Student Data Privacy
CVSD strives to ensure the protection of our students’ privacy while at the same time enabling innovative uses of technology to support teaching and learning.
The Champlain Valley School District works closely with The Education Cooperative (TEC) to facilitate the execution of data privacy agreements with all vendors. TEC represents a number of school districts across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont concerned with student data privacy. Utilizing TEC's partnership with other school districts puts us in a stronger position when negotiating contract terms than attempting to do this on our own and sends vendors a strong message that data privacy is an important issue we need to work on together.
Our Data Privacy agreement requires all vendors to:
Follow the laws protecting students’ rights for data privacy - CIPA, COPPA, FERPA and PPRA (see below)
Ensure the school district retains ownership of all student data regardless of where the data resides.
Provide the school district notification of a data breach, if one should occur, within a reasonable time frame.
Not resell or use student information for any other purpose than the service it was intended for.
Provide the school district the right to audit the vendor for compliance.
Ensure industry best practices are being followed with respect to data privacy and data security.
The data privacy agreements are renewed every three years.
Why Student Data Privacy Matters
In today’s world of advancing online resources teachers, students, and parents/caregivers benefit from an ever-increasing wealth of tools to support teaching and learning. The growth in these tools is extraordinary with great potential to improve student outcomes. Along with this explosion in the growth of online learning tools, comes the inherent risks of leakage of student data and understandable concerns over student privacy.
Additional steps the district has taken to ensure both data privacy and data security so student's private information remains protected include:
CVSD has implemented an internal vetting process, so all new vendors get on-boarded only after a data privacy agreement is agreed to and fully executed. All educators and administrators have been informed of and receive regular reminders about our Request for Technology Process.
Our Request for Technology Process includes an examination of three main areas for any proposed new platform or application.
Will student data privacy be protected? Will they sign a data privacy agreement?
Is the proposed product/application educationally sound and does it align with the district’s vision?
How will it be funded?
A number of people are charged with helping to answer those questions for each request, including the requestor, the Director of Digital Learning, the Director of Network Services, the Director of Learning & Innovation, and school administrators.