By: Diane Benjamin
Awhile back Unit 5 sent me a list of approved resources. The list is extensive and problematic: https://sdpc.a4l.org/district_search.php?state=IL&districtID=6034
I knew Unit 5 didn’t buy every resource on the list, so I FOIA’d which ones they did buy.
The good news is Panorama is on the list but it isn’t on the list of what they purchased. If you don’t know what Panorama is, research it. It amounts to spying on your kids.
Below are the two files I received of things Unit 5 has bought. I need help researching them.
If you have some time, take a look at the lists and let me know if something needs more research. You might want to FOIA other school districts to see if they use Panorama. Parents must be allowed to opt out if they do. I do know some Illinois schools are using it.
Will try to look this weekend.
Looks to me like Panorama is used by D87.
Proof?
If you go to your first link https://sdpc.a4l.org/district_search.php?state=IL&districtID=6034, find Panorama, click on Panorama it shows all the schools that use it. Next to D87 it shows they have an agreement that is active through 5/21/24.
Oh and it has two listings for Unit 5 – one active and one not active.
Active just means they can use it, a FOIA would say if they are.
One of the interesting items I found on the second list with the description “AppArmor COVID self assessment advanced routing”. Looks like this app is more than just a self assessment, but could actually be used for “Vaccine Passport” purposes. May be worth some additional investigation to understand the extent to which they plan to use the app; is this just for staff or would it be for student, parents, or anybody else that looks to access Unit 5 facilities and resources. Here’s a quick link to the website with the description: https://apparmor.com/COVID-19/