Preparing for SOPPA Compliance

As mentioned in previous issues of the #bsd220tech newsletter, Barrington 220, along with all other districts in the state of Illinois, is preparing to meet the July 1, 2021, deadline to be in compliance with the new Student Online Privacy and Protection Act (SOPPA) placed into law over the last year. 

SOPPA states, "Effective July 1, 2021, school districts will be required by the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) to provide additional guarantees that student data is protected when collected by educational technology companies, and that data is used for beneficial purposes only (105 ILCS 85)." 

Among other tasks, this Act requires all school districts in Illinois to list each digital app or web-based subscription service they use that shares PII, or Personally Identifiable Information, of our students. Some examples of PII include: first and last name, email address, grade level, home address and phone number, socioeconomic status, and photos.

SOPPA requires school districts to establish a Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) with each vendor/app with whom we share student information. Applications, services, and websites that do not ask students or teachers to login or create an account do not need a Data Privacy Agreement (DPA).

What does this mean to teachers, and how does it impact my day-to-day activities?

• All software that requires students to log in MUST be approved by our district.
• All software (paid or free) is being be re-evaluated by our district and vetted for student privacy concerns.
• District leaders might not know about all tools being used by teachers so you need to tell us.
• If a vendor won’t agree to your district's contract, you will not be able to use the software—even if it is free. 

Under SOPPA, teachers may not:

• Have students register or register on behalf of students for software or services without the tool first being vetted and approved by the district. This applies to free or paid software or services.
• Conduct tests, evaluations, or pilots of software without district approval.
• Purchase access to apps or services for students on their own.

Further, there is a chance that some of the current apps or services we use will not be available next school year.

What can I do now to help the district prepare for this compliance?

• Confirm that all tools, apps, and websites you currently use are listed on our approved list. (Apps in Self Service are approved.)
• Become familiar with the district's plan and policies for complying with SOPPA as information becomes available.
• Communicate with us about what technology tools you currently use that are not in Self Service or provided by the district.