Student Data Transparency and Security Act

In 2016, Colorado passed a new student data privacy law, House Bill 16-1423, named the Student Data Transparency and Security Act (SDTSA). The law has been described as one of the strictest student privacy laws in the country and reflects growing nationwide concern about how those who collect, use or store Personally Identifying Information (PII) safeguard that information. The goal of the law is to protect Student Personally Identifiable Information (SPII) from misuse across the educational system as well as those entities that interact with the system. It requires that charter schools, school districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (collectively referred to as Local Education Providers, or LEPs) and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) take actions regarding the transparency and security of SPII.

SPII is defined as “information that, alone or in combination, personally identifies an individual student or student’s parent or family, and that is collected, maintained, generated, or inferred by a public education entity, either directly or through a school service, or by a school service contract provider or school service on demand provider.” This expansive definition broadens the scope of information that must be protected from directly identifiable information to any information that could be cross-referenced with other information to lead to identification. A school service is defined “any Internet website, online service, online application, or mobile application that is designed and marketed primarily for use in a preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, is used at the direction of teachers or other employees of a local education provider, and which collects, maintains, or uses student personally identifiable information.” The law distinguishes between school service contract providers, which are vendors with which a LEP enters into a formal contract, and on-demand school service providers, which provide a school service on occasion.

What information do we collect and submit to the Colorado Department of Education?

A summary of the Colorado Department of Education’s data elements is available here. A detailed list is available here.

What information do we collect in addition to the data elements on the above list?

The types of student data collected by Burlington School District RE-6J is available here..

How do we use and share this information?

The District uses information about students to support student learning, evaluate teachers, adjust and refine its instructional and operational practices, and comply with various state and federal data collection requirements. For more information about how school districts gather and use data, please visit the following links:

• Colorado Department of Education Data Privacy and Security
• Who uses student data?
• How is student data used?

What “school service contract providers” do we contract with?

Links to contracts and data transparency disclosures will be added as contracts are signed and can be found here.

What “on demand school service providers” are used in the district?

The current on demand school service providers used in the District can be found here.

Notice to on-demand school service providers

If the District ceases using or refuses to use an on-demand school service provider pursuant to C.R.S. § 22-16-107, the name of the on-demand school service provider will be posted below along with any written response that the on-demand school service provider submits. The District will also notify the Colorado Department of Education, which will post on its website the on-demand provider’s name and any written response.