There’s no denying the importance of keeping students’ personal information private and protected. But what if a state’s data privacy laws are so restrictive that they’re literally taking food out of children’s mouths?

This is exactly what’s been happening in Louisiana, which until recently was the only state that had not automatically administered Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer funding, which provides help buying groceries to families whose children receive free or reduced-price meals at school. That’s because a student data privacy law passed in 2014, amid a rising tide of fear about data breaches and information misuse, prevents state agencies from connecting data across systems, leaving no way of connecting free and reduced-price lunch data to the systems used to distribute welfare benefits. Because agencies had no idea who was eligible, the state required an application process, meaning families had to learn about the application and take additional steps in order to receive these benefits. Ultimately, Louisiana’s restrictive privacy law kept needed assistance, like meals, from students during a global health emergency.

In late October, more than six months after the pandemic disrupted normal services, the Louisiana legislature passed a bill that would fix the problem, allowing schools to share limited student information with the state Department of Children and Family Services. The state agency will be able to disseminate food benefits to families in need, but it’s only a short-term fix: The law contains a clause that requires it to be repealed in June, leaving families back at square one should essential services again be interrupted for any reason. In a state that has been threatened with numerous hurricanes this season, no less.

It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s possible to build systems that both protect student privacy and enable services for kids and families. The key is governance.

Read the full article about student privacy by Paige Kowalski at The 74.