Prospect Mountain Schools recognized for work to protect student data

ALTON — Prospect Mountain School District, serving students in Alton and Barnstead, was recognized for their leadership in protecting student data last month. The Consortium for School Networking awarded the district, made up of 1,300 students, a Trusted Learning Environment Mini Seal for the Classroom Practice.

This achievement for classroom practice talks about two areas: “Are you teaching your students internet literacy, privacy, and safety? Are your teachers able to speak to that and model good practices in the classroom?” said Linnette Attai, CoSN project director for the TLE program.

“From the academic side of all this, I think it’s important for our community to know that we do take this student privacy, the data, seriously,” said Matthew Jozokos, who just stepped up from assistant superintendent, to superintendent, as of July 1.

Attai said this is a “privacy framework that was developed by CoSN in partnership with school district leaders from across the country.” This includes The School Superintendents Association and The Association of School Business Officials.

“It is vital,” Attai said. “If districts do not have and are not working on building and maturing their student data privacy program, then those districts have missed the boat.”

According to cosn.org, the organization recognizes “significant work involved in creating a school system program that enlists the help of all educators in protecting student data privacy, and that empowers educators to teach their students how to protect their own privacy in the future."

To earn the achievement, districts must send in a rigorous application. Matthew Dumond, chief technology officer, said he provided the CoSN board with training outlines and schedules, and information about how they handle data, and district leaders receive feedback from there.

“While it’s a long process to go through, the feedback, I think, is equally as valuable,” Jozokos said.

The TLE program has a list of 25 requirements.

“Together they make up the fundamentals of a school district student data privacy program,” Attai said.

There are five areas of practice in which districts can be awarded a TLE Seal: leadership, business, data security, professional development, and classroom practice. If a district provides the CoSN board with evidence of excellence in one of these categories, they are awarded a Mini Seal, on June 9. If a district is able to show success in every area, they are awarded a full TLE Seal.

After receiving feedback, Dumond and his team were able to implement recommended changes to strengthen their digital privacy practices. He said they were very close in the other four areas, but with feedback, they were able to begin the refining process. “We'll be reapplying for the full seal by the end of the summer, and I'm fairly confident we will be getting it.”

In a classroom setting, Prospect Mountain school leaders ensure students and teachers are using online resources which are properly vetted, both websites and downloaded applications, determining the educational value of any resources accessed.

New Hampshire state law mandates thorough security and transparency standards for how the state Department of Education and public schools across the state can “collect, store, and share educational data.”

Dumond said some computer applications, if they don't include a data privacy agreement, will sell student data. Some districts still choose to use these applications, even though they reveal students' names and other demographic information, to potentially be sold online.

Prospect Mountain Schools aim to keep all student information private, and have consistent, transparent communication with teachers and parents. Throughout the school year, Dumond updates teachers on the process of vetting resources and not using certain applications in their curriculum, so they understand why these processes are necessary. He hopes to implement regular communication with parents next school year.

A few years ago, Dumond, Jozokos, and several teachers also revamped their K-8 digital literacy program.

“What we were finding out is that we hadn't done our due diligence in teaching kids about safety and all of those types of things,” Jozokos said. “They get, throughout their K-8 years, at appropriate levels, the different things that go on. Why you don't give up your data, why you don’t go on and sign up and hand over your Social Security [number]. So, really trying to teach them about that process.”

“We just make sure that the assets that teachers are using are protecting data, and keeping in mind the kids. So when they head off into the real world, they’re not just saying 'yes' to every app,” Dumond said. “A lot of people don’t know that. A lot of adults don’t know that.”

Jozokos said this was not an overnight process. For nearly five years, Jozokos has worked closely with Dumond and the IT department, looking at various softwares and explaining to teachers the importance of using properly-vetted resources.

“I think it says that we have a commitment, much like we have a commitment to provide a great education. We have a commitment to making sure that our students and our staff’s information is safe,” Jozokos said. “It’s important for us to do that. I think it just shows that there’s a level of expectation that we have.”

“It’s a high bar to hit. It’s not a measure of perfection, but a measure of certain level of maturity and commitment to continuing the work,” Attai said of the TLE program. “It is critically important for school districts today.”