Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future, we plan to introduce a two-bill package to promote education about internet safety in Pennsylvania schools and strengthen privacy protections for students using education services technology. 

Schools are increasingly integrating computers, laptops, and tablet in the classroom and relying on cloud-computing services for a variety of academic and administrative functions. Through the smart use of technology, schools can enhance student learning and improve school operations. At the same time, private educational technology companies can collect massive amounts of sensitive data about students, including, for example, health records, disciplinary records, financial status, and online activity.  

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette review of policies at 31 large Pennsylvania school systems found that just 11 had documented procedures for checking that educational software and applications did not violate student privacy before teachers assigned them to students. Only six school systems could demonstrate that teachers regularly asked for approval to use ed-tech tools — a sign that even where good policies exist, there may be problems with enforcement and accountability. Just eight of the 31 school systems offered documentation that they train teachers in procedures to protect student privacy. 

 

This bill will prohibit education technology providers operating in Commonwealth schools from any of the following:  

  

1. Selling student data 

2. Using information collected to advertise to students and families 

3. “Amassing a profile” on students used for non-educational purposes 

 

This bill will also require the PA Department of Education to provide for the use of a safe online platform from a third party, such as ISAFE, to assist school districts in protecting student data. The Department of Education currently provides school districts with training and resources on best practices on protecting student data. However, PDE does not instruct districts on how to secure their systems or provide a platform schools can use to secure their system.  

 

We hope you will join us in co-sponsoring these bills to provide much-needed support to schools as they work to protect students and their information in virtual spaces.