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Waterloo Community Unit School District #5

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Student Data Privacy

Student Data Privacy

WCUSD#5 takes the privacy of our student's data seriously. This page intends to make transparent our compliance with the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)

Important Data Privacy Laws

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

  • Governs information in a student’s education record, restricting access and use of student information.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

  • Restricts the collection of personal information from children under 13 by companies operating websites, games, mobile applications, and digital services that are directed to children or that collect personal information from individuals known to be children.

Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)

  • Guarantees that student data is protected when collected by educational technology companies, and that data is used for beneficial purposes only.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

  • Imposes certain requirements on schools that utilize the federal E-Rate program to receive discounts for internet access and other technology services, or that receive federal grants for other technology expenses.

What is SOPPA?

What happens to the student data that we send to a third party vendor? Information like names, birthdates, etc... may be provided by WCUSD#5 to a third party like Lexia, AIMs Web, etc... What protections do those companies have in place to make sure that our student's data is not sold or freely given to others? This is exactly what SOPPA looks to address.

As part of SOPPA, these companies must enter into Data Privacy Agreements (DPA) with each district they work with. These agreements outline what data is stored, how it is protected, what the company can and cannot do with that data, and what they will do in the event of a data breach.

SOPPA and ISBE Mandates

Your student's data may be transferred to some companies due to assessment mandates from the Illinois State Board of Education. ISBE is responsible for obtaining Data Privacy Agreements with these companies and making those DPA's available to families. At this time, this list is unavailable. When it does become available, we will link to it here. Examples of these resources would include PSAT and IAR testing.

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