Polis Lauds Corporate Pledge to Protect Student Data from Misuse

Press Release

Representative Jared Polis (CO-02) today praised the signing of a pledge by major K-12 school service providers to safeguard student privacy by creating standards regarding the collection, maintenance, and use of student personal information. Earlier this year, Rep. Polis and Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) called upon providers to take leadership in this important area, and convened a working group dedicated to this purpose.

"The potential of using student data to drive effective instruction and personalize education is promising," said Rep. Polis. "While there can be tremendous benefits from this data, we must ensure that there are appropriate safeguards to protect student privacy. I am pleased that these companies have taken an important step in making a commitment to parents, educators, and communities. This voluntary pledge can help address parents' legitimate concerns about privacy issues and help keep us on track towards new and exciting educational developments for all students."

The Pledge would make clear that school service providers are accountable to:

Not sell student information
Not behaviorally target advertising
Use data for authorized education purposes only
Not change privacy policies without notice and choice
Enforce strict limits on data retention
Support parental access to, and correction of errors in, their children's information
Provide comprehensive security standards
Be transparent about collection and use of data

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) led this effort following requests from Rep. Polis to ensure student privacy was protected while not stifling innovation in education technology and personalized learning.

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