Software Marketplace

M-DCPS Software Marketplace

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is committed to protecting the privacy of student data.

When M-DCPS uses third-party instructional applications, the District takes steps to ensure that student data is used only for educational purposes and is not shared with third parties without District authorization or, in some cases,  parental consent.

M-DCPS has a comprehensive student data privacy policy that outlines our commitment to protecting student data. This policy includes requirements for third-party instructional applications, such as:

  • The application must have a privacy policy that is consistent with M-DCPS’s policy.
  • The application must not collect or share student data .
  • The application must be secure and protect student data from unauthorized access.

The District is committed to providing students with the best possible education, and believe that third-party instructional applications can play a valuable role in this. However, the District also understands the importance of protecting student data privacy. M-DCPS will continue to take steps to ensure that student data is used only for educational purposes in a manner that aligns with Federal, State, and Local laws.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs information in a student’s education record, restricting access and use of student information.

  • Generally prohibits districts from disclosing students’ education records without written parent or eligible student consent.
  • “Education records” are broadly defined to include any records, files, or documents maintained by a school district that contain personally identifiable information on students.
  • Grants parents and guardians the right to inspect and review education records; request that a school amend the student’s records; consent in writing to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the student’s records, subject to certain enumerated exceptions.

20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) restricts the collection of personal information from children under 13 by companies operating websites, games, mobile applications, and digital services that are directed to children or that collect personal information from individuals known to be children.

  • COPPA requires companies to have a clear privacy policy, provide direct notice to parents, and obtain parental consent before collecting information from children under 13.

P.L. 105-277; 15 U.S.C. § 6501 et seq.; 16 C.F.R. part 312.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) imposes certain requirements on schools that utilize the federal E-Rate program to receive discounts for internet access and other technology services, or that receive federal grants for other technology expenses.

  • Requires that districts adopt an internet safety policy that includes protection measures to block or filter internet access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors.
  • School districts must monitor the online activities of children and educate children about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and cyber bullying awareness and response.

47 U.S.C. §254(h); 47 C.F.R. §54.520

Florida Administrative Code 6A-1.0955 Education Records

School boards must adopt policies for educational records that include provisions for disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) where prior written consent of the parent or eligible student is not required, and provisions for disclosure of PII where prior written consent is required.

  • School boards and charter school governing boards must adopt policies that provide for review and approval of any online educational service that students or their parents are required to use as part of a school activity. These policies must include review of the online educational service’s terms of service and privacy policy to ensure compliance with state and federal privacy laws, designation of a person or persons responsible for the review and approval of online educational services, procedures for notifying parents and eligible students if student PII will be collected by the online educational service, and procedures for notifying parents and eligible students of information that will be collected, how it will be used, when and how it will be destroyed, and the terms of re-disclosure, if any.
  • School districts and charter schools must execute contracts or agreements with third-party vendors or third-party service providers that protect the privacy of education records and student PII contained therein. These agreements must require compliance with FERPA, COPPA, and Section 1002.22, F.S., ensure that only the PII necessary for the service being provided will be disclosed to the third party, and prohibit disclosure or re-disclosure of student PII unless one of the conditions set forth in the agreement has been met.

6A-1.0955 Education Records

Software & Data Sharing Agreements

In order for software to be incorporated into the fleet of options available to teachers and students at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, various documents must be provided.  Once properly filed, a member of the Innovation team will reach out to vendors to complete the implementation phase of the integration.  Departments interested in incorporating new software, must gather the following documents:

 

  1. Certificate of Insurance (COI – see below)

  2. Vendor Quote (Must Match DSA & Term of Agreement Dates)

  3. Parked ERP Shopping Cart (District staff will provide this document)

  4. Software Agreement (SA) http://api.dadeschools.net/wmsfiles/61/pdfs/7806.pdf

    1. On Page 1 of SA. 3. Compensation: Leave Blank
    2. On Page 2 of SA. With a copy to: Innovation and School Choice, Assistant Superintendent, 1501 N.E. Second, Avenue, Suite 337, Miami, Florida 33132
  5. Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) http://api.dadeschools.net/wmsfiles/61/pdfs/7043.pdf

    On Page 1 of DSA. Term of Agreement – Dates:

    Three year: July 1, 202x – June 30, 202(x+3) for Software agreements

    Five year: July 1, 202x – June 30, 202(x+5) for e-Textbook Adoptions.

  6. Name, Title, and Email Address of the vendor’s CEO or designee who will be responsible for signing the agreements.

  7. Corporate Resolution or document demonstrating Board Resolution showing the signatory’s authority to bind the vendor in contract if someone other than the CEO is signing.

  8. Certificate of Good Standing from the company if the corporation is not Active and in Good Standing on Sunbiz.org

  9. Confirmation that vendor provides SSO through Clever

  10. Confirmation that vendor provides Rostering through Clever

 

All of the aforementioned are required in order to do business with our district moving forward. 

Any deviations from the boiler plate data sharing agreement or the boiler plate software agreement will require negotiations between legal counsels and an executed waiver authorized by the Superintendent/designee.  Deviations from the boiler plate language will result in delays.

All documents will be routed & executed via Adobe Sign. 

Software Agreements and Data Sharing Agreements should NOT be signed by vendors and attached to this request.  If vendors agree to the terms of the boiler plate agreements linked above, they will be routed via Adobe sign for signatures directly to the Vendor.  If deviations to the boiler plates are necessary (which will dramatically delay execution), negotiated terms will be furnished directly to the Innovation & School Choice office after negotiations are complete between legal counsels.

When submitting an Integration Request, please ensure to provide the email address of the signer that should receive the document via Adobe Sign to execute the document as well as contact information for the vendor’s representative that is furnishing the quote.

Vendors will need to secure and furnish a COI that names The School Board of Miami-Dade County, FL (1501 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33132) as the certificate holder and demonstrates Cyber Liability protection with at least a $1,000,000 coverage and a policy expiration date that extends through the life of the agreement (end of the school year in single or multi-year agreements).

If the COI expiration date is prior to the end of the academic year (service end date of June 30), an accompanying statement of assurance must be provided and signed by the company CEO assuring the District will be in receipt of the COI renewal that will carry the coverage over through the life of the agreement prior to the expiration of the current COI.

Submit A Software Licensing or Integration Request

The following link is to be used by school-site principals only to request an App Review by District Staff.  Prior to proceeding with purchasing any software for a school, principals must evaluate if:

  1. there are terms/agreements associated with the purchase;
  2. if any type of personally-identifiable data such as student name, student ID, phone numbers, emails, etc. will be shared with the software vendor; and
  3. the software platform meets all statutory requirements set forth by the state of Florida regarding educational content and age appropriateness for the intended grade level(s).

Schools will need to request that applications they are interested in purchasing be reviewed. Reviews may take up to 6 weeks. Once approved, the District will begin routing all contractual and data sharing documents for approval. Schools will be notified once approvals have been secured.

Schools must upload:

  1. Quotes/Contracts/Agreements provided by vendors.
  2. Attestations from vendors on company letterhead that all educational content contained within the application complies with Florida Statutes regarding educational content and age appropriateness.

NOTE: Only principals may make this request. Requests made by other employees will be rejected.

If the use of an app is approved by the Office of Academics & Transformation, principals will be notified.  Thereafter, the Office of Innovation & School Choice will begin securing Software & Data Protection Agreements for the identified vendor.  Only those school sites for which requests for review have been submitted will be eligible to utilize the approved software.

Instructional Technology Data Sharing Clearinghouse

M-DCPS understand that parents have a right to know how their child’s personal information (PII) is being collected, used, and shared. That’s why M-DCPS is committed to providing transparency and visibility into our data practices.  When the District collects PII from students, it does so only for educational purposes. The District never sells or shares PII with third-party companies for marketing or advertising purposes.  M-DCPS believes that parents should have the opportunity to review its data practices. If you have any questions about how the District collects, uses, or shares PII, please contact us at innovation@dadeschools.net.