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Committee advances bill to update student data sharing for state‑managed information system
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Education Committee that House Bill 1357 updates state law to reflect migration to a single, state‑managed student information system and requires district‑level data‑sharing agreements with the Department of Public Instruction that comply with federal privacy law.
Representative Desiree Morton presented House Bill 1357, which updates statutory language governing student data sharing to reflect a planned migration to a single state instance of a student information system managed by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Morton said the bill requires school boards to execute a data‑sharing agreement with DPI before student data is shared with state entities and that the agreements must comply with federal and state privacy laws.
State Superintendent Kirsten Basler and the North Dakota Information Technology Department described the current system and the planned change. Historically, 168 district instances of a student information system (PowerSchool) were hosted and managed through NDIT and nightly extracts fed a central State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). The state procured a single, state‑level instance (the vendor Infinite Campus State Edition) to replace the multiple district instances and the STARS reporting system; the migration will be completed by July 1, 2026.
Basler and NDIT said the bill clarifies which entity — DPI rather than NDIT — will manage the state student information system and formalizes the requirement that districts enter data‑sharing agreements with DPI that limit the information DPI and the SLDS may receive and use consistent with FERPA. Testimony emphasized the amendment adopted in the House was intended to preserve existing privacy protections, not to broaden who can access student‑level data. NDIT and DPI said only authorized users may view student‑level data and the agreements provide guardrails for research and federal reporting.
Representatives of NDIT, DPI and the North Dakota School Boards Association supported the amended version and described how the new data flows will reduce duplication and improve efficiency while maintaining federal protections. Kevin Howards (North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders) also testified in support. The School Boards Association said it was neutral but supported the House amendments clarifying the FERPA provisions.
The committee considered a motion to give the bill a "do pass" recommendation. Senator Bosche moved the do‑pass motion and Senator Axman seconded it. The committee voted 6 yeas, 0 nays, 0 not voting and the committee recorded a due‑pass recommendation and selected Senator Axman to carry the bill.
Ending: The committee gave House Bill 1357 a do‑pass recommendation after unanimous committee support (6–0). Sponsors and agency staff said the bill aligns statute with an upcoming technical migration and does not expand access beyond existing federal exceptions for state entities managing a student information system.
