Dive Brief:

• Common Sense Media examined more than 1,200 education technology vendor websites, finding 49% did not protect their data with encryption and that some only did in states that mandate it.
• The Hechinger Report writes Bill Fitzgerald, director of Common Sense Media’s privacy initiative, recommends pre-checking websites for encryption before students and teachers use them, and the nonprofit offers a four-step evaluation process.
• EdSurge reports a recent survey about privacy laws found nearly 80% of parents use school-related technology to track their child’s progress, but 55% of respondents said they did not know about any restrictive data laws — and a shrinking portion of parents are confident laws can protect student privacy.

Dive Insight:

In this digital age, schools cannot get away with avoiding third-party websites and applications. They are ubiquitous in today’s classrooms, and it is up to teachers and administrators to make sure student data remains safe. Cybersecurity startup UpGuard offers a rapid threat assessment report for any website, providing a FICO-like score based on risk.

In California’s Tustin Unified School District, Senior Director of Technology Robert Craven has centralized approvals for any new apps teachers want to use in the classroom. The process does slow down implementation for teachers, but Craven believes it is worth it to protect student information from high-risk third parties.