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Senate committee considers bill to limit how long state keeps personally identifying student data
Summary
Senate Bill 445 would require the Nevada Department of Education to transfer student records to archives within one year of graduation or leaving state enrollment and to destroy personally identifying data 10 years after transfer, supporters said; schools would retain records for operational needs.
Senate Bill 445 was presented to the Senate Committee on Education to create time limits and handling rules for personally identifying student data held by the Nevada Department of Education (NDE).
Sen. Angie Taylor told the committee that while student data are important for accountability and program administration, increasing cyberattacks and the long-term storage of personally identifiable information present privacy risks. Her intern, Fiona Perreault, walked the committee through the measure: under the bill the NDE would transfer any personally identifying student data it holds to state archives and public records within one year after a student graduates or ceases enrollment in Nevada; the transferred data would be redacted of personally identifying information and destroyed by archives 10 years after receipt. The bill would not change local school districts’ responsibility to maintain student records that districts need for operational or transcript purposes.
Committee members asked why the 10-year retention period was chosen and whether the change would prevent individuals from obtaining necessary documents (for example, high-school transcripts) later in life. Sen. Taylor said the retention period followed guidance she had sought from the department and that districts and schools would remain the record source for documents such as transcripts.
Supporters of the bill included parents and privacy advocacy groups. John Eppolito, who testified in support, said he reviewed state data years earlier and found errors and called for stronger limits on state-held data and for work to remove non-educational entries from Infinite Campus. Virginia Starrett of Protect Nevada Children and other witnesses warned that school and state databases have been targeted in hacks elsewhere and urged action to prevent indefinite retention of personal records.
State and district education representatives said schools already retain operational records and that the bill would not remove local copies needed for transcripts and administrative needs. The committee also heard questions about which categories of data should be considered personally identifying and how NDE’s current data flows (for example, to longitudinal databases) should be handled.
No formal vote was taken. Supporters called the bill a first step toward limiting state-held personally identifying student data and toward addressing long-term privacy risks.
Ending: The committee closed the hearing after public testimony and questions; sponsors indicated they would continue to refine the bill’s retention and redaction language and to coordinate with NDE and school districts.
