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Senate advances bill requiring parent notice and opt-out for certain school surveys; committee amendment shortens notice period
Summary
LB428 would require schools to notify parents before surveys that collect sensitive personal information and allow parents to review and opt their child out; a committee amendment shortened the notice window from 30 days to 15 days. The measure was advanced from general file.
Senators on the floor advanced LB428, a bill that would require school administrators to notify parents before students are given surveys that request certain personal or sensitive information and to allow parents to review the survey and exempt a child from participation.
Sponsor Senator Mermin told the Legislature the measure is modeled on a 2015 Virginia law and seeks transparency around surveys that collect health, religious, or political information or other sensitive topics. The bill does not authorize disclosure of individual student survey results to parents; it instead requires notice that describes the survey's purpose, data-sharing practices, and steps to protect student privacy.
The committee amendment, AM196, shortened the parental-notice window from 30 days to 15 days after concerns from school boards about implementation timelines. Senator Hughes spoke in support of the amendment and the bill, saying it gives parents reasonable access to survey content and the right to exempt their child.
Senator Conrad added that federal protections and state law already recognize parental rights in education and said LB428 provides clearer parameters for schools and parents. On roll call, the floor adopted AM196 and then advanced LB428 to E&R for engrossing.
