Boulder Valley School District

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help.bvsd.org or 720-561-HELP

Monday-Friday  7:00 am - 4:30 pm

On Demand/Click-Through information

On-Demand Service Providers and Click through Contracts

Many teachers use digital tools/software that is free and available through online educational resources. A click-through tool is a free online tool that allows you to sign up with your own BVSD email or "log-in with Google" to use the tool and do not require a DPA. In accordance with the Colorado Student Transparency and Security Act, school districts have a legal obligation to keep and publicly post a list of free tools used in the classroom and update it biannually.

Teachers and staff are responsible for reviewing the free tools and submitting information on any free tools that use click-through contracts that they are integrating into their classrooms or other free tools they are using that use student data. It is required that teachers or staff will review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to ensure the safety of student data as you are responsible to ensure free tools are safe from inappropriate data sharing and targeted marketing. Many on-demand service providers have a free and paid option. Please review the Software Catalog first. In order to use the paid option or a free trial for a paid resource, you must submit a Software Request. These request are reviewed regularly. 

To maintain innovative practices in the classroom, BVSD will not prohibit the use of “click-through contracts” at the classroom level. Before reviewing your digital tools, we recommend you start by watching the BVSD videos, below, to help you help evaluate the on-demand service providers’ digital tools you use with students. Remember all providers listed on the BVSD On-Demand Service Provider list have only been reviewed by other teachers/staff to determine if the tool follows the BVSD Data Privacy and security policies. They have not been reviewed by BVSD Curriculum or BVSD Information Security. It is required that every teacher review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for each free resource they are using; even if it is currently on the list. Policies can change over time. Staff may submit a service request if they find any change which would place the application out of compliance.

Also, be sure you read all agreements in their entirety before clicking “I agree” 

The following checklist will help you evaluate each digital tool you wish to use.

  • On-Demand Service Provider - Free Online Tool/website
    • Does the website look professionally created?
    • Is the website age-group appropriate for the intended audience?
    • What country is the website from?
    • Does it look/feel safe?
  • Things to Look for in Terms of Service/Use Statements
    • Age Restrictions
    • Parent Permission required (school cannot act as guardian)
    • Educational Use prohibited?
    • US citizens prohibited/warnings
       
  • Things to Look for in Privacy Policy
    • Are they clear on what data they collect and why?
    • Targeted Advertising
    • Will the company Sell/Rent/Share data with 3rd party for non-essential purposes
    • Do they collect personal information that is NOT anonymized? 
    • Do they collect “directory information” for the larger organization (BVSD)
       

Lastly, review the complete On-Demand Service Providers Guide for additional information and check out Common Sense Media to see if they have recommendations. 

If you decide to use this website/digital tool in your classroom and it is not already listed on the BVSD On-Demand Service Provider list, please let us know using this form

For more information about how to evaluate the data privacy and security policies, please see our Student Data Privacy website.