Parent Rights

What Does SOPPA Mean For You?

The Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) is a student data privacy law that regulates student data collection and use by the district, the Illinois State Board of Education and education technology operators. As a parent or guardian, the law means you have the right to inspect, correct, and delete your child’s covered information, regardless of whether it is held by a district or a third-party operator.  All requests should be directed to the District 20 Office at (630) 894-2250 or by email to info@esd20.org.  

Why Is Student Data Collected?

Student data is collected for a variety of reasons. It helps to connect students to vital educational resources, supports growth and achievement in the classroom, and creates new opportunities for learning. Often, fulfilling our mission of delivering high-quality education means sharing student data with operators who provide the district with educational tools and other resources. Now you can learn more than ever about how your student’s covered information is handled.

What Are Your Rights Under SOPPA?

• Inspect and review the student’s covered data regardless of whether it is maintained by the school, the State Board, or an operator.

• Request from a school a paper or electronic copy of the student's covered information, including covered information maintained by an operator or the State Board. If a parent requests an electronic copy of the student's covered information under this paragraph, the school must provide an electronic copy of that information, unless the school does not maintain the information in an electronic format and reproducing the information in an electronic format would be unduly burdensome to the school. If a parent requests a paper copy of the student's covered information, the school may charge the parent the reasonable cost for copying the information in an amount not to exceed the amount fixed in a schedule adopted by the State Board, except that no parent may be denied a copy of the information due to the parent's inability to bear the cost of the copying. The State Board must adopt rules on the methodology and frequency of requests under this paragraph.

• Request corrections of factual inaccuracies contained in the student's covered information. After receiving a request for corrections and determining that a factual inaccuracy exists, a school must do either of the following:

1. If the school maintains or possesses the covered information that contains the factual inaccuracy, correct the factual inaccuracy and confirm the correction with the parent within 90 calendar days after receiving the parent's request.
2. If the operator or State Board maintains or possesses the covered information that contains the factual inaccuracy, notify the operator or the State Board of the correction.
3. The operator or the State Board must correct the factual inaccuracy and confirm the correction with the school within 90 calendar days after receiving the notice. Within 10 business days after receiving confirmation of the correction from the operator or State Board, the school must confirm the correction with the parent.

If users have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@esd20.org.