On July 1, the Student Online Personal Protection Act, also known as SOPPA, became effective in Illinois. SOPPA is a law that protects students’ covered information, forcing school districts across Illinois to accomodate. 

Covered information is identifiable information about an individual consumer. This information could include your whole name, your address, including street name and town and your personal contact information such as your email address. 

Lemont’s director of technology, Donna Wall, said, “SOPPA requires school districts to provide additional guarantees that student data privacy is protected when collected by ed-tech vendors.”

Following the SOPPA pass in July, the school had to make some accommodations. Some of the most significant included the school reaching out to each ed tech vendor that the district uses in order to obtain a “Data Privacy Agreement”. 

Although the SOPPA laws just became effective this summer, the school has had policies to protect our information long before this. 

The Technology Think Tank committee which is also known as T3, includes several teachers and staff members at the school. Wall shared that the T3 committee held a summer workshop a few years ago to create a process for evaluating websites and applications that students use in the classroom. 

The first step in this process includes teachers submitting the website that they wish to use with the students. The website is then researched and vetted through programs and various methods in order to establish if the website is safe enough for students to use. 

Donna Wall further urges the importance of protecting students’ data privacy with greater reason. This is due to students using more technology now than ever before. 

The school does several things to encourage students to protect their personal information.  A few examples include, protecting their personal information with safe passwords, encouraging awareness of your digital footprint and being cautious of their outside WiFi choices. 

According to the LHS website “Lemont High School only collects information that directly relates to school activities and safeguards the privacy of students and confidentiality of student data.”

The school has also compiled a website which includes a list of approved websites and applications. A list of approved online resources, the contracts signed by the District, and any data collected by those tools or by the District can be found at this website. Approved websites include Canva, College Board, and GimKit.  

Some students have noticed that the popular website Quizlet is not an approved site for student use due to SOPPA.  

“Protecting student data is everyone’s responsibility,” said Wall.