Data Privacy and Security

Data Privacy Officer:
Dr. Lisa Cala Ruud
Chatham Central School District
50 Woodbridge Avenue
Chatham NY, 12037
518-392-1501
ruudl@chatham.k12.ny.us.

Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security

The Chatham Central School District is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and district policies. To this end and pursuant to U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations (Education Law §2-d), the district is providing the following Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security:

  1. student PII will be collected and disclosed only as necessary to achieve educational purposes in accordance with state and federal law;

  2. the District, including a third-party contractor, will not sell student PII and will not release it for marketing or commercial purposes, other than directory information released by the District in accordance with Policy 7240;

  3. State and federal laws, such as NYS Education Law 2-d and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), protect the confidentiality of students’ PII. Safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices, including but not limited to encryption, firewalls, and password protection, must be in place when data is stored and transferred;

  4. a complete list of all student data elements collected by the State Education Department is available for public view at Inventory of Data Elements collected by NYSED or by writing to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234;

  5. parents have the right to have complaints about possible breaches and unauthorized disclosures of student data addressed. Complaints should be directed to the Chatham CSD Data Privacy Officer (DPO). Complaints can also be directed to the New York State Education Department online at report improper disclosure, by mail to the Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, EB 152, Albany, NY 12234, or by email to privacy@nysed.gov, or by telephone at 518-474-0937;

  6. parents have the right to be notified in accordance with applicable laws and regulations if a breach or unauthorized release of their student’s PII occurs;

  7. parents can expect that educational agency workers who handle PII will receive annual training on applicable federal and state laws, regulations, educational agency’s policies and safeguards which will be in alignment with industry standards and best practices to protect PII; and

  8. in the event that the District engages a third-party provider to deliver student educational services, the contractor or subcontractors will be obligated to adhere to State and Federal Laws to safeguard student PII. Parents can request information about third-party contractors by contacting the Data Protection Officer or can access the information on the District’s website (chathamcentralschools.com).

Additional student data privacy information

This bill of rights is subject to change based on regulations of the commissioner of education and the SED chief privacy officer, as well as emerging guidance documents from SED. For example, these changes/additions will include requirements for districts to share information about third-party contractors that have access to student data, including:

  • How the student, teacher or principal data will be used;

  • How the third-party contractors (and any subcontractors/ others with access to the data) will abide by data protection and security requirements;

  • What will happen to data when agreements with third-party contractors expire;

  • If and how parents, eligible students, teachers or principals may challenge the accuracy of data that is collected; and

  • Where data will be stored to ensure security and the security precautions taken to ensure the data is protected, including whether the data will be encrypted.

Complaint Procedures for Unauthorized Data Disclosure / Data Breach

Parents/guardians, eligible students (students at least 18 years of age or attending a postsecondary institution at any age), principals, teachers, and employees of an educational agency may file a complaint about a possible breach or improper disclosure of student data and/or protected teacher or principal data.

Please contact the Chatham Central School District Data Privacy Officer, Dr. Lisa Cala Ruud, at 518-392-1501 or ruudl@chatham.k12.ny.us to receive an Unauthorized Data Disclosure/Data Breach Complaint Form. Once you have completed and submitted the form, the Data Privacy Officer will review the complaint in a timely manner. After the review is completed, you will receive an email or phone call informing you of any action(s) taken as a result of your complaint.

More information

 More information is available from the following links:

If you would like additional information, please contact: Data Privacy Officer c/o Chatham CSD, 50 Woodbridge Avenue, Chatham, NY 12037, 518-392-1501, ruudl@chatham.k12.ny.us.