Digital Tool Approval Process

1. Address concerns for student digital safety and compliance with student data privacy laws 

2. Ensure students have equitable access to outstanding digital educational tools that fit with our adopted curriculum

3. Maximize the district’s investment in digital tools and provide user support as efficiently as possible

Digital Tools, whether free or paid, are instructional applications, communication tools, and digital resources such as websites, apps, and extensions used for instructional purposes. This page identifies OHPS supported and approved digital tools that administrators, staff and students are permitted to use.   

If a tool does not require a staff or student login, it may be used without completing the approval process.

All digital tools will be screened to ensure that they adequately protect student data, possess technical compatibility, and adhere to application data security protocols.

• Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 

• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

• Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) 

• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 

• Washington Student User in Education Rights

• Oak Harbor Public Schools 

  • Course Design, Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials (2020P)

  • Electronic Resources and Internet Safety (2022) (2022P)

All digital tools will be reviewed by the Digital Tool Approval Team to ensure that they fit with our adopted curriculum, support students in meeting the Educational Technology Learning Standards, and support district priorities.  The Approval Team is comprised of staff from the IS and Teaching and Learning Departments and will include other district educators as needed.

OHPS supports teacher innovation in the classroom.  Digital tools present a tremendous opportunity to inspire, create, explore and share.  We encourage educators to leverage technology to support all students’ needs.  The Triple E Framework can be used to assist teachers in selecting digital tools that will have a meaningful impact on student learning.

Program Directors and Building Principals should be aware of the digital tools being used in their program area/buildings to ensure a uniform quality of program resources, answer parent questions, suggest alternative digital tools, and to stay current with innovation in the classroom.

Staff and/or buildings who choose to use a digital tool that has not been approved through this process are out of compliance with the district’s guidance and may be liable for a FERPA violation.

Digital Tools are authorized and approved through this process to ensure the tool improves the efficiency and/or effectiveness of educational tasks for teachers and instructional outcomes for students, as well as for compliance with State/Federal privacy legislation and technical requirements. 

Digital Tools that are a part of our adopted curriculum such as iReady, TCI, STEMscopes, Amplify, etc. are approved for use.

Free versions of digital tools must also go through this approval process.

Each request takes time and resources to complete. Even tools that are free to use require time to investigate. For these reasons, individual requests tend to receive a lower priority than ones that have had multiple requests or are being advocated for at a district or building level. In general, digital tool requests are prioritized in this order:

• Requests from District Teams 

• Tools requested by a building or buildings

• Individual requests from staff

To request a tool, please use this form.  Please communicate any questions or concerns to the District Technology TOSA.  Digital tool requests will be reviewed bi-monthly. 

The requesting staff member will be notified of the outcome of their request  and our approved list of digital tools will be updated.

Contracts for digital tools may only be entered into by the Superintendent or his/her designee. In addition, all purchasing of digital tools must be processed through the business office with a purchase order once they have been approved by the Digital Tool Approval Team.  Credit cards may not be used to purchase digital tools unless prior approval is obtained from Tyler Starkovich, Director of Information Services.

If the digital tool that you requested was denied, for reasons other than student data privacy, you may appeal the decision to the OHPS Executive Cabinet.  Please use this form to file an appeal within 10 business days of receiving notification from the Digital Tool Approval Team.