GDPR in schools: fears are exaggerated

Cabinets labeled only with a sign, art pictures without captions, websites without photo galleries. These and other myths began to spread through schools before the General Data Protection Regulation came into force. What is the truth in them?

Some schools started to deal with many situations in the wake of GDPR coming into force that they did not have to deal with at all before. Protecting children's personal data has led many headteachers and principals to make decisive changes. However, experts say that such a radical approach is not necessary.

Drawings can be signed

"At the beginning, of course, panic broke out, no one knew what to do, whether to take pictures of the children, not to take pictures or sign drawings," Radka Melicherová, the director of the Svatopluka Čecha kindergarten in Chrudim, told Radiožurnál: "Even some schools have started to do this, removing the names of the children from the wardrobe and leaving only a mark."

They are not just a sign.

But according to Lenka Šiklová of the Chrudim Municipal Authority, who is in charge of data protection, no such radical measures are needed. "It's a closed building, access is monitored, so I don't see any problem in that respect, and the European Union regulation doesn't say anything about children not being able to sign their names on pictures," she explained.

Photogallery on the website can be

The situation is also different with publishing photos from school events on the school's website. According to Education Ministry spokesperson Jarmila Balážová, it is definitely not necessary to delete entire photo galleries from websites.

"Publishing a reasonable number of illustrative photographs from school events on the website, where they are not of specific individuals and they are not identified, can, in our view, be done in the legitimate interests of the school. This is consistent with the public interest in capturing the history of the school, including an appropriate presentation of its activities."

She described

Methodological aid

The Ministry of Education then reassures headmasters and headmistresses. In its methodological aid, it states that the new regulations do not represent a major overhaul and that if a school has been complying with the Data Protection Act until now, it will only add a few new obligations.

Have you, as the operator of a school, encountered an unusual situation regarding data protection? Or is GDPR troubling you in another area? Do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to discuss everything with you and propose an ideal solution.