Committee hears bill to let Ohio school boards withhold student directory information

House Education Committee Chair Fowler Arthur held the first hearing on House Bill 127, a bill that would permit local school boards to withhold student directory information from public release, on the committee floor during the committee’s session.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Matthews, told the committee that the measure “would protect the privacy of Ohio students by granting school boards the permissive authority to withhold student directory information from public release.” He defined directory information, citing the Ohio Revised Code provision repeatedly discussed in testimony, to include a student’s name, address, phone number, birth date, major field of study, participation in sports and extracurricular activities, weight and height, dates of attendance, date of graduation and awards received. Representative Matthews said current law…