Last modified: April 19, 2021

Student Data FAQ

How Do I Share PII with Another Provo City School District Staff Member?

As a general rule, always try limiting the PII you need to communicate to achieve your desired outcomes for yourself and the party you are sharing data with.

In the event you need to share more extensive amounts of PII, best practice is to share that data in a Google Doc and share only with the intended recipient(s). This requires the recipient(s) to be signed-in to their own Google account to ensure their identity. Also, disable download, print, and copy capability to prevent recipient(s) from changing access.

You may also use the Gmail “Confidential Mode” to: Set an expiration date for sensitive emails; Require a passcode for sensitive emails; and Prevent forwarding, downloading, copying/pasting of sensitive data within an email.

How do I share student records with another school district? Sharing data outside PCSD is more risky because they are outside of our non-disclosure agreement and acceptable use policy. If PII must be shared with another district, such as student records, the best approach is to scan the document(s) into a PDF, and require a password to open the PDF document. Email the PDF in one email, then send the passcode in a separate email.

How Do I Share PII with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE)?

USBE uses a secure file transfer system called MOVEit. This is the most secure system for sharing PII back and forth with USBE. In most cases, a district administrator should be facilitating this level of data sharing with USBE.

Can I Share Data with Parents/Guardians via Email?

If a parent/guardian emails a PCSD staff member requesting student PII via email, the staff member may share that information directly with the parent via email as requested. However, the parent should instigate the request, not the PCSD staff member. It is always more secure to share important student information via secure phone call or in a face-to-face meeting. When communicating via phone, keep these ideas in mind:

Avoid leaving PII in a voicemail; Do not send a text with PII; Ensure the environment is secure before listening to or talking out loud on the phone.

Can I Share Data via Text Message?

Texting is not a secure method of transmitting student PII. If communicating PII with parents/guardians or other persons outside Provo City School District, the preferred method would be via the PCSD secure server. Texting PII is never a safe method of data sharing and should be avoided.

Additional Questions Regarding Student Data Privacy

If you have additional questions about student data privacy, please visit the Connect Safely website at: https://www.connectsafely.org