Recent news has surfaced about privacy concerns in using the Zoom videoconferencing platform for online learning. Our team has been using Zoom for this purpose since the inception of our program, and we have not experienced any problems that would compromise the safety of our students, teachers or participating scientists.

It is important to note that the privacy concerns with Zoom meetings have been the result of meeting hosts leaving their meetings open to public access and not employing virtual meeting best practices like using meeting passwords, waiting rooms and locking meetings after attendees have joined. The privacy concerns have not been the result of a technical deficiency of the Zoom platform or product.

Our Scientist in Every Florida School team is well-trained in the best practices of using Zoom software, and can guarantee that when you schedule a virtual program through our team, your connection will be entirely secure.

Additionally, our Zoom software license through the University of Florida allows us to take additional measures to ensure student information is not compromised. Like all of UF software licenses, the Zoom software has gone through the University’s vetting process which involves the UF Office of General Counsel, UF Privacy Office, UF Information Technology and UF Procurement Services. These offices review and modify the Zoom’s master service agreement, contract and privacy policy, among other things.

UF also has multiple Zoom offerings to handle different data types. Specifically, we have an offering that is covered by a Florida Educational Rights and Privacy Act Addendum for student data and an offering that is covered by a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement for Protected Health Information.

In sum, we would like to assure you that using Zoom through our program will be an interactive, fun and safe experience. To learn more about how to keep Zoom secure, visit: https://elearning.ufl.edu/keep-zoom-secure/staff/.

If you would still like to work with our team in the absence of Zoom, we are happy to think of creative solutions to meet your virtual classroom needs during this time. To schedule a meeting with our team to voice your concerns, visit: https://calendly.com/sefs/sefs-district-teacher-needs-discussion?month=2020-04