Student Data Privacy
District Commitment
Deer Park Independent School District views student data as a valuable commodity and we are committed to protecting such data. We pledge to carry out responsible stewardship and appropriate use of student data in adherence to laws and regulations. DPISD follows all State and Federal laws that protect the privacy of student education records and personally identifiable information (PII) from unauthorized disclosure, either intentionally or unintentionally, and requires written consent for disclosure.
CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) Trusted Learning Environment SealThe CoSN TLE Seal Program is a mark of distinction. It is awarded to those school systems that are able to implement specific privacy requirements and demonstrate, through policies and practices, that they have implemented a holistic program to protect students’ personal information. Recipients of the TLE Seal are required to commit to continuously improving their privacy program and must demonstrate that commitment by recertifying every 2 years.
On August 30, 2023, CoSN awarded the Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal to Deer Park Independent School District (DPISD).
The application process was rigorous, and earning the TLE Seal required that we meet specific criteria around the following practices:
• Leadership, by providing the guidance, frameworks, and resources to direct the use and governance of student data in a manner that is transparent to stakeholders.
• Business, by establishing vetting processes and contracts for technology providers that address data protection requirements while supporting innovation.
• Data security, by implementing practices to help protect the confidentiality of student data across all media and auditing regularly to uphold those practices over time.
• Professional development, by requiring privacy and security training for all staff and offering related resources to community stakeholders.
• Classroom, by implementing educational procedures and processes to support transparency and build privacy knowledge while advancing curricular goals.
• Leadership, by providing the guidance, frameworks, and resources to direct the use and governance of student data in a manner that is transparent to stakeholders.
• Business, by establishing vetting processes and contracts for technology providers that address data protection requirements while supporting innovation.
• Data security, by implementing practices to help protect the confidentiality of student data across all media and auditing regularly to uphold those practices over time.
• Professional development, by requiring privacy and security training for all staff and offering related resources to community stakeholders.
• Classroom, by implementing educational procedures and processes to support transparency and build privacy knowledge while advancing curricular goals.
District Student Data Collection
Data collected by DPISD meets specific policy, practice, and service requirements of state, federal, and local laws and regulations. Most student data stays at the local entity. Districts, states, and the federal government all collect data about students for important purposes like informing instruction and providing information to the public.
But the type of data collected, and who can access them, is different at each point.
But the type of data collected, and who can access them, is different at each point.
Texas Records Exchange (TREx)
The Texas Records Exchange (TREx) system is a web-based software application designed for the exchange of electronic student records as mandated by the 79th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, 2006 (House Bill 1). Using the TREx application, school registrars can electronically request and receive student records for students who have attended or will be attending Texas public schools. High school registrars and counselors can electronically create and send official student transcripts to Texas public colleges and universities using TREx to access the SPEEDE server. Texas Records Exchange (TREx), Texas Student Data System (TSDS)
Also, see Transcripts
Texas Data Privacy Agreement
Deer Park Independent School District in collaboration with other Texas school districts (Texas Student Privacy Alliance TXSPA) shares common concerns around student privacy. The goal of the TXSPA is to set standards of both practice and expectations around student privacy such that all parties involved have a common understanding of expectations. Adopting and implementing a common Student Data Privacy Agreement shall be used by all member schools when implementing any online application. By adopting such a contract all vendors and schools have common expectations when entering into a relationship or implementation without having to renegotiate terms in every new instance.
What is a Data Breach?
Data breaches come in many different forms, from cyber criminals breaking into school data systems and stealing sensitive data about students or employees to accidental disclosures due to errors or misconfigurations. A data breach can be understood as any circumstance where a school’s student data is improperly accessed, compromised, or disclosed to a third party.
For more resources about federal student privacy laws and protecting student privacy: