Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

The growing availability of web-based tools and applications is providing teachers with new and exciting methods to improve, enrich and diversify the delivery of curriculum and instruction to students. Many web-based tools and applications use data to create access accounts and to customize the learning experience. The purpose of this letter is to explain what data will be provided to online educational service providers and parent/guardian rights in regard to the use of the on line educational services. Also, this letter will give you information relating to the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires that you acknowledge receipt of and agree to the attached Opt-In form in order for the District to allow your student access to on line educational services.

Montoursville Area School District makes every effort to select and implement products that protect the confidentiality of students’ personally identifiable information and that avoid third party promotional marketing material. In order for students to use some selected web-based tools and applications, it may be necessary for the District to provide student data. In addition to data provided by the District, online educational service providers may collect additional data using cookies, logs and other Internet-­based technologies.

Service providers communicate important information about their collection, protection, use and disclosure of data through their own privacy policies. Enclosed, please find a list of online educational service providers and their contact information, including the web address to the provider’s privacy policy. Data is typically used only to provide educational services to students. In some cases, providers may use certain data for their own internal marketing purposes. On occasion, providers will state that they provide data to third parties under certain circumstances, such as to improve the performance of its website. Tile enclosed list will be updated periodically and updates to this list will be on the website.

The Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that web-based tools and application providers obtain verifiable parental consent in order for children under the age of 13 to use web based tools and applications. The responsibility of obtaining parental consent is often passed on to schools. In order for the District to allow your student access to online educational services, parents/guardians must acknowledge receipt of and agree to the attached Opt-In form. Please note that our policies limit what data we can provide to online educational services providers with respect to students under the age of 13 to the following: student name, date of birth, gender, zip code, school and years of attendance, local student ID number, state student ID number, disability information pertinent to a student’s educational plan, the student’s District email address and any activities and awards the student wishes to disclose.

For a more detailed list of what data is provided per service provider, please click HERE.

Parents/guardians can request to review and have removed personal information that an online educational service provider has collected from the student. If a parent/guardian wishes to review or have removed the data provided to a provider by the District, a written request should be sent to the students’ principal. In some instances, depending upon the nature of the request, the parent/guardian may be required to contact the provider directly.

If you have any questions, please contact the building principal.