Committee hears bill to let school boards withhold student directory information

Representative Matthews, sponsor of House Bill 127, told the Ohio House Education Committee that the bill would give local school boards permissive authority to withhold student directory information from public release. "This simple and straightforward bill would protect the privacy of Ohio students by granting school boards the permissive authority to withhold student directory information from public release," Representative Matthews said during sponsor testimony.

The bill would clarify that information defined in Ohio Revised Code section 3319.321 — including 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 — need not be released to anonymous or public requests if a board elects to withhold it. Vice Chair Odioso, who co‑presented testimony, said the measure is permissive and would preserve current exceptions such as military recruiter access unless a student or parent opts out. "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.

Committee members focused questions on whether the bill would affect historical research by the Ohio History Connection, whether private schools are covered, and on concrete examples motivating the change. Representative Piccolantonio asked whether the bill would impede the Ohio History Connection’s ability to access older directories for research; a sponsor replied that the intent is to preserve access for historical research and that staff would confirm the bill’s language. Representative Robinson asked for concrete examples; sponsors said they would present proponents who will testify about custody disputes and other cases where directory information was used outside students’ interests and cited a news story involving Big Walnut School District.

Sponsors also clarified that the bill would not apply to private schools because their directories are not public records under current law. Multiple members asked whether boards could adopt different rules for different requesters; the sponsors said boards must apply any release policy uniformly within the categories they set (for example, if employers may receive a directory, all employers must be treated the same).

This session was a first hearing; the committee took testimony but did not vote on the bill. The sponsors indicated they would follow up with the committee on specific drafting questions that members raised.