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Data Security and Privacy

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Data Security & Privacy

The Wilton Public Schools District is committed to providing high-quality, instructional online resources for our students and technology that facilitates teaching and productivity for our faculty and staff. In this effort, we have made data privacy an important criteria for our selection and procurement of online resources.

The District complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which has a goal of protecting a student's educational records. For more details on FERPA, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA webpage. Although FERPA regulations apply only to students, Wilton Public Schools is equally committed to protecting the privacy of all data.

 

Student Data Privacy PA16-189

The State of Connecticut enacted Privacy Law PA16-189 An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy which will fully go into effect on June 30, 2018. However, in the meantime, Wilton Public Schools has taken proactive measures to comply with the law. The District is currently in the process of working with publishers/vendors whose products are used by the district, that fall under the privacy legislation to obtain contract modifications to ensure the suppliers are compliant with the law. As part of the transparency of this process, we are providing the following spreadsheet which includes resources that are used in our schools for instruction and productivity. As contracts are reviewed, renewed or added, we will update this list per the requirements of Connecticut's Student Privacy Law PA16-189.

Process and Decision Criteria based on Student Data Privacy Concerns

In order to provide a consistency and transparency regarding evaluation and approval of resources that elevate student learning while protecting data and security, Wilton Public Schools is committed to adhering to a standard process.

Staff may request an app not on the approved list through their school-based Technology Instructional Leader (Tech IL).  The Tech IL's will review the request according to our criteria, and if found to be a gap in our offerings, will send the request to the Director, Digital Learning.  The Office of Digital Learning will go through the vendor agreement process.  Staff members will be informed via their Tech IL of the decision.

The Wilton Public Schools District uses most current information about best practices for embedding technology tools and resources in a ready-access environment.  Some of the systems used include:

  • Education Framework - A K-12 Data Privacy Solution https://educationframework.com/ 
  • LearnPlatform - A free service to help equip districts with an edtech effectiveness platform to plan, procure, save funding and have the most impact with digital tools and resources.
  • Common Sense Media - A great resource for educators and parents providing reviews for edtech tools and resources for children.

Important Links & Documents