Dear Parent/Guardian(s),
This notice is provided to meet requirements implemented through Ohio Senate Bill 29 (“SB29”) that was passed by the Ohio General Assembly and will become effective on October 24, 2024.
In accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 3319.327, we are writing to inform you that the District, either directly or through a technology provider, generally monitors the school-issued devices which includes any hardware, software, devices, and accounts that a school district, acting independently or with a technology provider, provides to an individual student for that student’s dedicated use. This monitoring is generally done in furtherance of educational purposes, including for instruction, technical support, or exam-proctoring.
However, the District may also generally monitor where:
permitted under a judicial warrant;
the school district or technology provider is notified or becomes aware that the school-issued device is missing or stolen;
the activity is necessary to prevent or respond to a threat to life or safety, and the access is limited to that purpose;
the activity is necessary to comply with federal or state law; and/or
the activity is necessary to participate in federal or state funding programs.
Monitoring may include the:
location-tracking features of a school-issued device;
audio or visual receiving, transmitting, or recording features of a school-issued device; or
student interactions with a school-issued device, including, but not limited to, keystrokes and web-browsing activity.
In the event that one of the circumstances described above is triggered, the District will notify you within 72 hours of the access, unless the notice itself would pose a threat of life or safety (in which case it will be given within 72 hours after the threat has ceased).
Northwestern Local Schools uses the following companies/systems to monitor students: GoGuardian, Bark, Securly, Meraki, Google Admin, Jamf Pro, and Clever.
Yours in education,
Jeff Patrick
Superintendent