Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)

We are committed to protecting the information security of our students in accordance with the latest version of the Student Online Personal Protection Act.

What is SOPPA?

The Student Online Personal Protection Act, or SOPPA, is the data privacy law that regulates student data collection and use by schools, the Illinois State Board of Education, and education technology (EdTech) vendors.

On August 23, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a new version of SOPPA that gives parents greater control over student data. Among the changes is a new requirement to enact breach notifications that are available to the public.

What does it mean for our families?

What happens to the student data that we send to a third party vendor? Information like student name, course number, homeroom information, or student grade may be provided by Wallace CCSD 195 to a third party educational vendor like EnVision, Wonders, NWEA MAP, etc. What protections do those companies have in place to make sure that our student's data is not sold or freely given to others? This is exactly what SOPPA looks to address. As part of SOPPA, these companies must enter into Data Privacy Agreements (DPA) with each district they work with. These agreements outline what data is stored, how it is protected, what the company can and cannot do with that data, and what they will do in the event of a data breach. To learn more about SOPPA, watch this short video.

Data Privacy Agreements (DPAs)

Wallace CCSD 195 leverages the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC), which is an unique collaborative of schools, districts, regional, territories and state agencies, policy makers, trade organizations and marketplace providers addressing real-world, adaptable, and implementable solutions to growing data privacy concerns. If you would like to read more about the SDPC, click here. Through the SDPC we enter into contracts with 3rd party vendors who handle our student's data. If you would like to view the DPAs that Wallace CCSD 195 currently holds, please click here.

Ensuring our students’ safety is critically important to Wallace CCSD 195 and establishing protocols compliant with this legislation will enable us to do so consistently.