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Alabama

Alabama Student Data Privacy

Requires Signed Agreement
Does not require signed agreement

Alabama districts can use COPPA and FTC school guidance as a baseline for tools used by children under 13.

Alabama Student Data Privacy and COPPA Guidance for Schools

Primary Law
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and FTC COPPA Rule guidance for school-authorized edtech use

Citation
15 U.S.C. 6501-6506; 16 CFR Part 312

Official Text
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions#N.%20COPPA%20AND%20SCHOOLS
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312

Overview

Even when state-level student data privacy requirements are limited or spread across multiple topics, Alabama districts still need a clear baseline for protecting student information in digital tools. For many elementary and classroom-use scenarios, that baseline starts with federal COPPA requirements and the FTC's guidance on how COPPA applies when schools approve online services for students.

COPPA is designed to protect children under 13 online. The FTC explains when a school may provide consent on behalf of a parent for school-authorized educational use and what districts should verify about a vendor's collection, use, and disclosure practices.

Applicability and Scope

COPPA is most relevant for Alabama schools when:

  • Students under 13 use online services or applications as part of instruction or school-sponsored activities
  • A vendor collects personal information from children (including names, contact details, persistent identifiers, or similar data covered by the COPPA Rule)
  • Teachers or schools create accounts for students or enable features that collect usage and device identifiers

Districts can reduce risk by treating COPPA as a trigger for elevated review on any tool used in elementary grades or mixed-age settings where under-13 use is likely.

FTC COPPA and Schools: Practical Compliance Focus

The FTC's COPPA FAQs for schools focus on transparency and purpose limitation. Districts should understand what a product collects from students, why it is collected, and whether the vendor uses the information only to deliver the school-authorized service.

Districts are typically best positioned when they can document:

  • What student information is collected and whether collection can be minimized through configuration
  • Whether persistent identifiers are used and whether they are used only for internal operations
  • How the vendor limits disclosure to third parties and service providers
  • How retention and deletion work when the school stops using the tool

Consent, Notice, and School Authorization

In many school-authorized contexts, the FTC recognizes that a school may be able to provide COPPA consent on behalf of parents. Districts should ensure that:

  • The tool is used only for an educational purpose authorized by the school
  • Parents receive appropriate notice where required or as a matter of district policy
  • Student data is not used for targeted advertising or unrelated commercial purposes
  • Access and data collection are limited to what the classroom use requires

For tools that expand beyond classroom functionality into consumer features, advertising, or broad data sharing, districts should apply additional review and consider whether parent-driven consent is more appropriate.

Vendor Review and Operational Best Practices

To scale COPPA-aligned review across many applications, Alabama districts often benefit from a repeatable set of questions used during curriculum approval, procurement, and technology onboarding.

District reviews commonly document:

  • Which student information is collected (account data, identifiers, content, metadata)
  • How the vendor uses the information and what uses are prohibited
  • Whether subcontractors receive data and what controls apply
  • Security safeguards appropriate to the data involved
  • Retention, deletion, and account removal processes

How Can EdPrivacy Help Alabama Schools

When COPPA and FTC school guidance are the baseline for tools used by children under 13, districts need a consistent way to track what is approved, what data is collected, and what conditions apply. EdPrivacy helps Alabama schools centralize vendor documentation and district decisions so reviews are consistent and easy to revisit.

The platform helps districts:

  • Maintain a searchable inventory of classroom tools and district-wide systems
  • Capture vendor privacy documentation and summarize COPPA-relevant collection and use practices
  • Record approval rationale tied to collection, purpose limitation, disclosure, security, and retention
  • Monitor vendor policy changes so reviews can be refreshed when risk changes

Summary

Alabama districts can strengthen student privacy by using COPPA and FTC guidance as a consistent baseline for tools used by students under 13. Districts should be prepared to:

  • Identify tools used by children under 13 and evaluate what personal information is collected
  • Ensure school-authorized use stays limited to educational purposes
  • Document vendor disclosure, security, and retention practices
  • Use a repeatable review process that can scale across many apps and services

This approach supports defensible privacy decisions for classroom technology even when state-specific student data privacy requirements are limited.