"Data security" describes the protections in place to prevent unauthorized access to or acquisition of personal student and staff information. A school district's data security measures might include keeping student and staff personal data in locked filing cabinets, and limiting access to those filing cabinets to people within the school district who need that data in order to do their jobs. Data security also includes using encryption when transmitting personal data electronically, requiring school district employees to use passwords to access files containing personal data, and installing software that detects intruders in the computer network. Consider an educational application, digital learning tool, or other online educational program used by a classroom teacher that collects student data. Data privacy is the concept covering the collection and use of that data, while data security covers the steps taken to prevent that data from being lost or stolen. School districts across the country are grappling with how to balance the need and convenience of this technology with the data privacy and security concerns of students, parents, educators, and the district itself. This guide is a companion to "Data in the Cloud: A Legal and Policy Guide for School Boards on Student Data Privacy in the Cloud Computing Era" (ED626188), which addresses the issues about regarding data privacy. Neither guide is intended as a substitute for appropriate legal counsel.