Committee debates bill to exempt public school teachers’ home addresses from FOIA, adds task force study

The Government Oversight Committee on March 18 debated Senate Bill 1209, which would bar the disclosure of public school teachers’ residential addresses under the state’s Freedom of Information Act and create a task force to study whether additional exemptions are warranted.

Sponsors and backers said testimony from teachers showed heightened safety and harassment concerns that justify a narrow exemption and a follow-up study. Opponents warned the bill would erode transparency and feared it could lead to successive exemptions for other public employees.

Senator Gadcar Wilcox, the bill proponent, said testimony from educators convinced her the measure is needed now. “We heard testimony from teachers, particularly at this moment, that there is, indeed for an exemption under, the, disclosure requirements for residential addresses,” she said, and described the substitute language adding a task force to study any further exemptions.

The substitute creates a task force intended to evaluate whether other categories should be added in the future and to provide a structured, cross‑sector forum for considering exemptions. Committee debate focused as much on the immediate teacher exemption as on the membership and balance of the task force.

Senator Sampson raised concerns about expanding exemptions broadly and about the task force’s composition, citing a 3:1 majority/minority appointment ratio in the draft. “It says we’re going to hide information from the public,” he said, arguing that many existing exemptions cover people in roles that face threats and that adding teachers could widen the exception beyond its intended scope.

Representative Carney questioned why municipal officials such as town clerks and registrars would be on the task force; sponsors answered that FOIA applies at both state and municipal levels and that municipal input would be needed to evaluate practical impacts.

Supporters pointed to testimony from teachers’ associations describing increased visibility via social media and heightened confrontation between parents and educators. Senator Gadcar Wilcox said the exemption would be “narrow” and apply only to residential addresses of teachers governed by local or regional boards of education, not private school employees.

The clerk called a roll on the motion to JFS (Joint Favorable Substitute) to the floor; several yes and no votes were recorded during the meeting, but the committee left the roll open at adjournment for a later final tally. The meeting record shows multiple members voted both for and against moving the measure; committee leadership said they would hold the vote open and announce a final result later.

What’s next: The substitute (LCO 6615) remained under consideration at adjournment; the committee recorded votes but held the tally open for completion later in the day. The task force described in the substitute would convene if the relevant language becomes law and would be charged to report back on whether additional exemptions are warranted.

Context: The proposal would amend public‑records practice by adding a category already applied to certain other public employees. Committee members urged careful drafting of the task force’s membership and scope so that any future recommendations would be developed through public processes.