Rockford board committee debates proposed eSchool access for probation officers; members raise privacy and oversight concerns

The Rockford Public Schools governance committee examined a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that would allow court‑directed staff to access student records in the district’s eSchool system for students subject to juvenile court orders, prompting extended board questions about privacy, oversight and technical safeguards.

The item, introduced by district legal staff as an attempt to formalize a data‑sharing process with the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, would permit designated juvenile‑justice personnel to view a student’s eSchool record when the district receives a parent/guardian-signed consent and the student is court‑involved. Board member Yashica Grant asked how the district would limit who may view records and whether the agreement would effectively give probation officers the ability to…