Data Privacy and Security

Protecting student and staff information through rigorous standards and state compliance is a primary commitment of the Gowanda Central School District. Our district maintains a comprehensive data privacy program designed to safeguard personally identifiable information (PII) against unauthorized access and disclosure.

Cybersecurity Framework

The District is committed to the NIST Cyber Security Framework. This industry-standard infrastructure allows our technology department to effectively identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover student and teacher data. By aligning with these federal guidelines, we ensure that our digital environment meets high security benchmarks.

District Data Privacy Policy

The District’s privacy policy implements New York State Education Law Section 2-d. This policy ensures supplemental protections for the personally identifiable information of students, teachers, and principals. It governs how data is managed within the district and establishes the requirements for any third-party contractors that handle district data. You can review the full text of the policy through our Board of Education policy manual.

Parents’ Bill of Rights

Your fundamental rights regarding data privacy and security include:

• The right to ensure that a student’s personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes.
• The right to inspect and review the complete contents of the student’s education record.
• The assurance that safeguards associated with industry standards, such as encryption and firewalls, are in place when data is stored or transferred.
• The right to be notified if a breach or unauthorized release of student data occurs.
• The right to have complaints about possible breaches of student data addressed.

Supplemental Information Regarding Third-Party Contractors

In the course of providing educational services, the District enters into agreements with certain third-party contractors. These contractors may have access to student data or teacher and principal data. Every contract the district enters into with a third-party provider includes the Parents’ Bill of Rights and specific supplemental information regarding data usage, storage, and security protections.

Incident Reporting and Complaints

If you wish to report a potential data breach or improper disclosure of protected data, you may file a complaint directly with the District Data Protection Officer.

External Reporting

Complaints may also be directed to the New York State Education Department Chief Privacy Officer at 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234.

Federal Regulations and Resources