School apps track students from the classroom to bathroom, and parents are struggling to keep up

...Some schools, like those in the Montgomery County public school district in Rockville, Md., are more receptive to parents policing their children’s technology. Ellen Zavian, a lawyer and professor at George Washington University Law School, has cleared her middle-school aged son to use Google’s education software, but not ClassDojo.

“At the beginning of every school year I send the principal what my son’s allowed to be on and what he’s not allowed to be on, and thus far my local schools have been incredibly supportive and have been willing to learn from me as I have been willing to learn from them,” Zavian said. “My goal is to give my child the smallest footprint possible, to give him the largest opportunity possible.”..

...Privacy attorney Brad Shear has two elementary-age kids in the Montgomery County schools. He has been vocal about parental privacy rights and successfully lobbied the district to adopt an annual “data deletion week.” Now, the school purges any unnecessary data about students from tools like Google’s education suite, keeping essential information such as grades.

However, if the district does decide to test e-Hallpass in more schools, Shear and other parents are ready to mobilize against it.

“I will not allow this app to be utilized in my kids’ schools, period. If the app ends up getting rolled out I will make sure that I get the PTA involved,” Shear said. “This is bathroom big brother.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/29/school-apps-track-students-classroom-bathroom-parents-are-struggling-keep-up/?arc404=true