Law 25 doesn't ban digital tools in the classroom, but it rules out several by way of their design: hosting outside Canada, overly broad collection, unclear consent. That's what pushed several Quebec school service centres, starting in April 2026, to publish internal guidance restricting the use of Seesaw and ClassDojo in elementary classrooms.
If you're an elementary teacher and you use (or are thinking of using) a digital tool to manage your students' portfolios or communicate with parents, here's what you need to know in practice for the 2026 school year.
The essentials in 30 seconds
Law 25 does not prohibit using digital tools. It requires that you choose tools where data stays in Canada, where collection is minimal, and where consents are explicit. The most popular US-based tools (Seesaw, ClassDojo) don't meet these criteria by default.
Your students' photos stay on a server in Quebec. Parents join on your invitation.
Try LinoClass for freeWhat Law 25 is, in plain terms
Law 25 (officially the Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information, formerly Bill 64) was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on September 21, 2021. It concerns all organizations that collect, use, or disclose personal information in Quebec. For schools, the legally responsible body is the school service centre (CSS) or private institution, not the individual teacher. But since you're the person who often chooses the tool used in the classroom, you're on the front line for applying the rules.
The body that oversees Law 25 is the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (CAI). Administrative monetary penalties can reach up to 10 million dollars or 2% of worldwide turnover.
Your obligations as a teacher
1. Use tools approved by your CSS
Before using a new tool with your students, check the list of approved (or prohibited) tools published by your CSS. Most have published a list since 2024. If you can't find it, ask your principal or IT technician.
2. Limit collection to the strictly necessary
If a tool asks for information it doesn't need (date of birth, address, phone number), don't enter those fields, or choose a tool that doesn't ask for them. The minimization principle is central to Law 25.
3. Obtain explicit parental consent
For each digital tool involving students, written parental consent is required. Consent must be specific (name the tool), free (parents must be able to refuse without penalty for the child), and informed (explain what will be collected).
4. Notify management in case of an incident
If an account is hacked, if a parent accidentally receives another student's information, or if a class photo ends up outside the controlled environment: notify management immediately. The CSS, not the teacher, assesses the incident and decides whether it must be reported to the CAI.
5. Handle access and correction requests
School service centres are public bodies, so the rules that apply to them come from the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information (A-2.1), not from the private sector act. It gives every person the right to receive any personal information about them (section 83) and to require the correction of information that is inaccurate, incomplete or equivocal, or whose collection, communication or keeping is not authorized by law (section 89). For an access request, the person in charge must respond promptly and no later than 20 days after receiving it (section 47). If a parent sends you such a request, pass it on to your principal right away, since the clock starts on receipt.
What a compliant solution must have
Checklist: 5 Law 25 criteria for a classroom tool
- Canadian hosting. Student and parent data is stored on servers in Canada. The company must be able to demonstrate this in its contract or privacy policy.
- Minimal collection. The tool only asks for what's necessary (first name, class). No date of birth, no postal address, no phone number unless the function requires it.
- Explicit and revocable consent. Parents can give their consent clearly and withdraw it at any time, with data deletion within 30 days.
- Identified privacy officer (PO). The company has designated a reachable person whose name and email are public.
- Data processing agreement with the hosting provider. The company has a formal contract with its infrastructure provider that complies with Law 25 and PIPEDA.
For a detailed look at how specific tools measure up, see our documented comparison of Seesaw, ClassDojo and Google Classroom.
Ontario has its own rules on school apps and student data. Read our guide to Ontario Regulation 52/26.
Download the Law 25 Checklist
A one-page evaluation sheet, to print or share, for evaluating any classroom tool against the concrete criteria of Law 25.
Get the checklist (free)LinoClass and Law 25
LinoClass is a Quebec progressive web app (PWA) designed to comply with Law 25 from day one. Canadian hosting, minimal collection, explicit consents, designated PO, signed data processing agreement: the five criteria are met by default, with no complex configuration on your part.
For the 2026 school year, you can create your classroom for free (up to 35 students) and invite parents by link, without requiring them to create an account. Setup takes about 15 minutes.
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