ANNUAL NOTICE TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
GENERAL MONITORING OF SCHOOL-ISSUED DEVICES
October 23, 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians:
This letter serves as the District’s annual notice to parents and guardians of general monitoring of school-issued devices consistent with Ohio’s new legislation, Senate Bill 29 (Ohio Revised Code Sections 3319.325 - .327). This recently passed bill aims to ensure your child’s information is kept secure and is only used for educational purposes.
The Fairfield City School District is providing this annual notice to its parents and guardians regarding the monitoring of school-issued devices used by students. School-issued devices include any hardware, software, or accounts provided to students for educational use.
Students’ expectation of privacy is limited by law when using school-issued devices. The Fairfield City School District and its technology providers can electronically access or monitor these devices under specific legal conditions.
For example, to comply with the requirements of the Federal E-Rate funding programs, the District filters all student internet access in alignment with Board policy. This includes filtering materials that are obscene, objectionable, inappropriate, and/or harmful to minors. School administrators are alerted to questionable content for review.
Reasons for Monitoring School-Issued Devices
Throughout the school year, there are a limited number of situations in which the District and its technology providers may electronically access and monitor your student’s school-issued device. These reasons are:
- For educational purposes for instruction, technical support, or exam proctoring by school staff;
- Permitted under judicial warrant;
- If the device is reported lost or stolen;
- To respond to a threat to life or safety, and limited to that purpose;
- To comply with federal or state laws; and
- Participation in federal or state funding programs.
Notification to Parents and Guardians
For reason 1 listed above the Fairfield City School District is providing you with advance notice that it and/or one of its technology providers intends to electronically access or monitor your student’s school-issued devices for non-commercial educational purposes for instruction, technical support, or exam proctoring by school district employees or staff.
For reasons 2-6 listed above, the District or school will notify parents and guardians in writing about what was electronically accessed and why within 72 hours of the monitoring. If providing notice is a threat to life or safety, the notice will be provided within 72 hours after the threat has ended.