Senator John Flanagan introduced a bill to address looming concerns around the plan’s data privacy and security. He also called for the state to halt the initiative, which is scheduled to begin next month, for at least a year.
“Now, a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Speaker Sheldon Silver and Education Committee Chair Cathy Nolan, are raising their own red flags. Like Flanagan, they want the state to halt the plan, but they are also suggesting that they might not ever want to see it start up again.
“The controversy is over an initiative funded in part by federal Race to the Top grants designed to help districts use information about an individual student’s personal and academic history to create more individualized lesson plans and inform a teacher’s instruction. Some data elements being collected include test scores, report card grades, information about special needs, attendance records and disciplinary records.”
Sheldon Silver, the powerful leader of the State Assembly, wrote a letter warning:
“Until we are confident that this information can remain protected, the plan to share student data with InBloom must be put on hold,” said Silver in a statement Monday.
Legislators were reacting to widespread parent outrage over the prospect of data mining and hacking of their children’s personal information.
The parent opposition was galvanized and led by Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters, who has traveled the state and nation explaining what inBloom is and the danger it poses to student privacy.
InBloom would not have been possible without the decision by Secretary Duncan to weaken the protections in FERPA, the federal legislation that is supposed to protect student privacy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Collecitng student data is about MARKETING. UGH.
thanks Diane; your blog was critical in spreading the word about the massive violation of student privacy represented by inBloom Inc.
Thank you thank you thank you! And my son thanks you too!
It’s about Rupert Murdoch’s inBloom/Amplify cashing-in on student records without parental consent. Murdoch and the News Corp shareholders will benefit – not students or families or public education.
In the UK, Rupert’s employees’ are charged with crimes related to computer/phone hacking and related bribes to officials for the purpose of selling tabloids. inBloom/Amplify are part of the News Corp education division that Klein controls.
Parents aren’t lining up to hand over their children’s personal information to inBloom/Amplify. We need an investigative reporter to uncover the nefarious relationships that exist among Murdoch, Klein, Duncan, Gates, King and the NY Regents.
At this link, parents will find the enormous about of data Murdoch, King and the Regents will collect on every child, teacher and family in the NY public school system.
Click to access engageny-portal-data-dictionary.pdf
Diane: Yes, Speaker Silver and Assemblywoman Nolan are pressing to suspend the inBloom project. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. I don’t care if King & NYSED deliver the most secure cloud ever. I WANT MY “PRE-DUNCAN” FERPA PARENTAL CONSENT RIGHTS RESTORED, with State legislation made into laws that protect my rights and my children’s privacy. Do you know about the petition (I co-authored it with Allison White) to stop NYSED and inBloom, and to get these “pre-Duncan” FERPA protections enacted at the state level? We uploaded it (oh, the irony!) Sunday evening and have surpassed 1,100 signatures; and the number is climbing. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/protect-new-york-state
Yes, educational privacy should be on par with medical privacy, which is well guarded as it should be.
Even without inBloom, students’ sensitive information is not protected because of the DOE’s watering down of FERPA protections. Is there any action that residents of all states can do to protest the DOE’s over-reaching and changing the intent of the FERPA law, leaving every child vulnerable cradle to grave?
Sheila: US Senator Edward Markey (D. Massachusetts) is keen on privacy rights. http://www.markey.senate.gov/ Check out his letter to Arne Duncan. http://www.markey.senate.gov/documents/2013-10-22_FERPA.pdf I called Senator Markey’s office today; no response from Duncan has been forthcoming. My suggestion is to write to FEDERAL lawmakers, starting with Senator Markey, and urge them to reign in Arne Duncan and get FERPA regulations back in line with the intent and spirit of the Congressional FERPA statute.
Sheila: US Senator Edward Markey (D. Massachusetts) is keen on privacy rights. http://www.markey.senate.gov/ Check out his letter to Arne Duncan. http://www.markey.senate.gov/documents/2013-10-22_FERPA.pdf I called Senator Markey’s office today; no response from Duncan has been forthcoming. My suggestion is to write to FEDERAL lawmakers, starting with Senator Markey, and urge them to reign in Arne Duncan and get FERPA regulations back in line with the intent and spirit of the Congressional FERPA statute.
Finally, the possibility of some sanity in this state. Next stop – finding replacements for King and Tisch.
Sanity, finally. Finally, a few people who respect privacy and are willing to stand against this Orwellian horror.