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 classifies that information as a public record and allows public requests, including anonymous ones, for those records; the bill would remove ambiguity and allow boards to refuse release in specific circumstances.

Vice Chair Odioso, a co-sponsor, said the bill is permissive and would let school boards continue to release directory information for certain uses — such as to colleges, employers or parents — if the board adopts a uniform policy to do so. Odioso said the bill preserves the existing requirement that schools release name and addresses to military recruiters unless a student or parent elects to withhold them. “If a school board chooses to continue to release directory information, whether in whole or to certain people or for certain purposes, they can,” Odioso said.

Members asked how the bill would affect historical researchers and the Ohio History Connection. Representative Pickcolantonio said the Ohio History Connection provides curriculum and historical work for districts and asked whether the bill’s changes would impede that work. Sponsors responded that the historical exemption was intended to preserve historical research and that their intent is that Ohio History Connection access not be impeded; sponsors said they would confirm the language and report back to the committee.

Ranking Member Robinson and other members asked for examples of privacy harms. Sponsors said they have received constituent reports — including custody disputes and instances where public directories were used for non-academic, economic purposes — and that proponents will testify with specific examples. Members also asked whether private schools are covered; sponsors said private-school directories are not included because private entities’ records are not ambiguous under current law.

Committee members asked about the definition and uniformity of directory contents; sponsors said the bill relies on the existing statutory definition and that schools may add items but the bill clarifies ambiguity about public-release requests. Representative Miller asked whether there is a statutory standard for what may appear in a directory; sponsors said they would consult the Legislative Service Commission and provide clarifying language to the committee.

The committee took no formal vote during the first hearing. Sponsors said they will provide follow-up materials and proponents for later hearings.

Ending: The committee closed the first hearing on House Bill 127 with sponsors indicating further documentation and proponents will be forthcoming; no committee action was taken at this hearing.