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:

Bedford:

Boston:

Brockton:

Burlington:

Chelsea:

Douglas:

Duxbury:

Franklin:

Holyoke:

Hopkinton: 

  • Various documents (acceptable internet use policy, training programs, contracts, communications with students and parents)

Lawrence:

Lynn:

Methuen: 

  • Various documents (iPad lease agreement, acceptable use policy, student pledge for iPad use)

Millis:

Mystic Valley Charter:

Natick:

New Bedford:

Newton: 

Revere: 

Salem: 

Shrewsbury:

Springfield:

Sudbury:

Uxbridge: 

Wayland:

Wellesley:

West Springfield:

Worcester:

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