Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee holds bill requiring public reports on special‑education data, citing privacy concerns in small districts
Summary
Lawmakers voted 17-0 to indefinitely postpone House Bill 388 after members said some requested data could risk identifying students in small districts. Sponsor and members suggested adjustments through other pending bills.
CONCORD — The House Education Committee moved to indefinitely postpone House Bill 388, which would have required public reporting on special‑education matters, after members, including Representative Cordelli and Representative Cornell, raised concerns that the proposed reporting could threaten student privacy in small districts.
Representative Cordelli said he agreed with transparency goals but worried that some requested data “possibly goes a little bit too far” for small districts and could risk identifying individual students. He said the committee has a separate bill (HB557) dealing with information disclosure that could be amended to include special‑education reporting if the committee wanted to add specific items.
Representative Cornell said student‑identification risks in small jurisdictions would alone keep him from supporting the bill.
Motion and vote: Representative Cordelli moved ITL (indefinitely postpone). The motion passed 17‑0.
Why it matters: Special‑education data is sensitive; the committee decided the bill as drafted risked disclosing identifying information in some districts and that the concerns were best addressed through amendment rather than the proposed statute.
What’s next: The bill was indefinitely postponed; lawmakers signaled they could pursue narrower reporting requirements via other legislation or amendments.
