Student data protection passes House

Oklahoma House lawmakers have voted to prohibit the release of confidential student data without the written consent of the student’s parent or guardian.

House Bill 1989 – the Student Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act –passed out of the House by a vote of 87-0.

State Rep. Brumbaugh, who authored the legislation, said that the collection of and sharing of student’s data has been a major concern all over the U.S. and now in Oklahoma.  

“Our state Department of Education even posted personal information of students applying for EOI waivers on the State Department of Education website,” Brumbaugh said.

Brumbaugh said the confidentiality of student information is a safety issue.

“It’s simply good state policy to help safeguard the privacy of Oklahoma’s children and families,” Brumbaugh said. “Children under 18 are vulnerable to attack by Internet predators.  Collecting and sharing information on minor children can result in tragedy since no database is impregnable to a hacker’s intent on mischief.”

The legislation advances to the state Senate.