Making Sense of Health Privacy Laws: HIPAA and FERPA for School-Based Health Professionals

It's crucial that school-based professionals have the information and skills they need to understand how student behavioral health information can be shared and protected. By creating a strong network of school professionals that understand the federal health privacy laws that impact their students, schools will be equipped to address the rising need for behavioral health services and improve health outcomes.

To assist mental health professionals working in K-12 schools in understanding how the federal health privacy laws apply to student mental health information, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) are hosting a 90-minute virtual training that will:

• Describe how federal health privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA and FERPA) apply to student mental health information.
• Explain how student mental health information can be protected and shared in compliance with federal health privacy laws.
• Discuss common scenarios involving student mental health information that arise in school settings through case study discussions led by clinical and legal experts.
• Demonstrate how relevant resources and technical assistance can be accessed through the MHTTC Network and the CoE-PHI.