Managing Student Data Privacy: A Guide for School Business Officers

Education technology is a booming business, especially since COVID-19 abruptly forced most K-12 schools to rely heavily on online learning. But even before the pandemic, parental concerns led multiple states to pass legislation protecting privacy of student data. Your school should make student privacy a top priority, establish and enforce appropriate policies, and routinely review vendor contracts.  

• The use of education technology has expanded rapidly in recent years, causing many parents to question their children’s schools about which third-party service providers they use and their protocols for protecting student privacy.
• Protecting student data privacy can be difficult, particularly for schools lacking resources to thoroughly assess multiple agreements they may have with third-party providers.
• In consultation with legal counsel, review your school’s policies governing use of educational technology vendors; also work with parents toward a common goal of preserving their children’s privacy while offering students a full educational experience.