Anonymizes student data in any document or text to ensure FERPA compliance before using it with AI tools, sharing with third parties, or including in professional portfolios. Trigger this skill whenever the user mentions student data, student records, session notes, coaching observations, progress reports, IEP data, assessment results, case studies, or any content that might contain personally identifiable information (PII) about minors or students. Also trigger when the user says "make this FERPA-safe", "anonymize this", "remove student names", "de-identify this document", "can I share this with AI?", or asks whether a document is safe to use in AI tools. Works on pasted text, uploaded .docx, .pdf, .txt, and .xlsx files. Produces a clean anonymized version with a secure local mapping key so pseudonyms stay consistent across a session.
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Anonymizes student data in any document or text to ensure FERPA compliance before using it with AI tools, sharing with third parties, or including in professional portfolios. Trigger this skill whenever the user mentions student data, student records, session notes, coaching observations, progress reports, IEP data, assessment results, case studies, or any content that might contain personally identifiable information (PII) about minors or students. Also trigger when the user says "make this FERPA-safe", "anonymize this", "remove student names", "de-identify this document", "can I share this with AI?", or asks whether a document is safe to use in AI tools. Works on pasted text, uploaded .docx, .pdf, .txt, and .xlsx files. Produces a clean anonymized version with a secure local mapping key so pseudonyms stay consistent across a session.
FERPA Anonymizer
Purpose
Strip or replace all FERPA-protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
from educational documents before they are processed by AI tools, shared with
third parties, or used in professional portfolios. Maintain pseudonym consistency
so anonymized documents remain coherent and usable for instructional, coaching,
or research purposes.
This skill also functions as a live consulting demonstration: running it for
district stakeholders shows practical, responsible AI integration in education.
What FERPA Protects โ The 18 Education Record Identifiers
Read references/ferpa-identifiers.md for the complete annotated list with
K-12 examples. The core categories to detect and replace in every document:
Category
Examples in School Context
Direct name
Student name, nickname, initials that identify
Parent/guardian name
"Maria's mom", "Mr. and Mrs. Thompson"
Address
Home address, neighborhood, school building number
Date of birth
Full DOB, age when combined with other identifiers
Phone/email
Student or parent contact info
Student ID / enrollment number
"ID #40221", "Student #7" in rosters
Social Security Number
Rare but present in older records
Biometric data
Photo descriptions, physical descriptors that identify
Disability / diagnosis
IEP category, 504 plan details, named diagnosis
Grades / test scores
Named score reports, grade letters tied to student
School name + student
"John at Eastside Academy" โ the combination creates identification
Dates tied to the student
Specific enrollment dates, intervention start dates
Geographic sub-unit
Grade, homeroom, specific classroom number
Workflow
Step 1 โ Intake
Determine input type:
Pasted text: proceed directly to Step 2
Uploaded file: read it first using the appropriate method:
.docx โ read_file (outline mode)
.pdf โ read_file (extracts text)
.xlsx โ read_file with sheet/range
.txt โ read_file
Ask the user one clarifying question if not obvious:
"What will this anonymized version be used for โ AI tool input, portfolio,
research documentation, or sharing with a vendor?"
This determines how aggressive anonymization needs to be (see Tier table below).
Step 2 โ Detect PII
Scan the full document for all 18 identifier categories. Build an internal
detection list (never shown to user without their request) mapping each
identified PII instance to its replacement. Use this format internally:
Maintain consistency: if "Marcus" appears 14 times, every instance becomes
"Student A". If there are multiple students, assign letters alphabetically
(Student A, Student B...) in order of first appearance.
Step 3 โ Apply Anonymization Tier
Tier
Use Case
What Gets Replaced
Tier 1 โ Light
Internal AI tool use only (same institution)
Names, IDs, DOB, contact info
Tier 2 โ Standard
Sharing with AI vendor, portfolio use
Tier 1 + school name, specific dates, classroom numbers
Tier 3 โ Full De-identification
Research, external publication, legal contexts
Tier 2 + disability categories โ general descriptors, geographic references, any combination that could re-identify
Default to Tier 2 unless the user specifies otherwise.
Step 4 โ Generate Outputs
Produce three outputs in this order:
Output 1: Anonymized Document
The full document with all PII replaced. Preserve:
Original formatting and structure
All instructional/coaching content
Tone and professional language
Blank lines, tables, section headers
If the input was a file, write the anonymized version as a new file:
[original_filename]_FERPA_safe.[ext]
Output 2: Mapping Key
A clearly labeled reference showing original โ replacement for this session.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
FERPA ANONYMIZATION KEY โ [Date] โ PRIVATE
Do not share. Store locally. Delete after use if not needed.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Student A โ [original name redacted from this display]
Teacher 1 โ [original name redacted from this display]
School Ref โ [original ref redacted from this display]
...
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Note: This key re-identifies the document. Protect it accordingly.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Present the mapping key as a separate artifact or file โ never embedded
inside the anonymized document.
Output 3: Compliance Summary
A brief plain-language note the user can attach to the document or keep on file:
FERPA COMPLIANCE SUMMARY
Anonymization Tier: [1 / 2 / 3]
Date processed: [date]
Original identifiers replaced: [count]
Processing method: AI-assisted de-identification (human review recommended)
Recommended use: [specified use case]
Human review completed: โ (check when done)
Step 5 โ Flag for Human Review
After producing outputs, always include this notice:
โ ๏ธ Human Review Required: AI-assisted de-identification reduces risk but
is not a legal guarantee of FERPA compliance. Review the anonymized document
before sharing externally, especially for Tier 2 and Tier 3 use cases.
Consult your institution's data privacy officer for research or legal contexts.
Special Cases
IEP and Special Education Records
These carry heightened sensitivity under FERPA + IDEA. Apply Tier 3 by
default regardless of stated use. Replace:
Named disability categories with "student with documented learning needs"
Specific service minutes with "receiving specialized services"
Evaluator names with "Assessment Specialist 1"
Coaching Observation Notes
Common in JJ's workflow. Key pattern: teacher name + student behaviors observed.
Replace teacher name with "Observed Teacher"
Replace any student names mentioned in observations
Preserve all pedagogical observation language intact
Session Notes (Reading Intervention)
Pattern: student name + performance data + strategy notes.
Replace name consistently throughout
Replace specific score numbers only if they uniquely identify (e.g., "the only
student who scored 42 on DIBELS") โ otherwise preserve for instructional value
Keep all strategy and intervention language verbatim
Multi-Student Rosters / Spreadsheets
For .xlsx files with multiple students per row:
Replace each student's name column with "Student [Row#]"
Replace ID columns with "[ID-REDACTED]"
Preserve all data values (scores, dates) unless in Tier 3
Output as a new .xlsx file
Quality Check Before Finalizing
Run this mental checklist before presenting output:
No full names remain (first, last, or nickname)
No parent/guardian names remain
No student ID numbers remain
No school-specific building or room numbers (Tier 2+)
Pseudonyms are consistent throughout the document
Instructional/coaching content is fully preserved
Mapping key is in a separate output
Compliance summary is included
Human review notice is appended
Consulting Demo Mode
If the user says "demo this" or "show this to a district" or "present this
workflow", activate Demo Mode:
Generate a brief fictional sample document with obvious PII (use fictional
names, never real student data)
Run the full anonymization workflow on it live
Narrate each step as you execute it
Conclude with the compliance summary and a one-paragraph explanation of why
this workflow matters for FERPA-compliant AI adoption in schools
Demo Mode is a live consulting asset โ use it to show district stakeholders
what responsible AI integration looks like in practice.
Reference Files
references/ferpa-identifiers.md โ Full annotated list of all 18 FERPA
identifiers with K-12 examples, edge cases, and the "reasonable person"
re-identification standard
references/compliance-language.md โ Pre-written compliance disclaimers,
data use policy language, and parent notification templates for districts
adopting AI tools
Read these when the user has complex compliance questions or needs formal
policy language beyond the standard workflow.
