Nonconsensual student data mining: PowerSchool and IXL Learning

Cherkin, et al. v. PowerSchool Holdings, Inc., 3:24cv2706 (N.D. CA) (filed May 6, 2024)

Shanahan, et al. v. IXL Learning, Inc., 3:24cv2724 (N.D. CA) (filed May 7, 2024)

These class-action lawsuits against PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. and IXL Learning, Inc. allege that the defendant companies, through persistent digital surveillance, harvest vast troves of sensitive information from children and their families without their knowledge or consent. The companies are alleged to use that information for commercial purposes in violation of families’ privacy, property, and consumer rights.

The named plaintiffs are the parents of students who have used these platforms, on behalf of themselves and their children. The parents argue that, simply by sending their children to school as the law requires, they do not surrender their rights to know what information private companies are taking from their children and how it will be used—and to decide whether to agree to that collection and use.