As SUs/SDs and schools review the myriad uses for Edmodo in supporting professional, classroom and community interactions, privacy and security will be a consideration in decisions about use and rollout within their education communities. Many of those considerations will center on protecting student data privacy, particularly when deciding whether to use Edmodo as a Learning Management System.
The Agency of Education shares your investment in the protection of student data privacy and the need to protect personal information for students and staff. Though we cannot speak to Edmodo’s past or future willingness to sign privacy agreements with individual school districts, we can assure you that the partnership with the State of Vermont (SOV) aligns with the intent of the Vermont Student Data Privacy Consortium standard agreement and meets the SOV’s obligations under FERPA.
In the SOV partnership with Edmodo, the SOV and district users have multiple layers of data privacy protection.
- Edmodo licensing was purchased through a cloud solutions partner, Quest Media & Supplies, Inc. utilizing a NASPO ValuePoint master contract. In this contract, all purchases are required to adhere to the terms and conditions of the master contract including Exhibit 1, with sections including but not limited to ownership, protection, breach, termination, and encryption.
- To utilize the ValuePoint contract each participating state is required to develop a Participating Addendum (PA) in which the state may choose to add additional terms and conditions. The Vermont PA adds a number of terms for data protection (see Exhibit 1 – Item 2, e. and f. on Page 33 of the Vermont PA). These terms apply to the contractor, Quest, and any subcontractors that Quest will use, such as Edmodo.
Finally, Vermont’s Act 89 which requires each branch of Vermont government to conduct a data privacy inventory; expands the scope of the Security Breach Notice Act; adopts provisions governing student data privacy; and amends the law governing automatically renewing contracts, went into effect on July 1, 2020. The student data privacy protections described in Act 89 apply to State work, including this project. More specific information can be found in Subchapter 3A. Student Privacy on page 18 in the full text of the Act.
Contact
If you have technical issues using Edmodo, email PrioritySupport@edmodo.com. For a speedier resolution, please include specific details about the issue you are having as well as a screen shot if possible.
If you have questions about the Agency of Education's partnership with Edmodo, email AOE.EDMODOHelp@vermont.gov