Navigating Updates on COPPA and Beyond: What K-12 Technology Leaders Need to Know

In this episode, we break down CoSN’s webinar, Navigating Updates on COPPA and Beyond: What K–12 Technology Leaders Need to Know. The discussion unpacks how the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) latest changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) affect districts, vendors, and the broader edtech ecosystem.

You’ll hear how these updates reshape definitions of personal information, raise the bar for vendor security practices, and clarify the role districts play in managing parental consent for educational tools.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• COPPA basics: Why compliance applies to companies, not schools—but why districts still play a critical role.

• New definitions of personal information: Expansion to include biometrics, government-issued IDs, and mobile phone numbers.

• Updated parental consent rules: Including text-based verification and clearer processes for education vs. commercial data use.

• Stronger security standards: Written security plans, annual risk assessments, and third-party compliance requirements.

• Data retention requirements: Companies must publish and follow clear deletion policies once data is no longer needed.

• District responsibilities: Why consent should come from the district level—not individual teachers—and how this impacts edtech adoption.

• What’s next: Compliance timelines, what the FTC left out of the rule updates, and how districts can proactively prepare.