Bill 11 - Education Amendment Act

[Urbane]

Apparently not. I'm glad my last kid graduates this year.

I feel as if I've heard one side of the story and I'd like to know the government's rationale for deleting s.170. This could be a legitimate issue that should be taken seriously or there may be a good reason for the change. Do you know what the government rationale is KGT? Just found it. From the Ministry:

The use and analysis of high-quality data is essential to improving K-12 programs and operations and monitoring the impact of new curriculum and other learning innovations. Amendments will align the School Act with more current provisions and safeguards found in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This will allow the ministry to disclose and use student data to improve the K-12 system while protecting personal privacy consistent with standards across the B.C. public sector, including health and social services.

[The Green Barbarian]

Urbane - how dare you get in the way of some good solid anti-government fear-mongering! :)

[KGT]

Here are the concerns outlined by the BCTF.

Student Privacy

Currently, students’ privacy is protected through the use of a PEN (Personal Education Number) to allow for the separation of data from identification of a student’s private, confidential information. Of note is that the proposed legislation re-names the section of the School Act previously entitled “Non-disclosure of student records” as “Student personal information.” Bill 11 then proceeds with amendments to the School Act that are permissive in nature including removing wrongful disclosure of student personal information from being considered an offence. At this early juncture it is unclear how the changes proposed in Bill 11 may impact student privacy, but the convergence of the provincial implementation of MyEducationBC, the new student information system, and this legislative change may allow public bodies to disclose student personal information without obvious protections. MyEducationBC will collect and retain more student data than ever before. Bill 11 specifically provides for the disclosure of student personal information contained in a student record by all public bodies in the following three areas:

a. A purpose authorized under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;

b. To ensure efficient and effective use of grants paid under sections 114 and 115 of this Act and under sections 12 and 13 of the Independent School Act;

c. To evaluate the effectiveness of boards, francophone education authorities and authorities governed by the Independent School Act and the programs, courses and curricula delivered by them.

In other words, data could be released to individuals or corporations in the interests of helping determine the “effectiveness” of school boards or even shared with other public bodies such as Health and Social Services, with little attention to any apparent safeguards. The legislative changes also appear to allow for the indefinite retention of student personal information which raises questions of the long-term storage and protection of this information as well as the individual’s right to be forgotten where sensitive information is concerned.

[The Green Barbarian]

In other words, data could be released to individuals or corporations in the interests of helping determine the “effectiveness” of school boards or even shared with other public bodies such as Health and Social Services, with little attention to any apparent safeguards. The legislative changes also appear to allow for the indefinite retention of student personal information which raises questions of the long-term storage and protection of this information as well as the individual’s right to be forgotten where sensitive information is concerned.

In even other words, data could be released and used to evaluate teachers and no way can the BCTF have that. And what the hell is an individual's "right to be forgotten"? How many fake rights can people dream up?

The right to be forgotten is a concept discussed and put into practice in the European Union (EU)

Oh I see, it's a fake right dreamed up by radical leftists in the EU, and now being sold as an actual right by the radical leftists in the horrible BCTF. Good grief, "right to be forgotten" - what an idiotic concept.

[KGT]

In even other words, data could be released and used to evaluate teachers and no way can the BCTF have that. And what the hell is an individual's "right to be forgotten"? How many fake rights can people dream up?

There is no concern that the data could be used to evaluate teachers. They have plenty of student data already and they do not use it to evaluate teachers (at least not in any official way). All of the data is already being collected. The concern is about how the data will be stored and shared among other govt agencies.

"Right to be forgotten" - I believe this refers the the idea that a young child's school experiences do not need to follow them into adulthood. School is a place where kids learn and grow, and make mistakes. Nobody needs to be labelled as "____" in grade 3 and have it follow them long into the future.

Interesting, I hadn't heard of the concept discussed in the EU. Here is some information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten

[KGT]

I also found this info about student data.

Up until now:
* historically—small amounts of data kept permanently
• record of a student—demographics, attendance, courses of study/grade level, performance, completion
• Permanent Record Card
• transcript for Grades10–12
• “Dogwood” graduation certificate

Concerns:
• the “right to be forgotten” for behaviour as a child

• “...‘social sorting,’ which uses personal information to slot individuals, through their digital profiles, into risk or desirability categories.”

• “...proliferation of inaccurate information about an individual.”

• “...ensure that these digital constructs are not used in new ways, for administrative or other government purposes unrelated to the original purposes for which the constituent data elements were collected.”

—Information and Privacy Commissioner