Data Privacy & Security Practices

blue outline of a lock in a shield

NYS Education Law Section 2-d Part 121.5 addresses new Data Security and Privacy Standards that took effect in July 2020.

These new standards  require educational institutions and their third-party contractors to take a variety of steps to protect both institutional data and student data from potential outside cyber-threats, such as stealing data, holding information systems hostage and causing system disruptions.

The Law §2-d requires that each educational agency shall publish a parent’s bill of rights for data privacy and security. The law also requires that with each contract an educational agency enters with a third-party contractor, that receives personally identifiable information (PII), must contain a signed bill of rights and supplemental information. In turn, each educational agency will have to publish, on its website, the signed parent’s bill of rights and supplemental information to the bill of rights for each software contract. 

The list of approved third-party contractors is shown below, with a link to each signed bill of rights.

We also have a new lnventory List which can be found HERE.

Approved resources may appear on either or both of these listings.

Note that this is the list of companies, not the list of software tools!  If you are not able to find a product, (e.g. ReflexMath), go back to that product's log on page to determine it's company name (which for ReflexMath is "Explore Learning").

Bonnie E. Nobiling

Data Protection Officer

(607) 433-8243 x2299

Resources

Data Privacy FAQ

The new privacy law can be overwhelming, so we will try to answer questions here.

Q: Can I use software this is not on the list?
A: Theoretically, you should not be using online resources, which require students to log on, if they are not on the list.

Q: I put in a request using the Online Request form but I have not yet heard back. Now what?
A: You will be notified if the district has successfully received an Ed Law 2d agreement form with the company you requested.  If you have not heard anything yet, that means we do not yet have an agreement with that company.  Free products are especially difficult to obtain agreements from. You need to consider using alternate products that have been approved, in the event your request does not result in an agreement.

Q: What is the danger in using an unapproved product?
A: Unfortunately, not every vendor has the best intentions regarding the protection of our student data. Imagine the worst-case scenario where one of our students has their identity stolen, or confidential information leaked, as a consequence of your use of an approved product.