Effective October 24, 2024, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Sections 3319.325-.327.
General Monitoring of School-Issued Devices
Our district is committed to providing a safe and productive learning environment for all students. To ensure this, we utilize various technologies, including school-issued devices like Chromebooks, tablets, and software applications. As part of our commitment to student safety and responsible technology use, we generally monitor student activity on these devices.
Monitoring Practices:
Our general monitoring practices may include, but are not limited to:
- Filtering Internet Access: We use web filtering tools to block access to inappropriate websites for school use, such as those containing explicit content, hate speech, or material that could threaten student safety or well-being.
- Monitoring Online Activity: We may monitor student online activity, including websites visited, search terms used, and interactions within educational platforms, to ensure responsible use, address potential safety concerns, and comply with legal obligations like the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
- Location Tracking: In certain situations, we may utilize location tracking features on school-issued devices to locate lost or stolen devices or to respond to emergencies where student safety is a concern.
Purposes for Monitoring:
We conduct general monitoring for several purposes, including:
- Compliance with Federal and State Law: Federal laws, such as CIPA, require us to monitor student online activity to protect children from harmful content. We also monitor to ensure compliance with other applicable state laws and district policies.
- Instructional Support: Monitoring student activity on educational platforms allows teachers to provide effective instruction, track student progress, and ensure students are engaging with learning materials appropriately.
- Technical Support: Monitoring helps our technology staff troubleshoot technical issues, maintain network security, and ensure devices function correctly.
- Safety and Security: We monitor to detect and respond to potential threats to student safety, such as cyberbullying, harassment, or self-harm.
With the provisions of Ohio Revised Code Sections 3319.325-.327, school districts and technology providers are prohibited from electronically accessing or monitoring location-tracking features, audio or visual receiving, transmitting, or recording features, and other student interactions with a school-issued device including but not limited to keystrokes and web browsing activities.
However, there are six (6) specific exceptions under the law, which authorize a school district and a technology provider to generally monitor a school-issued device. In the event that one of the circumstances described in division (2) or (3) of this section is triggered and the school district initiates responsive action, the school district shall, within seventy-two hours of the access, notify the student's parent and provide a written description of the triggering circumstance,
This is notice that the Greeneview Local School District will generally monitor school-issued devices for each school year for the following permitted purposes:
- The activity is limited to a noncommercial educational purpose for instruction, technical support, or exam-proctoring by school district employees, student teachers, staff contracted by a district, a vendor, or the department of education, and notice is provided in advance;
- The activity is permitted under a judicial warrant;
- The school district or technology provider is notified or becomes aware that the device is missing or stolen;
- The activity is necessary to prevent or respond to a threat to life or safety, and the access is limited to that purpose;
- The activity is necessary to comply with federal or state law;
- The activity is necessary to participate in federal or state funding programs.
In the event that one of the circumstances described in division (4) of this section is triggered and the school district initiates action in response to division (4) of this section or pursuant to section 2151.421, 3313.66, 3313.666, or 3313.669 of the Revised Code, the school shall, within seventy-two hours of the access, notify the student's guardian and provide a description of the triggering circumstance, including which features of the device were accessed and a description of the threat, if any. This notice is not required at any time when the notice itself would pose a threat to life or safety.
Please note that Greeneview has NOT implemented any new or changed monitoring services. This notice is a requirement per Ohio Senate Bill 29 (“SB29”) that was passed by the Ohio General Assembly at the end of June 2024, signed by Governor DeWine on July 24, 2024, and goes into effect on October 24, 2024.
