We take student data privacy very seriously in Denver Public Schools (DPS). Safeguarding student data is an essential responsibility for all DPS employees. Our schools and staff follow our Student Data Privacy training and guidance process to ensure that all DPS staff are:
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) collects student data from students across Colorado to meet specific policy, practice, and service requirements of state and federal laws. We collect and submit DPS student data to CDE based on their requirements and procedures. CDE provides a Data Collection Fact Sheet of what type of information is collected as well as an overview of the Data Elements Collected in Data Collection System to meet state and federal reporting mandates. In addition, this Student Data Map outlines the types of student Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that we collect in our primary enterprise applications. These applications represent the core of DPS’ operational information systems, and the data within these systems is highly managed for security, quality and appropriate usage.
The Academic Technology Menu (ATM) is a resource for school leaders, teachers, students and parents/guardians as part of the student data privacy process. The purpose of the ATM is to allow school leaders and teachers to identify which tools they plan to use with students, and to inform parents/guardians of these tools and their privacy policies. As applications are adopted by schools, and if they are not already protected by student data privacy agreements, the ATM provides assistance for schools to take appropriate measures in protecting student data by providing guidelines for obtaining data-sharing agreements or obtaining parent consent for classroom use. The ATM is also an integral part of the district’s Academic Technology Strategic Plan.
If a vendor has not signed the DPS Data Protection Addendum (discussed further below) then it is considered to be an on-demand service provider. Parent/guardian consent is required at the school level before student data can be shared with on-demand service providers. You can review the educational technology resources listed by your student’s school in the ATM and the provider privacy policies. Parent consent is given each school year through the Annual Family Update. As new tools are added by your school, parents/guardians will receive notifications from their school so they have the opportunity to provide consent.
At a district level, we devote significant staff time and resources to negotiating contracts with vendors that include a formal data sharing agreement (Data Protection Addendum) to prohibit student data mining or targeting marketing while requiring industry standards for encryption and security, These agreements allow DPS to designate vendors as “school officials” to enable us to share student data without parent/guardian consent.
The Approved DPA Vendor List provides the names of vendors who have signed the DPS DPA. We require that vendors sign the DPA if they have a negotiated contract.
There are certain tools, such as our Learning Management Systems (Schoology and Seesaw), that are district purchased and managed. District purchased and managed digital content ensures ease of access for students with single sign-on and IP authentication, while also protecting student data privacy and copyright compliance.
There are several laws that dictate how schools and teachers handle student data.