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Board reviews draft HB 268 law‑enforcement memorandum of understanding; agreement will be refined with local agencies
Summary
The board reviewed a draft memorandum of understanding implementing House Bill 268 to set protocols for sharing student information between the district and law enforcement; staff said the draft will be shared with local sheriff and police for their review before final approval.
Harris County — The Harris County Board of Education reviewed a draft memorandum of understanding developed to meet House Bill 268 requirements for information‑sharing protocols between school districts and law enforcement agencies.
Superintendent Dr. Finney described HB 268 as part of the school safety act and said the draft MOU "outlines when it is appropriate for the school to share information, student directory information with law enforcement and vice versa." The draft includes definitions, district responsibilities, sheriff’s office and police responsibilities, and mutual procedures intended to align information sharing with FERPA and other legal limits.
Dr. Finney said the draft was prepared by a consultant (Greg Ellington) and that it allows sharing of FERPA‑protected information "in case of emergency where it would be a severe threat to life and health of students and staff." He emphasized the need for clear definitions of what constitutes an emergency so that requests from law enforcement are tied to legitimate public‑safety needs. "You can't just have somebody... say 'I'm working on this other case, I want to know if this kid goes to school here,'" Finney said; the district must ensure requests are directly related to an emergency.
Board members noted the draft mentions the county sheriff, Georgia Emergency Management, homeland security, and local juvenile court, and asked about which external agencies will need to sign or approve the MOU. Finney said the district will present the approved district draft to local agencies — including Hamilton police and the sheriff’s office — for their review and concurrence; federal agencies (GBI, FBI) do not have to approve the local MOU.
The transcript does not record final approval of the MOU. Finney said Greg Ellington (the drafter) would be present at a future meeting to answer questions.
The board requested staff continue to refine the draft and coordinate sign‑off with local law enforcement partners prior to returning for approval.
