{"id":8156,"date":"2026-07-21T04:41:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classe365.com\/blog\/?p=8156"},"modified":"2026-07-21T04:41:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:41:47","slug":"coppa-compliance-checklist-for-k-12-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.classe365.com\/blog\/coppa-compliance-checklist-for-k-12-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"COPPA Compliance Checklist for K\u201312 Schools and EdTech Platforms"},"content":{"rendered":"

In December 2025, a federal court approved a<\/span> $10 million penalty against Disney to settle FTC allegations<\/span><\/a> that children’s data was collected from kid-directed YouTube videos without parental consent. COPPA enforcement is active and expensive.<\/span><\/p>\n

COPPA is the US law that controls how online services collect personal information from children under 13. For K-12 schools and the edtech platforms they use, it sets clear obligations around notice, parental consent, data security, and deletion. This guide explains the meaning of COPPA in plain terms, clears up confusion with similar laws, and provides a practical COPPA Compliance Checklist for both schools and platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

COPPA Meaning and Who It Applies To<\/b><\/h2>\n

The meaning of COPPA is straightforward: COPPA stands for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. The<\/span> COPPA law<\/span><\/a> requires operators of websites and online services to notify parents and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.<\/span><\/p>\n

The COPPA law applies to two kinds of operators: those whose services are directed to children under 13, and those with actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information from children under 13.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Personal information” is broad. It covers names, contact details, photos, location, persistent identifiers, and, under the 2025 amendments, biometric and government-issued identifiers.<\/span><\/p>\n

For education, the key point is that most edtech platforms used in K-12 fall under COPPA, because they collect data from students under 13. Schools are pulled in too, through the way consent works in a classroom setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

COPPA vs CCPA vs FERPA<\/b><\/h2>\n

A common source of confusion is mixing COPPA up with other privacy laws. People often search for the full form of CCPA in educational contexts, expecting it to be a children’s law. It is not. The CCPA stands for the California Consumer Privacy Act, a state law about consumer data, not a federal children’s privacy rule. Here is how the three compare.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Law<\/b><\/td>\nFull form<\/b><\/td>\nProtects<\/b><\/td>\nApplies to<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
COPPA<\/span><\/td>\nChildren’s Online Privacy Protection Act<\/span><\/td>\nChildren under 13 online<\/span><\/td>\nOperators of child-directed online services<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CCPA<\/span><\/td>\nCalifornia Consumer Privacy Act<\/span><\/td>\nCalifornia residents’ personal data<\/span><\/td>\nQualifying businesses handling that data<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FERPA<\/span><\/td>\nFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act<\/span><\/td>\nStudents’ education records<\/span><\/td>\nSchools that receive federal funds<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

COPPA and FERPA overlap most in schools.<\/span> FERPA, administered by the US Department of Education<\/span><\/a>, governs the education record itself, while COPPA governs the online collection of a child’s data. So when the CCPA full form in education comes up in a search, it points to a California consumer law, not the federal children’s rule that schools actually need. A compliant institution must satisfy both COPPA and FERPA, which is why<\/span> FERPA <\/span><\/a>and COPPA compliance are handled together rather than as separate projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

The COPPA Compliance Checklist<\/b><\/h2>\n

Obligations differ depending on whether you build the software or use it. The checklists below are split into the COPPA Compliance Checklist. Several items reflect the<\/span> 2025 amendments to the COPPA Rule<\/span><\/a>, which carry a compliance deadline of April 22, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

For EdTech Platforms (Operators)<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"COPPA<\/p>\n