GOOGLE

Important: Parental Consent Required for Google Additional Services

February 24, 2025

We are writing about a critical update to Google Workspace for Education. According to Google's Terms of Service, Swampscott Public Schools must obtain parental consent before enabling access to Additional Google Services for users under 18. We have embedded this in our Responsible Use Policy since August 2024. 

Starting on March 31, 2025, students under 18 cannot access certain Additional Google Services, such as YouTube, Google Earth, and Google Maps, without parental consent. To comply with this requirement, SPS must annually review and reconfirm parental consent to ensure continued access to these services.

We include parental consent for Google's Additional Services in the school handbook acknowledgment process for our Responsible Use Policy and it is highlighted.  This will allow the district to obtain blanket consent, enabling us to activate services deemed appropriate for our digital learning environment without needing individual app approvals throughout the year.

Thank you for understanding, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to mackey@swampscott.k12.ma.us