Keystone Oaks to publish student app privacy policies | The Locally Times
By April 22, 2026, the district will launch a searchable online database of approved student apps to comply with federal COPPA updates.
The Keystone Oaks School District announced on April 22, 2026, its plan to publish an online list of all approved digital tools used by students, accompanied by links to each company's privacy policy. A district notice states the initiative is intended to increase transparency for families and prepare for updates to the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). The announcement follows a Locally Times report on the district's commitment to enhance digital tool transparency. ## Compliance with Federal Privacy Rules The district's action is aimed at compliance with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). According to the April 22 district record, the goal is to meet all updated COPPA requirements by April 22, 2026. The federal rule mandates that online services for children under 13 must disclose their data collection practices and obtain parental consent. The notice acknowledges the district’s responsibility in this process. Because the district requires students to use certain digital tools for educational purposes, it accepts a duty to be transparent about which applications are in use and how student data is handled. The planned searchable list is the mechanism for families to review these privacy practices. ## Google Tools Clarified The district's announcement detailed the use of Google Workspace for Education, the primary digital platform for students. Student accounts provide access to a suite of tools Google designates as core services. The district notice lists these as Assignments, Calendar, Classroom, Cloud Search, Drive and Docs, Gmail, Google Chat, Google Chrome Sync, Google Meet, Google Vault, Groups for Business, Keep, Migrate, and Tasks. In addition to these core educational tools, the April 22 notice clarified that students may use their school accounts for other Google products the company calls additional services. The district identified YouTube and Google Maps as two such services, noting they operate under different privacy policies than the core educational suite. ## Status of Third-Party Apps Unclear Beyond the Google suite, the April 22 notice mentioned that students can access other third-party services with their school accounts. The document indicates that school administrators are responsible for enabling and authorizing student access to these external applications. The district's announcement did not identify these third-party applications or provide their data collection policies. The record also does not specify if these administrator-approved tools will be included in the new searchable list at its launch. The district's stated plan to create the comprehensive list is the intended method to resolve this lack of transparency for families.