Student Online Personal Protection Act
THE STUDENT ONLINE PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT (SOPPA)
School districts throughout the State of Illinois contract with different educational technology vendors for beneficial K-12 purposes, such as providing personalized learning and innovative educational technologies, and increasing efficiency in school operations.
Under the Illinois Student Online Personal Protection Act, or SOPPA (105 ILCS 85/1 et. seq.), educational technology vendors and other entities that operate Internet websites, online services, online applications, or mobile applications that are designed, marketed, and primarily used for K-12 school purposes are referred to in SOPPA as operators. SOPPA is intended to ensure that student data collected by operators is protected, and it requires those vendors, as well as school districts and the Illinois State Board of Education, to take a number of actions to protect online student data.
Depending upon the particular educational technology being used, our District may need to collect different types of student data, which is then shared with educational technology vendors through their online sites, services, and/or applications. Under SOPPA, educational technology vendors are prohibited from selling or renting a student’s information or from engaging in targeted advertising using a student’s information. Such vendors may only disclose student data for K-12 school purposes and other limited purposes permitted under the law.