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Applied AI / Week 03 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 03 · What Never to Paste

Wednesday

Spot the problem: the student note
// Personal data, children's data and student records
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Spot the Problem

Ben's colleague is short on time. She wants a chatbot to help her write a note to a parent about a student who is struggling.

She shows Ben what she plans to paste, and the reply she got from a practice run.

"Does this look all right?" she asks. Ben reads it twice. He sees at least five details that should never have been typed.

Student privacy: FERPA

FERPA is a federal student privacy law. Its rules define what counts as a student's personally identifiable information.

That list includes the student's name, a parent's or family member's name, and the address.

It also includes a personal identifier, such as a student number, and indirect identifiers, such as a date of birth.

Not legal advice
FERPA questions about your own school are for your school, your district or a lawyer.
This is a plain summary, not legal advice. For your own case, check with your school, district or a lawyer.

Your turn: find the private details

Read the example. The request, the reply, the names and the numbers were all made up for this lesson.

Example output (written for this lesson)
Request: Write a note to the parent of Jordan Ellis in Room 12. Jordan was born on March 14, 2016.
His student number is 40217. He got a D in reading this term and left class twice this week.
His mother is Dana Ellis, of 14 Birch Lane.
Output: Dear Ms. Ellis, I am writing about Jordan's reading grade this term.
Jordan, student 40217, has also left class twice this week. Could we meet to talk about how to help?
To help further, please share Jordan's full reading assessment and any other notes about him.
Detail in the requestIs it on the FERPA list of PII?
Jordan Ellis (the student's name)?
Dana Ellis (a parent's name)?
14 Birch Lane (the address)?
40217 (the student number)?
March 14, 2016 (date of birth)?
"Write a note to a parent"?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe task itself needs none of these details. Only the private details do.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The reply asks for the full reading assessment and more notes. What is the safe response?
The reading grade and the notes about leaving class are kept by the school. What might they be?
Which detail does the note actually need?

Strip, then ask

The fix is to replace names with roles and remove details the task does not need. The teacher adds the real names later, outside the tool.

BeforeAfter stripping
Jordan Ellis in Room 12Student A
His mother, Dana Ellis, of 14 Birch Lanethe parent
Born March 14, 2016; student number 40217(removed)
Got a D in reading this termreading grade has dropped this term
STRIP A REQUEST BEFORE YOU ASK
  • ?Write the request in full, offline.
  • ?Circle every name, number, address and date.
  • ?Replace each name with a role, such as "Student A".
  • ?Delete every detail the task does not need.
  • ?Read it once more with the notice board test.
WHY THIS EXERCISEA routine makes stripping quick enough to do every time.
Rewrite the first line of the request with no private details.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe tool can help with the wording without ever knowing who the student is.

Sources: 34 CFR 99.3, FERPA definitions (eCFR)

Tomorrow: what this means for your track, at home, in class or at work.

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