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The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) which went into effect April 2001 requires that schools have safe-use Internet policies that require the use of Internet filtering software to screen inappropriate material. The Web sites linked to this set of Web pages were initially screened by teams of teachers for their appropriateness for their specific grade levels.

Before you use the sites, make sure that you screen them or that they make it through your filtering software.

 

Several recent laws now govern our use of the Internet: Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Laws addressing copyright have been extended to technology sources.  Although many of these laws are being contested based on the First Amendment Right of free speech--It is critical to check school policies related to COPPA, CIPA, and FERPA.


COPPA
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which went into effect date, April 21, 2000, affects U. S. commercial Web sites and third-party commercial Web sites that schools permit their students to access. "COPPA requires "operators of websites or online services directed to children and operators of websites or online services who have actual knowledge that the person from whom they seek information is a child (1) to post prominent links on their websites to a notice of how they collect, use, and/or disclose personal information from children; (2) with certain exceptions, to notify parents that they wish to collect information from their children and obtain parental consent prior to collecting, using, and/or disclosing such information; (3) not to condition a child's participation in online activities on the provision of more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity; (4) to allow parents the opportunity to review and/or have their children's information deleted from the  operator's database and to prohibit further collection from the child; and (5) to establish procedures to protect the confidentiality,  security, and integrity of personal information they collect from  children. As directed by the COPPA, the Rule also provides a safe harbor for operators following Commission-approved self-regulatory guidelines.

Non-profit sites are not included in the act; however, many are voluntarily complying.   A key component of COPPA is that sites must have a privacy policy disclosing what information is being collected, how it is being used, and to whom they will share the information.  A second component requires that when personal information (name, address, phone, and e-mail address) is collected from a child under thirteen, parents must be informed and their consent given.  The third component deals with Internet safety.  Children under thirteen must have parent consent to use communication technologies (chat, e-mail, instant messaging, e-pals, discussion boards, video conferencing, etc.), prior to use. 

CIPA
The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) went into effect April 20, 2001, requiring that schools and libraries that receive certain types of federal technology funding have safe-use Internet policies.  The policies require the use of Internet filtering software to screen material that is inappropriate (obscene) or harmful to minors and the monitoring of student Internet use. Free speech challenges to this law have been made with regard to libraries, but none yet on the CIPA requirements for schools. Schools and libraries must begin addressing the provisions in the law July 1, 2001, indicating whether they have complied, are in the process of complying, will be compliant by the next year, or need not comply.

FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records and applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records and the rights transfer to the student at 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. Those rights include:
  • Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school.
  • Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading.
  • Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record and parents have a right to deny that release.
Personally identifiable information includes the student's name, address, social security number, or any information that make the student's identity easily traceable (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OM/fpco/ferparegs.html). Schools must be cautious about posting student work or student information online as well as being cautions about the use of electronic communication.
 

 

Source:

Carroll, J. A., & Witherspoon, T. L. (In Press). Linking Technology and Curriculum: A Standards-based Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

 

Linda Carlton

Last Update:

 Dr. Jeri Carroll
Tonya Witherspoon
Wichita Public Schools

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