The Board of Regents adopted Part 121 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education on January 13, 2020. These rules will implement Education Law Section 2-d and provide guidance to educational agencies and their third-party contractors on ways to strengthen data privacy and security to protect student data and annual professional performance review data.  It will apply to both charter and traditional public schools. The Regulations were overseen by the Department’s Chief Privacy Officer, Temitope Akinyemi.

These Regulations govern the use of student Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in regards to third-party software vendors and platforms.  All third-party contractors who collect and store student PII need to have a signed copy of the Genesee Valley CSD Parent’s Bill of Rights, in addition to a Supplemental Information Addendum that states publicly why they collect student PII, how it is stored and used, what happens to the collected data upon end of contract terms, and how data will be protected and encrypted.  These forms will be posted on the Genesee Valley CSD website for viewing at any time.

 For questions, concerns, or communication, please contact:

Jeffrey LaBenne
Genesee Valley Data Privacy Officer
dpo@genvalley.org

Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) – COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites, games, mobile apps or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – The foundational federal law on the privacy of students’ educational records, FERPA safeguards student privacy by limiting who may access student records, specifying for what purpose they may access those records, and detailing what rules they have to follow when accessing the data.

Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) – PPRA defines the rules states and school districts must follow when administering tools like surveys, analysis, and evaluations funded by the US Department of Education to students. It requires parental approval to administer many such tools and ensures that school districts have policies in place regarding how the data collected through these tools can be used.