Schools are critical, trustworthy institutions in our communities and society. We trust schools not only with our kids but also with a significant amount of data, both personal and otherwise. It is, therefore, paramount that the schools and their managements maintain the highest degree of commitment toward keeping this data safe and secure at all times.
With the enhanced penetration of technology, school management is using more and more tools and online software to conduct classes and maintain records which makes their data more vulnerable to theft and loss. This has significantly complicated the challenges faced by the school management in terms of data security and privacy and warrants a fresh and more robust approach toward data protection.
During the past 9 years at SchoolPad, while helping and supporting school management, we have come across several instances of data thefts and frauds where schools approach us with problems like parents getting unwanted calls from unknown teaching-aid vendors despite never sharing their number with them, or from rival schools offering discounts despite never having the parents’ contacts on their records.
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At SchoolPad, we are committed to data security and treat it as our number one priority at all times. With an increasing number of schools approaching us with data breach issues, we decided to delve a little deeper into this concern and figure out the root of this problem. Our research revealed that it is not just the online tools that were leading to these breaches. Several instances of data breaches and theft actually involved one or more staff members. In many cases, the data collected by third-party vendors during the free events conducted on-campus was finding its way into the wrong hands without the management’s knowledge or involvement.
While helping schools navigate these issues, we distilled a couple of important points that can help schools keep their data safe from breaches and theft. Below are 5 crucial tips that you must remember if you want to ensure that your sensitive school data remains safe.
1 Sign A Written Agreement With The Vendor
Third-Party Vendors are one of the easiest points of data leaks when it comes to schools. A written agreement with a clause that makes the vendor responsible for the security of data and is liable in case of a proven data breach duly signed by both the school and the vendor’s organization is an absolute must.
2 Use Secured Protocols
It is essential to ensure that HTTPS is used instead of HTTP for URL(s) for data-sensitive web pages. This is a point that must be noted by the school, parents, and the students whenever filling in their personal or contact information on any of these online web pages provided by the school or the school’s internal systems.
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3 Define Access Policies
The access privileges must be very well and clearly defined to ensure that the critical information like addresses, email ids, mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, etc are only available to select, authorized school personnel and not everyone. These privileges must be strictly enforced to the extent that even in case any of the staff members require this information, they must contact only authorized staff who can then share the required details and maintain a record of the people with whom the data has been shared along with the reason and purpose.
In case you are a school that uses internal management systems, make sure to audit the changes being made to the personal data of students and teachers on a weekly basis. This shall ensure that the sanctity and accuracy of data are maintained and the data remains untampered.
5 Ensure Data Safety During Public Events/Freebie Distribution
While on-campus public events and freebie distribution are not uncommon, and often a necessity, they are also potentially a massive threat to the school’s data security. To prevent data theft during such events, schools must ensure that any such events do not involve an exchange of data between the parents, students, or staff members and the third-party organizations which are conducting these events or offering these freebies. In case this information exchange is unavoidable, a data privacy document must be signed between the parties which should clearly mention the usage of the data being exchanged. Also, a liability clause must be included in case the data gets used for reasons other than specifically mentioned, and which may breach the privacy of students or parents.
Data protection and security is an ongoing challenge that requires constant vigilance. These rigorously curated tips can help you keep you safe when it comes to data security and allow you to explore powerful online tools which can help in the growth of your school safely and securely. If this piece has given you food for thought about data security, or if you are a school dealing with these concerns, we would love to hear your suggestions and tips on how you’ve been ensuring data security in your school in the comments section. In case you are exploring safe and secure school management software for your school, please write to us at connect@schoolpad.in . You can also click on the request a demo link and one of our coaches will get in touch with you.
