Online Resources and Student Data Privacy

At Richmond Heights Local School District (RHLSD), the privacy, safety, and security of our students and staff are among our highest priorities and responsibilities. We are fully committed to strictly protecting personal information and maintaining a secure online environment.

We thoroughly review all online apps and resources to ensure they are appropriate for education and comply with federal privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Ohio's SB 29. These tools are selected with strict attention to the safeguards in place to protect personally identifiable information (PII).

RHLSD is dedicated to upholding a secure environment where personal data is protected and compliant with federal student privacy laws.

Approved Educational Technology Vendors and Online Resource

In accordance with SB29, Richmond Heights Local School District ensures that all technology vendors used within the district provide secure, reliable, and educationally appropriate services. The following vendors have been carefully selected to support our digital learning environment, while adhering to state and federal regulations for privacy, security, and content filtering.

NEOnet ITC (Northeast Ohio Network for Educational Technology)
NEOnet provides IT services to school districts, including data management and network support. As part of its services, NEOnet has access to various educational records, such as student information systems (SIS), financial records, attendance data, and other district-level digital assets to ensure smooth operations and compliance with state reporting requirements. 

Lightspeed Systems
Lightspeed Systems specializes in providing cloud-based filtering and device management solutions designed specifically for schools. Their advanced filtering technology ensures safe and compliant internet access by blocking inappropriate content, while their tools for classroom management and student safety empower educators to monitor and guide students in a digital environment. In doing so, they may have access to students’ browsing data, device usage logs, keylogging like scanning, and online activity records. These data points are used solely for monitoring and protecting students while they engage with online educational resources and ensuring compliance with content filtering regulations.

Google for Education
Google for Education offers a suite of powerful tools, including Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), designed to support teaching and learning in schools. With easy-to-use apps like Google Classroom, Drive, and Meet, it enables collaboration, communication, and organization in both physical and remote learning environments, all while providing secure data protection. Through these services, Google may have access to student email records, document collaboration, classwork submissions, and other materials created or shared within its platform. However, Google for Education is bound by strict data privacy standards, ensuring that these educational records are secure and used only to support the teaching and learning process.

Microsoft Online
Microsoft Online provides cloud-based services through Microsoft 365, including tools such as Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint, widely used in educational settings for communication, collaboration, and storage. Through these services, Microsoft may have access to student emails, shared documents, assignments, and collaboration records within Microsoft Teams. All data is protected under Microsoft’s stringent privacy standards and used solely to support educational activities and ensure compliance with security and privacy regulations.

The list of approved RHLSD online apps and resources requiring student logins or student personally identifiable information is located here: Student Data Privacy Consortium

General Monitoring of School-Issued Devices

Please be aware that the District, either directly or through a technology provider, is electing to generally monitor all school-issued devices (as that term is defined by R.C. 3319.325). The monitoring will include the following features: location tracking and student interactions with school-issued devices (e.g., keystrokes and web-browsing activity). The District generally monitors these features for the noncommercial education purpose of instruction, technical support, and/or exam proctoring. Additionally, these features are generally monitored as a necessary precaution for preventing and/or responding to threats to life or safety.

Internet Filtering

The Richmond Heights Local School District Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy, along with its accompanying regulations, is provided to faculty, staff, parents/guardians, and students to clearly outline the district’s expectations and requirements for internet use. These documents also detail students’ responsibilities when accessing the internet. Please contact the Central Office for a copy of these policies.

As a recipient of Federal E-Rate funding, Richmond Heights Local School District (RHLSD) is legally required to provide internet content filtering for all connections made through the district’s network and on district-owned devices. To comply with this federal mandate, RHLSD employs internet content filtering and monitoring tools. However, no filtering system is fully effective in preventing access to all inappropriate or harmful material. Due to the global nature of the internet, there is always a risk that students may encounter content that is not aligned with the educational values of the school. Students are prohibited from using RHLSD resources to access objectionable materials, including text, videos, images, or sound files that are not appropriate for the educational environment. If a student inadvertently accesses inappropriate content, they should immediately inform their teacher or supervising staff member. Additionally, students are encouraged to report any instances where other users are visiting offensive or harmful websites to their teacher. Proper vigilance and guidance should always be practiced when students use internet resources in the classroom.

To protect students, RHLSD has implemented the Lightspeed extension on Google Chrome. When users sign in with their RHLSD account, the Lightspeed agent will automatically activate, no matter the device or location. To maintain privacy when off-campus using non-district devices, it is advised that students refrain from signing into their RHLSD accounts on Chrome. Other browsers, such as Edge, Firefox, and Safari, are not affected by this extension.

While RHLSD has established policies, regulations, and guidelines to ensure safe internet usage, it is not possible to entirely prevent access to inappropriate material. Students may encounter such content when using personal devices, whether at home or other locations outside of school, or when using personal technology on school grounds or during school events. The district’s guest wireless network is filtered, but users connected to third-party networks (such as mobile data) bypass RHLSD's protection. RHLSD is not responsible for any inappropriate content accessed through a personal device or via unfiltered connections outside the district’s network.

Student Data Privacy Questions

For any questions, concerns, or to review a full copy of the District's contract with any of the technology providers referenced in the "Approved Educational Technology Vendors and Online Resource" section above, please contact us at privacy@richmondheightsschools.org.