Privacy

Schools Receive National Privacy Designation

• By Sri Ravipati
• 08/25/16

Schools around the nation are working toward improving student privacy and security, and a prominent national association of school system technology leaders has recognized their efforts. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently revealed an inaugural set of schools to receive its Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal.

The TLE Seal is an award that is open to all K–12 schools systems, “signaling that they have taken measurable steps to implement practices to help ensure the privacy of student data,” according to the Trusted Learning website. The seal was formed through collective input from 28 school system leaders and CoSN partners: The School Superintendents Association, the Association of School Business Officials International and ASCD.

CoSN awarded the TLE Seal to the following schools:

• Butler County Schools in Alabama;
• Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts;
• Denver Public Schools in Colorado;
• Fulton County Schools in Georgia;
• Lewisville Independent School District in Texas;
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida; and
• Raytown Quality Schools in Missouri.

“Cambridge Public Schools has strived for many years to protect the privacy of our students. We are honored to be recognized by CoSN for our diligent work in this area,” said Steve Smith, CIO of Cambridge Public Schools, in a statement.

“In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, prioritizing security to safeguard our students, their information, and our systems has always been of paramount importance,” said Deborah Karcher, CIO of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, in a statement. “We strive to keep our finger on the pulse of the threat landscape to continually refine our approach and to strengthen security protocols.”

“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, in a statement.