- State and federal funding for K-12 education is being cut due to the economic climate, forcing schools to do more with less money while requirements continue expanding. - Schools are increasingly using technology like laptops, e-readers, and educational software to help address budget issues, but this raises privacy concerns when schools actively monitor student online activities using webcams and other tracking methods. - Laws like COPPA and CIPA allow schools to filter and monitor students' internet use but do not require active tracking, and student privacy must be balanced with protecting school resources and monitoring online behavior.

1. Student Privacy and K-12 Public School Systems Elizabeth Noagi June 1, 2010 COM 558: US Digital Media Law &Policy Instructor: Kraig L. Marini Baker

2. Current Trends in K-12 Education Funding provided by the state and federal government continues to be cut due to the economic climate. State and federal requirements continue to expand and… Penalized districts if student achievement, test scores, become stagnant or drop, and, Require districts to provide additional support for students with special needs.

3. Current Trends in K-12 Education Funding provided by the state and federal government continues to be cut due to the economic climate. State and federal requirements continue to expand and… Penalized districts if student achievement, test scores, become stagnant or drop, and, Require districts to provide additional support for students with special needs. So how do you accomplish more with less…

4. Technology as a Solution E-readers and e-books are currently being provided by multiple companies and piloted by various libraries and school districts across the states. School issued laptops that travel between school and home are on the increase. Software is being developed and implemented in schools as a teaching aid to help students learn.

5. The Downside of Technology Laptops are easy to steal. School districts have to take on an active role in tracking down district laptops and have done so by activating webcams… If a student failed to pay for the required insurance, and/or, If a student failed to return the district laptop at the end of the year.

6. Results of Activating Webcams Screen shots were taken of student on-line chats, e-mails, and activities that occurred in the privacy of their home by Lower Merion School District,PA . Parents became aware of the web camera produced photos and filed a lawsuit on behalf of their student. District responded with complete cooperation and an internal investigation.

7. Results of Activating Webcams Screen shots were taken of student on-line chats, e-mails, and activities that occurred in the privacy of their home by Lower Merion School District,PA . Parents became aware of the web camera produced photos and filed a lawsuit on behalf of their student. District responded with complete cooperation and an internal investigation. What you may not know is that…

8. COPPA and School Districts Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) doesn’t apply to school districts. Districts are not commercial corporations and are not prevented from collecting information from students via the internet.

9. Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) allows districts to filter and monitor online use of minors. CIPA bill was passed by the United States Congress to prevent the access of offensive content via the internet on school and library computers. In the case of school districts, CIPA gave them an added incentive of benefiting from e-rate discounts it they adopted and enforced policies that monitor the online activities of minors. However, CIPA does not require districts to track the internet use of minors. CIPA and School Districts

10. CIPA and District Roles Network provider Content filter Policy enforcer Protector of student records and privacy Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA): “once a videotape or photo is created and kept by the school, it becomes part of the student’s education record and is protected under FERPA”.

11. CIPA and District Roles Network provider Content filter Policy enforcer Protector of student records and privacy Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA): “once a videotape or photo is created and kept by the school, it becomes part of the student’s education record and is protected under FERPA”. What does this means for your school district?

12. Recommendations Incorporate a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that notifies users when the webcam is being activated. Apply a Radio Frequency Identification tag (RFIDs) that can be used to monitor and identify objects, instead of a webcam. Use Global Position System (GPS) to track down district property without entering the students home. And remind parents that they can “opt out” of granting their student access to district resources.

13. References retrieved May 2010: Personal texting on a work phone? Beware your boss http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/04/20/work.text.email.privacy/index.html?hpt=C1 Family: Pa. district snared thousands of secret webcam images http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/04/19/family-pa-district-snared-thousands-of-secret-webcam-images/ Federal Communications Commission: Children’s Internet Protection Act http://www.fcc.gov/egb/consumerfacts/cipa.html Channel3000.com: Laptop Computer Thefts Surge on UW-Madison Campus http://www.channel3000.com/news/19170948/detail.html eSchoolNews.com: Six technologies soon to affect education http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/04/15/six-technologies-soon-to-affect-education-2/ The New York Times: An Open Mind http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/education/edlife/18open-t.html Privacy Right Clearinghouse: Fact Sheet 29: Privacy in Education: Guide for Parents and Adult-Age Students http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs29-education.htm Bellevue School District Student Rights and Responsibilities http://www.bsd405.org/SRR Bellevue School District Board Polices & Procedures: Instructional Technology 3222; Electronic Information Systems 3223; Access to & use of Electronic Network Resources 3223.1; and Guidelines for Electronic Publishing 3223.2 http://www.bsd405.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1302