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Judson ISD amends Upward Bound MOU with Saint Mary's to allow university-paid student transportation
Summary
The board approved an amendment to the district’s memorandum of understanding with Saint Mary’s University and Upward Bound to permit the university to pay for transportation of participating students and clarify program access to district systems; trustees raised questions about the breadth of access to student records.
The Judson ISD Board voted to approve an amendment to the district’s memorandum of understanding with Saint Mary’s University and the Upward Bound college-preparatory program to authorize the university to pay for transportation for program participants.
A trustee who pulled the consent item asked for clarification about the extent of access the program would have to district systems and student records, noting language in the MOU about “full access to Skyward” and “access to all students’ records.” Administrators said the amendment’s purpose was limited: Saint Mary’s has been awarded U.S. Department of Education funding that allows the university to cover transportation costs, and the amendment documents that the university will pay for transportation previously provided by the district.
A district administrator described Upward Bound as a Department of Education‑funded, college‑preparatory initiative in which Saint Mary’s provides academic advisors, year‑round academic components, summer bridge activities and cultural enrichment; the MOU language enumerates the types of data access that Upward Bound staff may need in order to work with participating students. Board members asked whether federal oversight of the grant presumes data protections; district staff replied that the program operates under Department of Education requirements.
Trustees voted to approve the amendment in open session; the chair recorded the motion as passing 6‑0.
The board did not discuss specific privacy safeguards, limits on data access, or an operational data‑sharing protocol in the transcript excerpts provided. Administrators said the amendment is limited to documenting Saint Mary’s payment for transportation and that Upward Bound has been operating in the district under a prior agreement.
