Frequently Asked Questions

Is School Contact a real system I can sign up for today?

No. School Contact and the wider Contact Initiative are proposed frameworks offered for research, stakeholder consultation, and pilot design. No government body, school, or district has adopted this system, and nothing on this site should be read as a live product.

Does this replace my child’s student ID or school login?

No. The architecture is designed to federate with existing state and district student information systems rather than replace them. Local systems remain the system of record; a national layer would hold only short-lived, revocable attestations.

Is this a national student database?

No, and avoiding that outcome is a core design goal. The federated model specifically holds attestations, not bulk personal data, at the national layer — see Section 5 of the white paper and the Risks & Counterarguments section for the reasoning.

What happens to a parent’s alias if custody changes?

Custody and guardianship changes are handled by updating a separate, mutable relationship layer — not by reissuing anyone’s underlying identity anchor. See the Identity & Authorization Architecture section of the white paper.

Has this been reviewed by lawyers or regulators?

Not yet, and the white paper says so directly. Sections on Legal Compliance and Privacy, and an appendix of open legal questions, are included specifically to invite that review before any pilot handling real student data proceeds.

How can I get involved?

Visit the Contact & Get Involved page to reach the editorial team with questions, feedback, or interest in stakeholder consultation.