Student FAQ: Protecting your privacy and personal data Follow
This article explains what your school and teachers can see when you use a school Google account or device, and how you can protect your privacy.
In this article:
- What are my rights to privacy? Why are teachers allowed to see what I’m doing on my device during class time?
- What exactly can a teacher see in Hāpara Highlights?
- What can I do to protect my privacy while I’m using a school-issued device and Google account?
- How do I know if my teacher is able to use Highlights to monitor my browser?
- What is expected of me when I use the internet for school work?
Your school is responsible for keeping you safe when you learn online. To do that, they may use tools like Hāpara Highlights and web filters to see your school screen and protect you from unsafe content.
Teachers can only see what you are doing in your school account, not in your personal accounts.
You can protect your privacy by keeping school and personal browsing separate and by logging out of your school account when you are done with schoolwork.
At Hāpara, we take your privacy seriously and follow all federal and state laws surrounding student privacy. We are also a founding signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge.
What are my rights to privacy? Why are teachers allowed to see what I’m doing on my device during class time?
By law, your school must help keep you safe when you use the internet for learning. This includes making sure you are not exposed to harmful or inappropriate content and that your personal information is protected.
To do this, schools often use tools such as:
Web filters that block unsafe or off-task websites
Screen or browser monitoring tools, like Hāpara Highlights, that let teachers see what students are doing in their school accounts during class time
These tools also help protect your data from hackers and other online risks.
Another part of the law is called “digital citizenship.” Your school is expected to teach you how to behave responsibly online. The goal is that, over time, you can work safely and independently on the internet without constant adult monitoring.
If you want to learn more about your rights and student privacy laws, you can read your school’s acceptable use or internet agreement and your school’s or district’s privacy information.
Our Privacy Toolkit and our privacy policy can also help you learn more about your rights and the laws that affect you as a student.
What exactly can a teacher see in Hāpara Highlights?
When your teacher starts a Highlights session and you are logged into your school Google account with the Hāpara extension installed, your teacher can see:
What is currently open on your screen in your school account
Which websites or tabs you are visiting for class
Your activity while the session is running
This helps teachers:
Check your progress
See if you are stuck or need help
Personalize your learning by sending helpful websites or resources
Reduce distractions by closing tabs that are not related to learning
Send you messages to encourage you or help you get back on task
Teachers cannot use Hāpara Highlights to open or read your personal email or social media accounts.
They can only see what is on your current screen when you are using your school account in Chrome or Edge.
What can I do to protect my privacy while I’m using a school-issued device and Google account?
1. Use your school device mainly for schoolwork. It is best to use your school-issued device only for:
School assignments
School-related communication
Teacher-approved websites
2. Avoid doing personal activities on your school device, such as:
Online banking
Personal email
Personal social media
Sharing sensitive personal information
This helps keep your private life separate from your school life.
Keep your personal information private on your school device
Sometimes students worry that teachers can read their personal emails. In most cases, this concern comes from being logged into a personal account at the same time as a school account.
Important points:
A teacher can only see what is currently on your screen, not inside your personal email inbox or other accounts.
Hāpara Highlights is tied to your school-issued Google account.
If you are logged into your school account in the Chrome browser with the Hāpara extension active, your screen can be monitored for school purposes.
To protect your privacy:
Do not open personal email or personal social media on your school device using your school account.
Avoid typing or sharing sensitive personal information on your school account that is not needed for schoolwork.
Keep school and personal browsing separate
If you use your school account on a personal device (like a home laptop or family computer), you should:
Create and use a separate Google Chrome profile for your school account
Use your school Chrome profile only for school tasks
Log out of your school Chrome profile when you are done with schoolwork
When you sign in through a Chrome profile (instead of just signing into Google in a tab), Chrome keeps your school browsing separate from:
Your personal browsing
Browsing by other family members on the same device
This separation helps protect your privacy and makes it clear what activity belongs to your school account.
To learn more about how to log in through Chrome, visit Signing into Chrome vs signing into your Google account.
How do I know if my teacher is able to use Highlights to monitor my browser?
On a device where Hāpara Highlights is installed, you will see the Hāpara Highlights extension icon in Chrome or Edge.
If the Hāpara Highlights extension icon is in color, your school account may be able to be monitored when your teacher starts a session.
If the Hāpara Highlights extension icon is gray, Highlights is not actively monitoring your screen.
If you want to know more about when your school is monitoring your school Google account on your Chromebook or other school-issued device, just ask!
Remember to be respectful and use appropriate methods of communication.
Start with your teacher. If they are unsure, ask them who you can reach out to for more information. There also may be more information on your school or district website.
What is expected of me when I use the internet for school work?
At the beginning of the school year, you and your parents or guardians likely signed an internet usage or acceptable use agreement.
That agreement usually explains:
How you are expected to use school devices and accounts
What is considered appropriate and inappropriate online behavior
What may happen if school technology is used in ways that break the rules
You should read this agreement carefully so you know what your school expects from you.
Remember:
Hāpara does not decide your school’s rules or laws for device or internet use.
Your school sets those rules, and Hāpara provides tools to help them follow the rules and keep you safe while learning online.
If you still have questions or concerns, reach out to us at privacy@hapara.com.