Copyright© 2000 by School Services of California, Inc.
Community Colleges May be Barred From
Using Student Social Security Numbers
Legislation is pending in the State Assembly that may prohibit California community colleges from using student social security numbers for identification and tracking purposes. SB 1767, by Senator Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey), is primarily aimed at preventing fraud through the improper use of consumer credit reports and reducing the possibility of an individual's identity (social security number) being stolen.
However, the legislation has far-reaching implications-among its provisions, state and local agencies would be prohibited from using Social Security numbers (SSN's) as account numbers, except with respect to Social Security, tax, or law enforcement purposes. Specifically, SB 1767 would allow people to "freeze" access to and place fraud alerts on their credit reports, and prohibit the use of SSN's as identification numbers.
The provisions that would impact community colleges are those that would prohibit any person, or entity, or state or local agency, from assigning any person's SSN as account numbers or member numbers. This provision of the bill would become effective July 1, 2000, for all new accounts or memberships and January 1, 2003, for all accounts or memberships created before July 1, 2001. The bill also specifies that these provisions do not apply to closed accounts or memberships.
The author states that identity theft is on the rise. Thus, the main purpose of this bill is to prevent identity theft by taking SSN's out of circulation, and allowing people to control access to their credit reports.
The bill creates problems for community colleges because most colleges use social security numbers to identify and track students who are enrolled on their campuses. In addition, the State Chancellor's Office and local districts use SSN's in their Management Information Systems (MIS). Student data is often collected and housed through the use of SSN's.
The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is required to maintain a comprehensive data base that ensures comparability of data from diverse sources and supports longitudinal studies of individual students as they progress through the state's postsecondary educational institutions. In carrying out this responsibility, CPEC relies on the State's public colleges and universities to forward student data by social security number. Local colleges and CPEC do not disclose student SSN's, except to appropriate authorities currently identified in SB 1767.
All of the public educational agencies are opposed to SB 1767 in the current form and are working with the author to seek amendments that would allow them to continue the use of SSN's for student identification and data collection purposes.
If you have concerns about SB 1767 you may wish to write to Assembly Member Lou Papan, Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, State Capitol, Room 3173, Sacramento, CA 95814.
--Arnold Bray