Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 has received the Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Mini Seal for Leadership Practice from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). The award recognizes school districts that meet high standards in protecting student data privacy. The TLE framework focuses on five areas: Leadership, Business, Data Security, Professional Development, and Classroom practices.
District 64 is one of only seven school districts in Illinois to receive a TLE seal. The district plans to work toward earning the full seal and further strengthening its privacy protections.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by CoSN with this award,” said Matt Tombs, Director of Innovation and Technology. “This is a tremendous honor and a testament to our district’s commitment to student data privacy, and it shows that our ongoing efforts are making a real impact.”
The TLE Seal is a privacy framework developed specifically for K-12 education systems. To earn it, districts must show they have implemented, maintained, and improved student data privacy practices across their organizations. Recipients must reapply every two years to demonstrate continued progress.
“As today’s technological landscape grows increasingly complex, safeguarding student data privacy is more critical than ever. Park Ridge-Niles School District’s TLE Mini Seal recognition is proof of their proactive approach to protecting students and building community trust,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.
In September 2024, Illinois joined the TLE State Partnership Program. This program gives all districts in the state unlimited free applications and renewals for the TLE Seal. It also provides benchmarking against 25 core privacy and security practices and offers resources to address gaps in compliance. Through this initiative, District 64 participated in a pilot cohort focused on leadership and business practices.
To qualify for the Mini Seal in Leadership Practice, districts must build leadership knowledge about laws and best practices related to student data privacy; update policies for regulatory compliance; set clear expectations on protecting student data; assign an executive leader responsible for these efforts; provide transparent communication about data practices; and allocate sufficient resources for privacy needs.
CoSN has published a case study highlighting how Illinois districts—including Park Ridge-Niles School District 64—are using the TLE framework to advance student data privacy across the state.
