Privacy Concerns in Arlington
12/19/25 UPDATE: The assistant superintendent of information services has advised HEAV of the following:
Arlington Public Schools (APS) has contacted Lightspeed Systems, which has initiated a full resynchronization and purge process to remove all homeschool data from its systems. The update is expected to be reflected across its platform tonight. Lightspeed Systems has provided APS with a written statement confirming that no homeschool data has been shared or managed manually.
APS has expressed regret about this occurrence, stated that it takes the matter very seriously, and remains committed to complying strictly with Virginia’s homeschool privacy law and protecting the personal information of families and students. APS is also eager to provide direct support to concerned parents.
For general guidance on additional action steps parents can take, please see HEAV’s recent communication, “Privacy Concerns NOVA: Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington.”
ATTENTION ARLINGTON COUNTY HOMESCHOOLERS: A number of Arlington homeschool families have reported receiving an email from an outside vendor, similar to those recently received by families in Fairfax and Prince William.
Concerned parents have received an email from Lightspeed Systems, an educational software company, indicating that the company may have access to information protected under Virginia’s homeschool privacy law. Such information may include parents’ email addresses and children’s names. Parents are understandably concerned about their family’s safety and statutorily protected privacy rights (Reference: § 22.1-254.1(G)).
Following these reports, HEAV immediately contacted APS leadership to request a prompt investigation and a status update. We also alerted the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), continuing our collaborative work to protect the safety and privacy of homeschool families across the Commonwealth.
What’s Next?
Please report all messages received from Lightspeed Systems by forwarding them to support@heav.org. HEAV will provide updates to the community as events unfold. In the interim, we encourage parents to retain all messages received from Lightspeed Systems and document all correspondence with public school officials.
If you have questions or need assistance, please call our office at 804-278-9200.
Best regards,
Patricia Beahr
Director of Government Relations
