EDUCATION & EDTECH SMS COMPLIANCE

// Course Guide

Who this course is for

• Admissions and enrollment marketing teams
• Student services and emergency communications staff
• EdTech product and compliance managers
• Alumni relations and advancement offices

Why texting compliance is different for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms

Educational institutions text students, parents, applicants and alumni, each with different consent rules. Emergency alerts may qualify for TCPA exemptions, but enrollment marketing to prospective students does not. Many recipients are minors, which raises parental consent questions, and student data is protected by FERPA, which limits what can be included in a text. EdTech platforms face an extra layer of risk because they send on behalf of many schools and must keep each institution's consent separate.

What each module covers

1. TCPA Foundations for Education. The TCPA as it applies to schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: consent tiers, autodialer rules after Facebook v. Duguid, Do Not Call obligations, statutory damages and recent case law.
2. TCR Registration. 10DLC registration for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: brand and campaign structure, use case selection, vetting, and keeping registrations accurate as the business changes.
3. Student Consent Management. How to capture, scope and document consent for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: express versus express written consent, disclosure language, recordkeeping and consent that survives a challenge.
4. Message Classification. For schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: classifying messages as informational, transactional, conversational or marketing, and why the classification decides which consent and which campaign apply.
5. Emergency & Alert Messaging Compliance. Industry and jurisdiction-specific rules that apply on top of the TCPA for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, with practical guidance on how they change message design and consent.
6. Opt-Out Management. For schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: processing STOP and other opt-outs across every system, honoring revocation by any reasonable means, and keeping internal and national DNC lists synchronized.
7. Enrollment Messaging Compliance. Applied guidance on enrollment Messaging Compliance for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, with templates, checklists and case studies drawn from real programs.
8. EdTech Platform Risk. For schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: managing vendors and platforms that send or store data on your behalf: due diligence, contracts, audit rights, suppression syncing and liability allocation.
9. Alumni Communications Compliance. Applied guidance on alumni Communications Compliance for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, with templates, checklists and case studies drawn from real programs.
10. FERPA-TCPA Intersection. Applied guidance on fERPA-TCPA Intersection for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, with templates, checklists and case studies drawn from real programs.
11. Minor Consent Requirements. Applied guidance on minor Consent Requirements for schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, with templates, checklists and case studies drawn from real programs.
12. Litigation Defense Strategies. For schools, colleges and EdTech platforms: responding to complaints, demand letters, class actions and regulator inquiries: preserving evidence, common defenses and settlement considerations.
13. Final Certification Exam. A proctored final assessment covering every module, with scenario questions drawn from real schools, colleges and EdTech platforms situations. Passing earns the course certificate.

The problem this course prevents

A university's enrollment team texts admitted-student promotions to a purchased list of high school seniors, several of whom are under 18, using the same number the campus uses for emergency alerts. The course explains how to separate emergency and marketing programs, handle minor consent and keep FERPA data out of messages.

Course FAQ

Are campus emergency alerts exempt from TCPA consent?

Emergency purpose messages have specific treatment under FCC rules, but the exemption is narrow. The emergency messaging module explains what qualifies and what does not.

How does FERPA interact with texting?

FERPA limits disclosure of education records. The FERPA-TCPA module covers which student information can appear in a text and when consent is required.

Is the course self-paced?

Yes. Education & Edtech SMS Compliance runs about 20 hours across 13 modules, including the final exam, and you can work through it at your own pace with lifetime access to updates.

Is this course legal advice?

No. It teaches the rules, carrier requirements and operational controls that apply to schools, colleges and EdTech platforms, but it is not a substitute for advice from qualified counsel on your specific program.