Data Privacy

We take data privacy seriously in Highline. As described on our Digital Tools page, the Digital Tool Review Committee completes a rigorous vetting process to ensure that any digital tool used with students is safe and secure. So what does the committee consider when vetting tools?

• Has the vendor signed the Washington Student Data Privacy Agreement (WSDPA)? If not, we encourage them to do so. 
• If the digital tool includes a communication feature outside of our network, is the data archived for at least 7 years? According to the state archiving policy it needs to be. 
• Can student or teacher accounts be deleted by individual users?
• Is student personally identifiable (PII) information shared with anyone other than the vendor (i.e. third party applications or marketers)?
• Does the digital tool allow advertising to students? 

FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that guarantees that parents have access to their child’s education record and restricts who can access and use student information

COPPA - Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act - pertains to the information that is collected from children under the age of 13 by companies operating websites, games, and mobile applications

CIPA - Children’s Internet Protection Act - Ensures that schools and libraries adopt an internet safety policy that minors are protected from harmful content on the internet. -CIPA 

WAC 434-662-040 - Records Archival - The WAC pertaining to data archiving. 

If the vendor doesn’t adhere to these above requirements and laws, the tool will likely be denied.

• Common Sense Media Data Privacy Minicourse
• Resources for families - Common Sense Media Privacy and Internet Safety 
• ConnectSafely - The Educator’s Guide to Student Data Privacy
• Washington State Data Privacy Alliance