ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — As students prepare to return to the classroom, concerns over the use of artificial intelligence remain top of mind for educators and parents, particularly when it comes to student data privacy.
As schools increasingly rely on technology and third-party platforms, parents may have questions about what information is being collected, who has access to it and how long that data is being stored.
Greg Rinckey, one of the founding partners of Tully Rinckey PLLC, says the first step for parents is to ask questions about the safeguards schools and their technology providers have in place.
“What are the safeguards that are being put in place with the third-party vendor that you’ve contracted with to provide the services?” Rinckey said. “Is there password protection? Is it encrypted? How long is the data going to be saved on the third-party server?”
Rinckey says technology can provide useful tools in the classroom, but parents should also understand the potential risks that come with storing student information digitally.
“The fact that potentially an education system could be hacked, and there’s a lot of private information in there also, too,” Rinckey said. “They’re gathering information directly about each student. So, it’s important that that information is protected for each student because, you know, in later life, we don’t want that information to be out there.”
With artificial intelligence continuing to become more common in education, Rinckey says parents should stay involved and ask their child’s school how student information is being handled.
“Really, it comes down to trust — trust between the parents and the school and the school and the third-party vendor,” Rinckey said. “I think we’re going to continue to see technology evolve, and the law is going to evolve with it based on privacy rights and protection for this student data.”
Rinckey says parents should continue communicating with their child’s school as technology changes and make sure they understand what platforms students are being asked to use and what information those platforms may collect.
