With the looming July 1, 2021, effective date of the amendments to the Student Online Personal Protection Act (“SOPPA”), school districts are ramping up student data privacy compliance measures, from identifying covered technology arrangements, to adopting policies, enhancing security practices, and creating workflows for the required written agreements with operators. Developing district compliance protocols requires a high level of teamwork between district administrators overseeing technology, curriculum/student services, and business. Many districts are exploring use of the Illinois version of the Standard Student Data Privacy Agreement (IL-NDPA). This agreement has been the subject of much discussion in the school community, and a working group is currently reviewing the feasibility of additional standardized revisions to the document. Districts should consult with their legal counsel with respect to the timing and content of these agreements.
HLERK is conducting SOPPA Workshops consisting of individualized district team training sessions of 60-90 minutes, including an overview of SOPPA compliance, the concept of workflow processing to identify the technology arrangements requiring amendment, and a dive into the technicalities of using the IL-NDPA to meet the written agreement requirements. If your administrators are interested in the SOPPA Workshop training, please contact Heather Brickman.
