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Schools earn national privacy designation

student privacy

CoSN [1] (the Consortium for School Networking) revealed the inaugural set of schools to earn the new Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal.

Butler County (AL) Schools, Cambridge (MA) Public Schools, Denver (CO) Public Schools, Fulton County (GA) Schools, Lewisville (TX) Independent School District, Miami-Dade (FL) County Public Schools, and Raytown (MO) Quality Schools received the TLE Seal for carrying out their commitment to ensure the privacy and security of student data.

“These schools—representing small, large, urban, and suburban communities—have built a culture of trust and transparency. They continue to make these efforts every day while taking advantage of the benefits and promise of technology in modern learning settings,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.

Selected among nearly 90 school district applicants nationwide, the seven school systems were chosen by CoSN for demonstrating effective practices [2] in each of the following areas:
• Leadership, including managing and collaborating with stakeholders regarding the use and governance of student data to inform instruction.
• Business, including establishing acquisition vetting processes and contracts that, at minimum, address applicable compliance with laws while supporting innovation.
• Data Security, including performing regular audits of data privacy and security practices and publicly detailing these measures.
• Professional Development, including requiring school staff to conduct privacy and security training and offering related resources to all stakeholders in the community.
• Classroom, including implementing educational procedures and processes to ensure transparency while advancing curricular goals.

The schools will be required to maintain their commitment to digital privacy and reapply for the TLE Seal every two years.

“Schools should not just say they are committed to securing a 21st century learning environment. They need to take the steps to do it, and these schools have demonstrated that they’re doing the work,” said Linnette Attai, CoSN Project Director, TLE Seal, and President, PlayWell, LLC.

Developed for all K-12 schools nationwide, the TLE Seal was formed through the input from 28 school system leaders, as well as CoSN and lead partners: AASA, The School Superintendents Association; the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO); and ASCD. Their collective expertise and experiences pinpointed the steps schools should take— beyond regulatory compliance—to help ensure student data privacy and security.