CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) today announced the newest recipients of the national Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Seal.
 
The TLE Seal, awarded to five school systems today at the CoSN 2017 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, is a mark of distinction for school systems that have demonstrated a strong commitment to student data privacy and security by meeting a rigorous set of standards.
 
The TLE Seal recipients – reflecting a diverse cross-section of small, large, urban and rural school districts – are: Baltimore County Public Schools in Towson (MD), Highland Local School District in Medina (OH), Park Hill School District in Kansas City (MO), Round Rock Independent School District in Austin (TX) and Zionsville Community Schools in Zionsville (IN). They are the second group of school systems to earn the national TLE Seal, raising the total to 12 districts nationwide.
 
“As classrooms embrace the benefits of technology in modern learning settings, protecting student data has become a serious priority for school systems, parents and communities. Through their commitment to building ‘trusted learning environments,’ these school systems are leading the way and setting examples for others to follow,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.
 
The five school systems were among a pool of applicants chosen by CoSN for demonstrating effective practices in each of the following areas:
 
  • Leadership, including managing and collaborating with stakeholders regarding the use and governance of student data to inform instruction.
  • Business, including establishing acquisition vetting processes and contracts that, at minimum, address applicable compliance with laws while supporting innovation.
  • Data Security, including performing regular audits of data privacy and security practices and publicly detailing these measures.  
  • Professional Development, including requiring school staff to conduct privacy and security training and offering related resources to all stakeholders in the community.
  • Classroom, including implementing educational procedures and processes to ensure transparency while advancing curricular goals.
The schools will be required to maintain their commitment to digital privacy and reapply for the TLE Seal every two years. The full details on each practice are available here.
 
“When it comes to protecting student data, these schools are walking the walk. By taking proactive measures to protect students in the digital age, they are sending a clear message to their communities that they take this issue very seriously and are focused on addressing it,” said Linnette Attai, CoSN Project Director, TLE Seal, and President, PlayWell, LLC.
 
Developed for all K-12 schools nationwide, the TLE Seal was formed through the collective input from 28 school system leaders, as well as CoSN and lead partners: AASA, The School Superintendents Association; the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO); and ASCD. Their expertise and experiences pinpointed the steps schools should take – beyond regulatory compliance – to help ensure student data privacy and security.
 
In earning this mark of distinction, the new TLE Seal recipients join current TLE Seal districts, Butler County Schools (AL), Cambridge Public Schools (MA), Denver Public Schools (CO), Fulton County Schools (GA), Lewisville Independent School District (TX), Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL) and Raytown Quality Schools (MO).
 
Additional information on the new TLE Seal recipients follows. Learn more about the privacy designation at: trustedlearning.org.
 
About the TLE School Systems
 
Located in Towson, Maryland, the Baltimore County Public Schools district is the 25th largest school system in the United States and the 3rd largest in Maryland. The district comprises 73 schools, programs and centers and serves 112,139 students.
 
The Highland Local School District is a benchmark of educational excellence. Our students have access to high quality programs, a full complement of both curricular and extra-curricular offerings and an experienced instructional staff. Highland continues to be a leader in education where our vision, mission and goals have created both the foundation and framework that continues to promote a culture of high performance – academically, athletically and within all areas of the fine and performing arts. We offer a comprehensive curriculum and our highly qualified teaching staff works to develop the abilities of each child. We are constantly growing and striving to remain future-focused so that our students have the academic tools they need to succeed in the 21st Century and beyond.  Our District serves more than 3,200 students in seven townships from across 78 square miles in northeast Medina County. In 2015 and 2016, U.S. News & World Report recognized Highland High School as one of the best high schools in Ohio and a top school in the nation through their annual Best High School Rankings. HHS earned a Silver Medal and an impressive ranking of 48th among Ohio schools and 1,212 nationally. To learn more about our programs and services, please visit http://www.highlandschools.org.
 
Nestled between the river and the airport in Missouri’s southern Platte County, the Park Hill School District is one of the treasures of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Each one of Park Hill’s schools has been recognized for its excellence. As a result of the district’s consistently high achievement, Park Hill is “Accredited with Distinction” by the state of Missouri, and the district’s ACT scores are not only above the state and national averages, they are consistently the highest in the Kansas City, MO, area. And Park Hill is the only school to earn the Missouri Quality Award twice for its commitment to excellence in every part of the organization.
 
The Destination District for Public Schools, Round Rock ISD currently serves more than 48,000 students throughout 54 campuses. With campuses ranging from neighborhood schools to Public Schools of Choice, which offer students specialized educational programming, the District’s mission is to provide each student with the tools to contribute to society, continue to learn and confidently embrace the challenges of a competitive and ever-changing world.
 
Zionsville Community Schools (ZCS) is a rapidly growing district located in Zionsville, Indiana. ZCS has five elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and approximately 7,000 students. The mission of Zionsville Community Schools is to provide customized 21st century experiences that ensure maximum student growth leading to productive citizenship in the world community. ZCS strives daily to make sure our students have access to authentic audiences to make their learning visible and create contributions locally and beyond.