SkieDo we need consent to track student devices by location?
In most places you should have clear consent and a written policy before tracking children's devices by location. Skie provides the controls, and the organisation provides the notices and the consent. This is general information, not legal advice, and the rules differ by country, so take advice that fits your situation.
Location is more sensitive than most device data because it describes where a child is. Many data protection regimes treat children's data with extra care, and good practice everywhere is the same: say what you track, why, who can see it, how long you keep it and how a family can ask a question.
Skie can show live location, request a fresh location, run geofences and keep a trail, but it is the organisation that decides whether any of that is used. An organisation can leave location unused, use it only for lost devices, or use it across the board. Page access by role limits who sees it inside the organisation.
Consent routes vary. Some schools collect written consent from parents at admission, some add it to the device agreement signed before handover, and some rely on a policy parents accept as part of enrolment. What is valid depends on local law, so check with your own adviser.
Be careful with promises. Do not tell parents location is only for emergencies if you also use it for attendance. Do not say it is never stored if it is. Match the notice to what the organisation really does.
A practical tip: write a half-page location policy that answers five things: when location is used, who can see it, how long the trail is kept, what a student can do if they think it is wrong and who to contact. Attach it to the device agreement and review it each year.
- Skie provides location controls, the organisation provides notices
- Write down who sees location and for what purpose
- Match the notice to actual use
- Take local legal advice