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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont Requires Annual Registration and Certification for Educational Technology Products Used in Schools
Last action · May 13, 2026: Referred to Committee on Finance per Senate Rule 31Sponsors: Angela Arsenault and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Educational technology providers must register annually with the Secretary of State, pay a $100 fee, and secure product certification before their software, applications, or platforms can be used in Vermont schools, effective July 1, 2026.
School districts, software vendors, and parents face new compliance requirements, restriction of uncertified student-facing apps, and specific data-collection bans designed to protect student privacy and ensure educational standards.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Educational technology product providers
Providers must complete annual registrations, pay fees, obtain state certification, and modify data collection practices to comply with Vermont law.
Public and independent schools
Schools must submit product inventories by December 15, 2026, and ensure all used software is certified by July 1, 2027.
Students and parents or guardians
Parents gain rights to access, correct, and delete student personal information, while student data collection is restricted.
Key Facts
- Providers of student-facing software, applications, or platforms used in schools must register annually with the Secretary of State on or before January 31 and pay a $100 registration fee.
- No school may use an educational technology product that has not been certified by the Secretary of State, starting July 1, 2027.
- Schools must submit a list of currently used educational technology products to the Secretary of State on or before December 15, 2026.
- Providers failing to register are liable for a civil penalty of $50 per day up to $10,000 per year, plus unpaid fees.
Show all 9 facts
- Certified products are prohibited from collecting non-essential student data, demographic data other than name and grade, or behavioral, interactional, or sensitive health data.
- Certified products are prohibited from selling or sharing collected data with third parties or creating student profiles for noneducational uses.
- Providers must give parents and guardians the ability to access, correct, and delete their student's personal information.
- Violations of these requirements constitute an unfair and deceptive act in commerce under consumer protection laws.
- The Secretary of State must develop, publish, and annually review certification standards considering curriculum compliance, data privacy, and design features like artificial intelligence and targeted advertising.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an educational technology provider need to do every year?
Can schools use uncertified educational technology products right away?
What data are educational technology products banned from collecting?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
19 actions- May 13, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Committee on Finance per Senate Rule 31
- May 13, 2026SenateFavorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Education
- May 13, 2026SenateSecond Reading
- May 13, 2026SenateEntered on Notice Calendar
- Apr 1, 2026SenateIntroducedRead 1st time & referred to Committee on Education
- Mar 27, 2026HouseFloorRead third time and passed
Show 13 earlier actions
- Mar 27, 2026HouseAction Calendar: Action postponed until March 27, 2026
- Mar 26, 2026HouseRep. Graning of Jericho moved to postpone action until March 27, 2026 , which was agreed to
- Mar 26, 2026HouseAction Calendar: Third Reading
- Mar 25, 2026HouseThird Reading ordered
- Mar 25, 2026HouseReport of Committee on Commerce and Economic Development agreed to
- Mar 25, 2026HouseRep. Ode of Burlington recommended for the Committee on Ways and Means
- Mar 25, 2026HouseRep. Graning of Jericho reported for the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
- Mar 25, 2026HouseRead second time
- Mar 25, 2026HouseAction Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Mar 24, 2026HouseNotice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Mar 17, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Committee on Ways and Means per Rule 35(a)
- Mar 17, 2026HouseNotice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift to Mandatory State Software Certification
Vermont is moving from school-level software adoption to centralized state certification managed by the Secretary of State.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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