Committee hears bill to standardize electronic transfer of student records

House Bill 2,508, which would direct the Oregon Department of Education to develop and implement a standardized electronic system for transferring student information between school districts and education service districts, received public testimony March 17 emphasizing student continuity, data security and operational efficiency.

Representative Courtney Neuron, chair of the House Education Committee and the bill’s sponsor, said the bill grew from interim workgroups and pilot systems in districts such as North Bend and Coos Bay. She said about 14% of Oregon students — roughly 75,000 children — are mobile each year, and delays in record transfers can slow access to services such as individualized education programs (IEPs) and medical alerts. “A well functioning student data system is more than just an administrative tool. It is essential for ensuring that every student receives the support that they need to succeed,” Neuron said.

Parsa Chanrami of the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators praised the bill’s emphasis on standards and data security, noting that registrars report many transfers still arrive by postal mail or fax. Chanrami cited an estimate from registrars that each incoming student requires roughly one hour of manual demographic and enrollment data entry, with secondary students requiring additional time to transfer course history.

Committee discussion touched on data privacy, operational burden and Medicaid billing opportunities that could be improved with standardized electronic transfers. Committee staff summarized the bill as directing ODE to implement a secure system and establishing a technical advisory committee of educators, administrators, IT and cybersecurity experts to guide implementation.

Wes Butler, representing Ocean Network (a statewide homeschool network), requested an amendment to exclude private homeschoolers from the bill’s mandatory data transfers and referenced Oregon homeschool statute (ORS 339.035) as the statutory boundary he wished to preserve.

The committee closed the public hearing without recorded committee action in the available transcript. Proponents asked the committee to advance the bill so technical work and rule development can proceed; supporters said the measure would reduce data entry burdens, speed access to services and improve accuracy of statewide reporting.

Why it matters: standardized, secure record transfers can reduce learning disruptions for mobile students, speed access to special education and health supports, improve Medicaid reimbursement processes and reduce registrars’ operational load.

Where it stands: the committee held the public hearing and accepted testimony; proponents urged further work with ODE and district registrars to design technical standards and privacy safeguards.