Jim Winsett of the BBB. Q. What advice can BBB provide to help protect our children from ID theft at school and also for student aid and scholarship applications?
A. In just a few short weeks, school bells will ring announcing the start of another school year. For many parents, that means forms, forms, and more forms — applications for scholarships, sports teams, scouts and the list goes on.
Need-to-know basis
As you get started, consider how much of your child’s information you’re sharing and how to protect it. You have some protection under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, which requires schools to notify parents and guardians about their school directory policy. It also allows parents to opt-out of the release of directory information to third parties.
Safeguard your children’s Social Security numbers by not carrying their cards with you and asking the school if they really need them for their records. If the school insists, ask why they need them, and how they will protect them.