ONLINE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND THE CHILDREN’S ONLINE PRIVACY ACT (COPPA)
The growing availability of web-based tools and applications is providing teachers with new and exciting methods to improve, enrich and diversify the delivery of curriculum and instruction to students. Many web-based tools and applications use data to create access accounts and to customize the learning experience. The purpose of this letter is to explain what data will be provided to online educational service providers and parent/guardian rights in regard to the use of the online educational services.
South Williamsport Area School District makes every effort to select and implement products that protect the confidentiality of students’ personally identifiable information and that avoid third party promotional marketing material. Enclosed you will find a list of online educational service providers used by the South Williamsport School District and their contact information, including the providers’ website addresses and a link to their privacy policy. The enclosed list of online service providers can be found on our District website under the Technology Department link as well in order to use active hyperlinks to provider privacy policies.
The list below provides key points regarding the use of educational service providers by the District:
- For some selected web-based tools and applications, it may be necessary for the District to provide student data.
- District policy requires that we only provide the following data to online services providers with respect to students under the age of 13: student name, date of birth, gender, zip code, school and years of attendance, local student ID number, state student ID number, disability information pertinent to a student’s educational plan, the student’s District email address, and any activities and awards the student wishes to disclose.
- Online educational service providers may collect additional data using cookies, logs, and other Internet-based technologies. Service providers communicate important information about their collection, protection, use and disclosure of data through their own privacy policies.
- In some cases, providers may use certain data for their own internal marketing purposes. On occasion, providers will state that they provide data to third parties under certain circumstances such as to improve the performance of its website.
- Parents/guardians can request to review and have removed personal information that an online educational service provider has collected from the student. If a parent/guardian wishes to review or have removed the data provide to a provider by the District, a written request should be sent to the student’s principal. In some instances, depending up on the nature of the request, the parent/guardian may be required to contact the provider directly.
- The Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that web-based tools and application providers obtain verifiable parental consent in order for children under the age of 13 to use web-based tools and applications.
- More information about COPPA can be found at https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions
For parents/guardians of children under the age of 13, the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that you agree to the attached Opt-In form in order for the District to allow your student access to online educational services.
