COVID-19 has placed districts, schools, and educators in unprecedented circumstances as they balance health concerns, academic responsibilities, and equity concerns to determine how they continue to deliver education. How does student privacy relate to this decision-making? For this blog series, Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) has interviewed state, district, and school student privacy leaders, to reflect on lessons learned from the rapid transition to online learning in the spring and to offer best practices regarding student data privacy as schools continue to adapt their plans.
On July 22, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth & education team, spoke with Chris Hanson, instructional technology specialist for Eanes Innovative School District in Austin, Texas, about these topics, as well as building technology infrastructure, how to monitor attendance and participation in a remote environment, and how the conversation about student privacy is evolving. Read the full interview here.
On August 4, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Erika Robinson, General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator for Jackson Public School District in Mississippi about device and internet access, obstacles to professional development for educators, and important considerations for monitoring participation and engagement in online settings. Read the full interview here.
On July 20, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Ray Girdler, Director of Technology Initiatives and Resources for Arkansas Department of Education, about the role of teachers and parents in student privacy, issues with using infrared cameras in an educational context, and how schools are better prepared this fall. Read the full interview here.
On July 28, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Amy Holliday, Digital Application Instructional Alignment Specialist for Lake Washington School District, in Washington, about these topics as well as communicating to parents about the tools schools are using, allowing students to keep their cameras off in virtual classrooms, and the need for collaborative digital tools. Read the full interview here.
On July 22, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Kerry Gallagher, Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at St. John’s Prep and Director of K-12 Education for ConnectSafely.org, about training teachers on video call platforms, how school leaders should work with teachers in adopting new tools, and important considerations for monitoring student behavior and engagement. Read the full interview here.
On July 24, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Dr. Andrea Tejedor, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology at Highland Falls—Fort Montgomery Central School District, in New York, about rolling out video conferencing in the spring, the importance of teachers having a power toolkit, and important considerations for monitoring student engagement in an online setting. Read the full interview here.
On July 22, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Whitney Phillips, Chief Privacy Officer for the Utah State Board of Education, about monitoring attendance and engagement in a remote learning environment and key considerations for implementing one-to-one devices. Read the full interview here.
On July 22, FPF spoke with Melissa Tebbenkamp, Director of Instructional Technology for Raytown Consolidated School District, and a founding member and past chair of the Missouri state chapter of Consortium for School Networking. Melissa provides insight on lessons learned in her district, the importance of long-term planning, considerations for implementing health technologies, and best practices for protecting student privacy. Read the full interview here.
On July 24, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Felix Childs, Technology Support Services Director for the South Carolina Department of Education, about the state AccelerateED Task Force created in response to COVID-19, the rapid shift to online learning, the challenge of internet accessibility, and ways to manage risk when educators record virtual classes. Read the full interview here.
On July 28, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Kim Nesmith, Data Governance and Privacy Director for Louisiana Department of Education, about video conferencing tool policies, administering mental health screeners to students, and determining which families have adequate internet access. Read the full interview here.
On July 24, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Allen Miedema, Executive Director for Technology at Northshore School District, in Washington, about the need for clear communication, best practices for conducting virtual classrooms, and important considerations for tracking student achievement and administering assessments in an online environment. Read the full interview here.
On July 28, Juliana Cotto, a policy fellow on FPF’s youth and education team, spoke with Tope Akinyemi, Chief Privacy Officer for the New York State Education Department, about lessons learned, model data privacy agreements, data protection officers, and how discussions of student privacy have evolved. Read the full interview here.
On July 16, FPF spoke with a district privacy leader about lessons learned, how people define privacy, important considerations for tracking attendance, and the importance of vetting products in addition to privacy policies. Read the full interview here.
