Board tables Home Run data‑sharing amendment after privacy and opt‑out concerns

After a lengthy discussion about student privacy and research uses of data, the Washington Unified School District board voted to table a proposed First Amendment to a 2019 data‑sharing agreement with the City of West Sacramento (the Home Run program). Board members asked district staff and city partners to return with a redlined agreement that removes or clarifies personally identifiable elements and explains how parents can opt out of data sharing.

The amendment presented to the board was described by city partners as an update that would facilitate program evaluation and improve competitiveness for matching grants. A City/Home Run representative told trustees the City is "bound by all the same rules, that FERPA indicates for us, as you are," and said the intent was to receive unique identifiers for research and not to receive student names and parental contact information.

Trustees raised several concerns during the discussion: a draft contract section appeared to list student names and parent/guardian contact information, and trustees asked whether the research clause of FERPA justified sharing parent contact information or the full set of a–g (A–G college‑prep) indicators. District counsel and staff clarified that names would not be provided and that the district intends to use State Student Identifiers (SSIDs) as unique match keys for program evaluation. Still, trustees requested explicit contract language reflecting that practice and asked staff to outline an opt‑out process for families who do not want their child included as a control or in the study.

Board action: Trustee Wong moved to table the amendment and return with proposed strikeouts and clarifications; the motion carried by voice vote. The board asked staff to bring back a version of the amendment that omits personally identifiable fields (names and parent contact), documents the use of SSIDs for matching, explains why a–g data are needed (if retained) and proposes a parent opt‑out protocol.

Why it matters: the Home Run program partners with schools on early childhood and family programs; the city said more robust evaluation could increase outside funding. Trustees emphasized that research usefulness must be balanced with FERPA requirements and community expectations about privacy and consent. The return item will be treated as an action item with a redlined contract and explicit data governance language.