SOPPA for Teachers

Barrington 220 and its employees have a legal and ethical obligation to protect students and their data. 

The Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA), which took effect July 1, 2021, gives parents greater control over their student’s information and clarifies parents’ rights regarding personally identifiable information collected by school districts. In addition, the law outlines the responsibilities the school districts and digital learning resource providers have in protecting and using student personal information. 

The student online personal protection act 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).

Included in the law, school districts must obtain a signed Digital Privacy Agreement with each service provider and create a public list of all service providers who collect student data. In addition, this law provides a process for parents to access and request their student’s data, request removal of their student data, and be notified of data breaches

Some examples of PII include:

• First and Last Name
• Email Address
• Home Address/Phone Number
• Grades
• Socioeconomic Information
• Test Results
• Photos
• Medical Records

To ensure we do all we can to protect student information, Barrington 220 staff members should only use apps, software, or digital subscriptions that have been vetted and approved by Barrington 220.

All approved apps and software can be found on the Apps and Subscriptions page of the Barrington 220 Digital Learning Hub (bit.ly/220dlh).

All apps, subscriptions, and software on the approved list have been vetted and a digital privacy agreement is in place. These resources are safe to use.

Teachers and staff should continue to request approval for new apps and subscriptions using the existing subscription and app request process. If a teacher has previously used digital learning resources with students that were not on the district approved list, they should submit a request for approval before using that resource in the future. 

Its important to note that apps, services and websites that do not ask students or to login, create an account, or provide personal information do not need a signed Data Privacy Agreement (DPA), and if a student has an personal account with a service provider and chooses to use it for school purposes, they are ok to do so. This law only applies to digital learning resources that Barrington 220 requires or recommends for student use. 

If you are unsure if it is safe to use a digital learning resource with students, you can submit an app request form and you will be contacted with information.