How school devices and accounts can collect student activity

Start with the device and the account

Google says a managed Chromebook administrator can install apps, restrict features and monitor activity. That describes a capability, not proof that a particular school collects every action or that every teacher can see it. The device's management status is one starting point for checking the actual setup. Google: check Chromebook management

A personal Chromebook can also use a school-issued account. Google distinguishes school-account policies from parent-supervised Family Link accounts. Buying the hardware personally does not make a school account a personal account or put every school control under a parent's Family Link settings. Google: school accounts on personal Chromebooks

Education services still process data

Google's August 13, 2026 education notice distinguishes customer content from service data, including activity, device information, IP addresses and location information. It says Core Services have no ads and their personal information is not used for advertising. Some Additional Services show ads, with a specific no-personalized-ads commitment for K-12 education accounts. No ads is not the same as no collection. Google: education account privacy notice

A monitoring product depends on what the school enables

GoGuardian's September 22, 2026 product policy says collection depends on selected offerings, features, integrations and settings. Its examples include browsing history, screenshots, email content and recordings for enabled features. Schools determine authorized personnel and access levels. This is a vendor disclosure, not a finding that every listed feature operates at every school. GoGuardian: product data and request policy

An August 20, 2021 GoGuardian article describes an administrator setting for monitoring outside school hours. That dated example shows why families should ask about the actual schedule; it does not prove today's menus, defaults or a particular district's settings. A school device used at home should not be assumed to have monitoring limited to classroom hours. GoGuardian: dated privacy settings example

An education label does not settle the legal questions

The Education Department says classroom tools using personally identifiable education-record information under FERPA's school-official exception must meet conditions. These include an institutional function, direct school control over data use and maintenance, consistency with the annual rights notice, and restrictions on unauthorized use or redisclosure. This is a qualified exception, not permission for any vendor use. Education Department: school-official exception

The FTC's Edmodo case summary says it obtained an order addressing children's data used for advertising and compliance duties shifted to schools. The page's status field still says Pending despite that summary and its linked signed order. The actual document is a better basis for describing the order than treating the field as proof that no order exists. FTC: Edmodo case and linked order

Document 15 is filed June 27, 2023 and contains an order dated that day. It restricts Edmodo's school-authorization use to stated educational purposes, requires an agreement describing collection and disclosure, and limits unnecessary collection. These provisions bind the covered defendant; they are not a determination that another school or product has violated the law. FTC court document: Edmodo order

Contracts and retention explain what a toggle cannot

The Education Department's March 2016 model-terms guide recommends clear definitions of protected data, limits on uses and subcontractors, and data return or destruction provisions. It distinguishes recommended contract safeguards from universal statutory duties. Ask for the school's actual approved terms instead of assuming a vendor's public marketing page is the entire agreement. Education Department: reviewing vendor terms