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Student Data Privacy

 

Eastwood Local Schools is committed to protecting the privacy of our students and being transparent about how we use digital resources.

An essential part of the Eastwood classroom experience is the purposeful use of digital tools to support student learning, promote engagement, and prepare learners for success beyond the classroom.  Equally important, the security and privacy of Eastwood Local Schools' systems and data are essential to achieving our mission of serving students, staff, and the community. The district is committed to meeting all applicable regulatory standards, including FERPA, COPPA, and CIPA, which guide how we manage, protect, and use the information entrusted to us.

In addition, Eastwood Local Schools is fully compliant with Ohio Senate Bill 29 (SB29), which requires districts to safeguard student data by implementing strict privacy protocols. This includes securing a compliant Student Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) for any online resource used by students, particularly those requiring student accounts, student personally identifiable information or where students interact with or produce content. We maintain public documentation of these approved resources and provide staff with a process to request new digital tools while ensuring compliance with SB29 provisions.

The district also carefully evaluates the security and privacy practices of all digital resources used in the classroom. Resources are reviewed against district and legal standards before approval.  As such, we are continuously working to strengthen our system security measures and align with best practices in cybersecurity. These ongoing efforts reduce our overall technology risk and help ensure the availability, accuracy, and protection of our data systems.

What Parents Need to Know About SB29:

Ohio Senate Bill 29 (SB29) requires school districts to take specific steps to keep student information safe when working with outside companies (vendors) that provide educational technology or digital tools. These rules help ensure that your child’s personal data is used responsibly.  Ohio Senate Bill 29 is a law that helps protect your child’s personal information when they use technology at school. 

1. Parent/Guardian Notifications
School districts are required to provide specific notifications to parents and guardians to ensure transparency regarding student data privacy and the use of school-issued devices.

  • Districts must inform parents and students about any curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider contracts that affect a student's educational records.  View a listing of all Eastwood Digital Resources, contracts and privacy agreements.  
  • Districts must provide an annual general notice to parents regarding monitoring of school-issued devices.
  • Districts must provide 72 notice to parents/guardians if the district has accessed their child's device per situations outlined in SB29 (judicial warrant, in response to a threat to life or safety, or if the device is reported missing). 72 hour notification is not required for routine device monitoring for instructional purposes, tech support, or exam proctoring nor is it required for district-led investigations into academic integrity, such as suspected cheating or plagiarism

2. Vendor Agreements
Schools are only permitted to partner with companies that have signed a Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) ensuring the protection of student privacy. These agreements say that student data must only be used for educational reasons—never sold or used for advertising.

3. Device Monitoring
Schools are required to monitor student devices to keep students safe, support learning, and follow federal laws like the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This monitoring is also necessary for schools to qualify for technology funding (called E-rate).  

General Monitoring of School-Issued DevicesPlease be aware that Eastwood uses GoGuardian to generally, monitor all school-issued Chromebooks (as this term is defined by O.R.C. 3319.325). Monitoring will include these features: location tracking and student interactions with school issued devices (e.g., keystrokes and web-browsing activity).   The District generally monitors these features for the noncommercial education purpose of instruction, technical support, and/or exam proctoring. Additionally, these features are generally monitored as a necessary precaution for preventing and/or responding to threats to life or safety.