April 1, 2015

Bolinsky Moves to Protect Student Data

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

HARTFORD –In an age where the government is collecting the public’s personal data daily, state Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) supported a measure to protect the privacy of K-12 student data of our children.

The legislation, HB 7017, An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy, addresses the rapid development of technology and the increasingly widespread use by public schools and education systems of third-party providers for collecting and analyzing student information and includes several protocols to protect the privacy of student information and make sure the information is used only for educational purposes.

“Parents in Newtown and throughout Connecticut should be informed as to what data is being collected on their children; where that data is being stored; who has access to that data; and they should be given the option of not allowing ANY data to be collected if they choose,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

HB 7017 covers several key areas:

It requires all contracts between the state Department of Education and state or local boards of education and providers of educational software or data services to specify clearly that student records must not be used for anything other than educational purposes. The contracts must also include descriptions of security and notification measures that the providers must respect.
It prohibits third-party operators of online or Internet services from selling personally identifiable student data, from disclosing it to other third parties, and from using it for advertising purposes or for creating individual student profiles.
It requires third-party providers to report any breach of student data security within 48 hours.
It allows a local or regional board of education to refuse to grant any request by a person or an organization for student directory information if it determines that the request is not related to school purposes.

“We all understand that data collection can be a useful tool for measuring the effectiveness of our education system and identifying the needs of our children but no form of data collection should ever threaten the privacy of our students,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

The bill was passed unanimously in the Education committee and now moves to the House of Representatives and State Senate for a full debate.