Security for Vibe-Coded Education Platforms
Education platforms handle student data subject to FERPA and potentially COPPA regulations. AI-generated code rarely implements the access controls and data protection these laws require.
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Why Security Matters for Education Platforms
Student records are legally protected. FERPA governs access to education records, while COPPA applies if students under 13 use the platform. Violations carry federal penalties and can result in loss of federal funding for institutional customers. Education platforms also have complex role hierarchies — students, teachers, parents, administrators — each needing different access to different data. AI-generated code typically implements a single auth level without role differentiation.
Security Risks
Student record exposure
criticalGrades, attendance, and personal information accessible to unauthorized users through broken access controls.
Mitigation
Implement role-based RLS: students see own grades, teachers see their class, parents see their children, admins see their school. Enforce at database level.
Underage data collection without consent
highCollecting data from users under 13 without COPPA-compliant parental consent.
Mitigation
Implement age gates, collect verifiable parental consent for under-13 users, and minimize data collection. Don't use analytics or tracking for minors.
Cross-school data leakage
highMulti-school deployments where one school can access another school's student data.
Mitigation
Implement school-level data isolation with RLS. All queries must be scoped to the authenticated user's school.
Security Checklist
Student, teacher, parent, and admin roles with appropriate data access boundaries.
Education records accessible only to authorized parties with legitimate educational interest.
Age verification and parental consent mechanism if the platform serves children.
Multi-tenant isolation ensuring schools cannot access each other's data.
Only authorized teachers can submit and modify grades for their assigned courses.
Track who accessed student records and when for FERPA compliance.
Real-World Scenario
A teacher builds a classroom management app using Windsurf with Supabase. Students can log in to view their grades and assignments. The developer uses a single "users" table without RLS. A student discovers they can query the Supabase API directly and pulls all students' grades, addresses, and parent contact info. A parent reports this to the school district, triggering a FERPA investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does FERPA apply to my education app?
If your platform is used by schools receiving federal funding (virtually all US K-12 and higher ed), yes. You're handling education records as a "school official" and must protect them accordingly.
Do I need COPPA compliance?
If any users are under 13, yes. This applies to K-8 education platforms. You need verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.
How do I implement role-based access for education?
Create a roles table mapping users to roles (student, teacher, parent, admin) with school and class associations. Use RLS policies that check both the role and the relationship — a teacher should only see grades for their assigned classes.
Security for Other Use Cases
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