On August 11, 2006, the Department of Public Instruction received a complaint under state and federal special education law from XXXXX against the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District. This is the department's decision regarding that complaint. The issue is whether the district, in August 2006, improperly disclosed personally identifiable information from a student's record without parent consent.
The district mailed a copy of a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) to a relative of the student's parents who had the same last name. The parent contacted the district concerned about the breach of confidentiality. The district acknowledged their error and sent a written apology to the parent. An investigation was conducted in the district to determine which staff member was responsible for the error. In addition, the district provided training of all staff on August 31, 2006, emphasizing the importance of protecting the privacy of student information. The district also reviewed its procedures for handling student information as it relates to the IEP process.
The district improperly disclosed personally identifiable information from a student's record without parent consent. The department concludes that the steps already taken by the district satisfy requirements for corrective actions related to the issue.
This concludes our review of this complaint.
//signed 9/25/06
Carolyn Stanford Taylor
Assistant State Superintendent
Division for Learning Support: Equity and Advocacy
Dec/tg