Action Steps for Parents to Do Today to Protect Student Data

Action Steps for Parents to Do Today to Protect Student Data

As a follow up to yesterday’s article, “How Schools Use Private Student Data,” I offer 7 actions that parents and guardians can do now to put the control of your child’s private data back into your hands and limit what schools actually do with this important information.

Action Step #1: While your child is doing their homework, do yours. Research the following sites to become familiar with student privacy:

Action Step #2: Be involved with your child’s education and develop an open line of communication with his or her teacher. This will allow you to ask the “hard” questions, like:

  • What websites and apps do you plan on recommending to your students?
  • What student data do you collect?
  • How is collected student data protected?

Action Step #3: Review, study, learn and know the privacy policies of educational sites and apps that your child will be exposed to. You can skip all the legal mumbo-jumbo that is difficult to decipher, but you need to concentrate on what personal identifiable information the site or app collects and who it shares this information with.

Avoid those that indicate they share data with third-party marketers/affiliates, and if they have no privacy policy, run the other way!

Action Step #4: Be leery of “free” services or apps. Usually the company that made the app or created the service plans to make money by using user data. Know that regardless of the company, every company must legally follow its published policies, even though they have the right to change them at any time. This is why it’s so important to frequent their policies often.

Action Step #5: Become supportive friends with school administrators. Let administrators know that you support all that they and your child’s teacher(s) are doing to help your child learn and be successful this school year. Make it known that you want to help, too. A part of this is protecting your child by knowing what data the school collects and what information that you are able to legally withhold from the school about your child. By building a relationship with school administrators, it makes not only asking about this but receiving accurate answers easier.

Action Step #6: Actively surf on your child’s school’s website and if they have social media accounts, check those out too. Do this frequently to find out if:

  • Photos of students are being posted;
  • The names of students are on the school’s website or if images are tagged on Facebook; and
  • Visitor data is shared with third parties.

You may want to ask the school not to associate your child’s name with his or her photo that is floating around in cyberspace.

Action Step #7: Make your voice heard. Do your due diligence as a parent and contact Congress about student data privacy.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

  • DHS to End ‘Shoes-Off’ Travel Policy

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a new policy today which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. Read Now

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.