SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2024 SESSION

  • | print version

SB 264 Student online activity data; definition, data collection, monitoring and restrictions.

Introduced by: Christie New Craig | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE:

Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions. Requires the Department of Education to establish reporting expectations for school divisions that collect student online activity data and provides that if no school within a school division does so, the school board, upon submission of written documentation to the Department stating that no school within the school division collects student online activity data, shall be deemed to have satisfied such reporting expectations. The reporting expectations include: (i) making certain disclosures to parents, including what online activity is being tracked, monitored, and collected when using school devices on school property and what types of student online activity or online activity data would create an alert; (ii) including in the school division's acceptable use policy for the Internet that student online activity is being tracked and data collected; (iii) providing, to the extent available for the school division, parents the ability to access any collected student online activity data; (iv) notifying the parent of a student for whom an alert is created or an action taken on such student's online activity or associated data before the student is notified, except as provided in the bill; (v) prohibiting the inclusion of student online activity data in a student's permanent record except in the most severe cases, as defined, set forth, and made publicly available by the Department. The bill requires the Department to create and distribute to each school board (a) a template for making the required parental disclosures and (b) best practices for deleting student online activity data.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions. Requires the Department of Education to establish, and each school board to adhere to, (i) requirements relating to the collection of data on student online activity and the monitoring of student online activity by school boards and school board employees, including requirements to disclose to the parents of enrolled students what student online activity is tracked and monitored on school or personal devices on school property and what data on student online activity is being collected on school or personal devices and (ii) a requirement to set the most restrictive age-appropriate limits on student access to social media platforms, YouTube and other video platforms, and search engines and other search features on school devices and permit the parents of each enrolled student to waive such limits for their child by submitting a written request to the school division. The bill also requires the Department to establish and distribute to each school board a template that each such school board is required to use to (a) make certain disclosures to the parents of enrolled students relating to student online activity tracking or monitoring and the collection of data on such activity and (b) permit the parents of each enrolled student to opt their child out of any such tracking, monitoring, or collection.