Frequently Asked Questions

The New York State Education Department and Google have determined that Google Additional Services do not meet the required student data privacy standards under Education Law 2-d. As a result, districts must ensure compliance by restricting student access to these services.

Google has stated that after March these services will no longer be available. These services will no longer be accessible to students on 3/25. 

Google Workspace Core Services include Classroom, Google Forms, Google Meet, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Chat, Google Contacts, Vault, and Chrome Sync. These services comply with NYS data privacy laws under the Google Workspace for Education Data Protection Agreement negotiated by the Rochester City School District.

Google Additional Services, such as YouTube, Maps, Translate, Earth, and CS First are consumer-focused products and do not meet NYS student data privacy standards. These services are not permitted for student use or sharing student data, though teachers may still use them with caution, avoiding sharing student or protected data. 

Google is unable to execute a DPA that includes Google Additional Services. As a result, districts must discontinue student use and sharing of student data with these services. However, these prohibitions do not apply to teachers' use of the services. There are pathways and solutions that may allow districts and teachers to continue using some of these services while ensuring compliance with privacy standards.

Yes, students can still use the Google Search Engine. Disabling Additional Services with "Search" in the title, such as Google Search and Assistant or Google Search Console (GSC), will not impact students' ability to perform internet searches.

Yes, teachers can continue to use Google Earth for group instruction, such as displaying content on an interactive classroom display. However, students will not be able to access Google Earth when signed into their school Google Workspace for Education accounts or using school-issued Chromebooks. Alternative mapping tools may be available for student use. For more details on affected services and alternatives, please explore the tabs above.

Yes, staff can continue using Google Translate and other Additional Services for instructional and communication needs. However, teachers may not enter any student or protected data into these services. For more details on affected services and alternatives, please explore the tabs above.

Students can translate a Chrome page and use live translate on a Google Search page (search "Translate"). Students can't go to translate.google.com for live translation or to translate documents. For more details on affected services and alternatives, please explore this website.

Yes, teachers can use YouTube for whole-class instruction and embed specific videos for student viewing. However, students cannot directly access YouTube.com when signed in with their school Google accounts or using school-issued Chromebooks. They can still view embedded videos through district-approved platforms like Google Classroom, Google Slides, and EdPuzzle. For more details on affected services and alternatives, please explore the tabs above.

Teachers needing further assistance should reach out to their Instructional Technology TOA for guidance and support.