Public commenter raises KDHE overpayment and student assessment data‑privacy concerns
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Summary
A public commenter told the board the district owes KDHE $833,000 in Medicaid overpayments and raised questions about state assessment opt‑outs and third‑party access to student assessment and psychometric data; the board did not take action but staff noted upcoming state board agenda.
During the public comment period a community member, identified in the record as Miss Lanter, raised two concerns: a reported Medicaid overpayment and student data privacy related to state and interim assessments.
Lanter said she believes the district owes $833,000 in Medicaid reimbursement overpayments and asked whether those funds were being held unspent. She also told the board she planned to join a Kansas State Board of Education meeting that evening, which she said would include a presentation on student data privacy and third‑party access to student information.
On the topic of student assessments, the commenter questioned how parents are notified about and apply opt‑outs for summative, interim and mini assessments and said the proliferation of assessments effectively turns tests into continuous evaluations. She described psychometrics (the field that constructs and interprets assessments) and asked who has access to psychometric or aptitude‑type data and how it is used. The commenter urged clarity on parental options and data access and asked whether parents are adequately informed.
The board did not take action on the public comments at Tuesday—s meeting; staff did reference an upcoming Kansas State Board agenda item on data privacy and the commenter identified the time of that statewide meeting.
