In November 2014, the ACLU of Massachusetts filed public records requests with thirty-five school districts across the state, seeking information about how schools manage student privacy issues. Our findings are published in an October 2015 report on the state of student privacy in Massachusetts, "Back to the Drawing Board: Student Privacy in Massachusetts K-12 Schools."
In preparation for our report, we sent two separate requests to districts large and small, in rural areas, suburbs, and cities. The first request primarily concerns the use of third-party 'student information systems' to manage student data; the second concerns the management of school-controlled technology programs (sometimes known as 1:1 programs). (All districts are public unless otherwise noted. Lexington and West Springfield received both requests.)
The following school districts received the request about student information systems: Barnstable, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Duxbury, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lexington, Lynn, Mystic Valley Regional Charter, New Bedford, Newton, Pittsfield, Prospect Hill Academy Charter, Salem, Springfield, West Springfield, and Worcester.
We sent the school-controlled technologies request to the following districts, selected because public information confirmed these districts operated 1:1 programs: Auburn, Bedford, Burlington, Douglas, Franklin, Hopkinton, Lexington, Lynnfield, Methuen, Millis, Natick, Revere, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Uxbridge, Waltham, Wayland, Wellesley, and West Springfield.
As we detail in the report, twenty percent of the thirty-five schools that received ACLU records requests on student privacy did not provide records. The substantive responses from the other twenty-eight are available below, by district.
Responsive documents by district
Auburn:
- Cover letter
- iPad lease for 400 tablets
- iPad parent training presentation
- Alternative training for parents who missed in-person session on iPad program
- iPad presentation to school committee
- School committee approval for iPad program
- Excerpts from middle and high school handbooks
- Excerpts from elementary school handbook
- Internet Acceptable Use policy
- Statement regarding content filtering
- iPad insurance agreement
- Parent/Guardian agreement form for iPad program
- iPad program timeline of events
Bedford:
- Student iPad insurance application
- Student handbook (2015-2016)
- iPad policy and user agreement
- iPad protection agreement
Boston:
- Cover letter
- Contracts and investment justifications (1) and (2)
- Student records regulations
Brockton:
Burlington:
- Technology acceptable use policy
- District technology plan
- K-12 digital literacy goals
- iPad lease agreement
Chelsea:
Douglas:
- Middle school handbook
- Elementary school handbook
- Primary school handbook
- High school handbook
- Contracts
- Policies
Duxbury:
- Cover letter
- Aspen SIS invoice
- First Class agreement and invoice
- Student handbook
- Policies
- Internet acceptable use guidelines
Franklin:
Holyoke:
Hopkinton:
- Various documents (acceptable internet use policy, training programs, contracts, communications with students and parents)
Lawrence:
- Technology acceptable use policy
- Annual notice to parents on student privacy law
- Instructions for setting up parent account
- Cumulative record maintenance requirements
- Powerschool server and application invoice
- Powerteacher Gradebook basics
- Gradebook training documentation
- iPad Powerteacher app login instructions
- Powerschool contract award letter and invoice
- Powerschool user guide
- Powerschool parent portal guide for administrators
- Powerschool parent portal guide for users
- Powerschool parent single sign-on guide
- Powerteacher Gradebook user guide
- Student records policy
- Powerschool substitute teacher portal guide
- Guide for inputting transfer data
- Guide for unenrolling a student
Lynn:
- Student records regulations, consent forms, invoice
- Information security policy memos
- Terms, contract, and invoices with Sungard
Methuen:
- Various documents (iPad lease agreement, acceptable use policy, student pledge for iPad use)
Millis:
- iPad program communication to parents
- iPad program policy
- iPad take home permission form
- Network acceptable use policy
- iPad insurance terms
Mystic Valley Charter:
Natick:
New Bedford:
Newton:
Revere:
Salem:
Shrewsbury:
- iPad options and open enrollment information
- 1-1 learning environment presentation
- 1-1 update for school committee
- 1-1 program letter to parents re enrollment
- Memo to school committee re technology plan
- Memo to school committee re technology costs
- Memo to school committee re updates to technology plan
- Memo to school committee re transition from parent subsidized 1:1 tech to district owned tech
- Memo to school committee re recommended policies for 1:1 tech
- FAQ regarding 1:1 programs
- Financial details of proposed 1:1 tech plan
- March 2013 iPad update
- November 2013 iPad update
- November 2012 iPad update
- iPad program presentation to school committee
- Personal technology fees FAQ
- Personal technology fee options
- Pilot program info
- Purchase orders, terms and conditions
- Recommendation for learning management system adoption
- iPad implementation update to school committee
- Tech implementation plan
- Presentation to school committee on tech implementation
- Presentation to school committee on recommended changes to 1:1 program
- Transition options for students re 1:1 program
- Letter to parents explaining 1:1 program for middle school (2014)
- Letter to parents explaining 1:1 program for middle school (2013)
Springfield:
Sudbury:
- Summary of documents disclosed to ACLU
- Purchase orders and invoices for Chromebooks (1) (2)
- Contract to purchase Chromebooks
- Schoology purchase order and terms
- Cost summary for Schoology
- Procedures and guidelines for Chromebook use
- Schoology parental consent form
- Technology guidelines and acceptable use policy
Uxbridge:
Wayland:
- 1:1 webpage
- Acceptable use policy
- Laptop care policy
- 1:1 webpage (2012)
- Lease agreement with HP
- Lease for Chromebooks
Wellesley:
- Cover letter
- Activity fees report
- iPad guidelines digital signature form
- iPad pricing information
- Middle school iPad participation information
- iPad purchase, lease, and user agreement
- Parent student handbook
West Springfield:
- Chromebook policies, procedures, purchase orders, acceptable use policies
- Student records and education apps purchase orders, terms and conditions
- High school student handbook