Hello,
I was wondering if anyone knows the laws concerning privacy and confidentiality when applying to a prep school. Is the school allowed to give out your information to a 3rd party without your consent? Such information would include; rejection (this 3rd party knew before we did), you applied for that specific school and last but not least, your contact information and minor’s full name. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Than you in advance!!
Don’t know. Following. I don’t assume there is confidentiality, but I do hope that no one sells the data like contact information to third parties.
No data was sold. This 3rd party is local. Why would a school tell someone ‘so and so’ was rejected. Here’s their info for you to make some potential money consulting. Somehow it doesn’t seem right.
Seems odd. My kids applied to many schools. We were never contacted by anyone except the schools. Not even a postcard.
I may reach out and ask them. I can’t disclose specifics as I am afraid they will read this.
According to news, Dalton did that few years ago. If seems that admission team shared the data with its development team. The development team then reached out to the rejected families for donation to improve the future chances of admission (so it seems).
Unless the third party was a scholarship/affinity group like ABC I would assume it was a phishing scam for business. Schools are hard to get in, they could just assume you didn’t get in and then if you did, you’d correct in the phone.
No it wasn’t a phishing scam. It was a direct email with my name and my son’s name and how he got our info (specific teacher was named as well as the school) and the reason he was contacting us so he can help us get into a prep school (with the direct insinuation that he did not get into that specific school). When I first read the email, I said to my husband, this guy knows the decision already. I know private schools do not follow FERPA rules but this kind of disclosure doesn’t seem right.
That’s pretty tasteless but I was not being asked for a donation.
This was very specific and not a ‘form’ email.
I do not know of any specific privacy law and I do not recall signing anything that would allow/disallow sharing of DCs information on the application paperwork. It sounds dishonorable and unethical IMO though.
Somebody spilled some beans but I am not really sure where. It could be the school he is currently enrolled at. Could be an individual at the other school appropriating information. Could be a person with a social connection that was using a small amount of information to phish for more information to sell services. I have a hard time thinking a school was selling its lists.