Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)

We are committed to protecting the information security of Champaign Unit 4 students in accordance with the latest version of the Student Online Personal Protection Act.

View the DPAS That Unit 4 Currently Has in Place Here.

Submit a Request Here.

What is SOPPA?

The Student Online Personal Protection Act, or SOPPA, is the data privacy law that regulates student data collection and use by schools, the Illinois State Board of Education, and education technology (EdTech) vendors.

On August 23, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a new version of SOPPA that gives parents greater control over student data. Among the changes is a new requirement to enact breach notifications that are available to the public.

What Does It Mean for Unit 4 Families?

What happens to the student data that we send to a third-party vendor? Information like student name, course number, homeroom information, or student grade may be provided by Unit 4 to a third-party educational vendor like EnVision, Wonders, NWEA MAP, etc. What protections do those companies have in place to make sure that our student's data is not sold or freely given to others? This is exactly what SOPPA looks to address. As part of SOPPA, these companies must enter into Data Privacy Agreements (DPA) with each district they work with. These agreements outline what data is stored, how it is protected, what the company can and cannot do with that data, and what they will do in the event of a data breach. To learn more about SOPPA, watch this short video.

Parents or Guardians can request to see what specific student data is being shared for their child(ren) by emailing us at U4SOPPA@u4sd.org.

What Does It Mean for Unit 4 Staff?

If you are a teacher you will need to inform parents of the EdTech products you have chosen for your classroom and ask for parental consent when appropriate. As you find new tools, apps, websites, and educational resources, you will need to submit a request to have them vetted for SOPPA compliance prior to using.  

If you are a building principal, you will need to ensure the EdTech vendors chosen by staff are part of our approved vendors and have signed contracts with us.

Data Privacy Agreements (DPA's)

Unit 4 leverages the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC), which is an unique collaborative of schools, districts, regional, territories and state agencies, policy makers, trade organizations and marketplace providers addressing real-world, adaptable, and implementable solutions to growing data privacy concerns. If you would like to read more about the SDPC, click here. Through the SDPC we enter into contracts with 3rd party vendors who handle our student's data. If you would like to view the DPAs that Unit 4 currently holds, click here. (Note, other vendors are being added daily, so if you don't see one here that you believe should be on the list, check back soon.)

Ensuring our students’ safety is critically important to Unit 4 and establishing protocols compliant with this legislation will enable us to do so consistently.

If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about SOPPA, email us at U4SOPPA@u4sd.org