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MVSD Digital Tools

MVSD Digital Tools - Check Before You Use

Before using any digital tool or online resource with students — in a classroom, for instruction, or for any district-related purpose — staff must confirm it appears on this page's Approved/Compliant list.  This page provides the current ADA/CASDP (Americans with Disabilities Act / Student Data Privacy) compliance status for digital tools and resources used across Mountain View School District sites. Use of a tool that has not been reviewed and approved is not permitted under district policy.

Why this matters:

Using an unvetted digital tool with students may expose the district — and potentially the staff member who deployed it — to legal liability risk, including:

  • Violations of federal and California accessibility requirements if the tool is not usable by students with disabilities.
  • Violations of federal and California student data privacy law if the tool collects, stores, or shares student information without the required agreements in place.
  • Loss of the legal and contractual protections that come from a signed district data privacy agreement with the vendor — protections that do not exist for unreviewed tools.

  • A grid of six accessibility icons with the text "ADA" in the center, representing various services: wheelchair access, braille, hearing assistance, telephone communication, visual assistance, and sign language.ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): federal civil rights law requiring that programs, services, and technology (including websites and apps) be accessible to people with disabilities.

    California districts are also subject to related state accessibility obligations under the Unruh Civil Rights Act and Government Code Section 11135, which extend similar accessibility requirements to state and locally funded programs, including public schools.

  • A checklist labeled "Exhibit E Security Requirements" with icons for: Encryption Access Controls Multi-Factor Authentication Incident Response Secure Data Disposal Employee Security Training Vendor Risk Management Continuous MonitoringSDP (Student Data Privacy): Any tool that collects, stores, or uses student data must have a signed privacy agreement with the district before use. This is required by federal law (FERPA) and California law (SOPIPA, AB 1584).

    Most vendors meet this through the California Student Data Privacy Agreement (CSDPA) — specifically by signing Exhibit E, which lets a vendor extend its already-negotiated privacy terms to our district (and any other California district) without a new, separate agreement.

    Exhibit E is one of the main ways a binding data privacy agreement gets put in place — without it (or an equivalent signed agreement), there is no legal protection covering how the vendor handles student data, and the tool cannot be marked Approved.

Tools on this page are organized into three categories. Each list is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis:

  • Approved/Compliant Tools — Completed review; meets both accessibility (ADA) & data privacy (SDP) requirements. Cleared for use.
  • Denied/Non-Compliant Tools — Did not meet ADA and/or SDP requirements. Must not be used with students or district data.
  • In-Review Tools — Currently under evaluation. Not yet cleared for use; do not use until the tool appears on the Approved list.

If a tool is missing from all three lists:

  • It has not been reviewed. 
  • Do not use it until it has been submitted and cleared.
  • Submit it using the Digital License/ App Request Form for review by the Technology Department.  

If you have questions about a specific tool, first consult your department or site administrator. If further clarification is needed, contact the Technology Department office.