Personal & Student Data Privacy

We live in a connected world where our data can be used to bring us closer together with the people, experiences, and things that we want. Unless you want to live completely off the grid, like Ron Swanson, data privacy is something that you will need to understand and manage. Sharing our data with companies can make our lives easier by making our technology more personalized and integrated into our lives. This simplicity comes at a cost, which is why understanding how companies use your data is important. As adults, we are capable of making decisions about what information we want to share and who we want to share it with. 


We also have a responsibility to our students to protect their data privacy until they graduate and are able to make their own decisions on what they want to share and who they want to share it with. All student information is protected by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It is for this reason that we, as a district, evaluate websites before they are to be used in the classroom. We evaluate data privacy agreements to make sure they meet our requirements for sharing and securing our data. 


Our student’s data belongs to them and their families. We can use it to help students learn, but we also have to be responsible when using and sharing their information so that we can set our students up for success in their lives after Beloit Turner. 


What could this look like?


1

You create accounts for each of your students on a website that hasn’t been vetted for data privacy. The information you uploaded includes First Name, Last Name, date of birth, email address, and their S# to use as their password. 

2

That company sells your student’s information or falls victim to a data breach. 

3

The company who received the student information sends a phishing attack disguised as a college application to the student’s email. 

4

The student clicks on the link and enters in all of their information including social security number, legal name, and their first pet into their “application”. 

5

That student’s information is then sold to the highest bidder and the student becomes a victim of identity fraud. 



Suggestions and Tips:

  • Follow our District App Approval Process. This process evaluates websites and apps for data privacy agreements so that we know our student’s information will not be shared and is safe. The form can be found on the district website under Academics \ Education Technology \ App Request From

  • Understand how companies use, share, and protect your data. Look for privacy statements on websites, sales materials, and forms that you fill out. You can use either of the following links to check what and how you are sharing data linked to your Google account. 

  • Disable unwanted cookies to prevent companies from tracking your online browsing habits that you do not want shared.

  • Create strong passwords for your online accounts. Update your passwords, especially if a company reports a data breach. 

  • Be cautious when using any public wireless to access secure sites such as banking, gmail, etc. If you are using a public wireless, double check that the website URL you are intending to use is in fact the URL that you were sent to so you are not a victim of a Man in the Middle Attack.  

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