Worthington policy committee reviews NEOLA packet, warns of operational strain from Senate Bill 29

The Worthington City policy committee on Nov. 1 reviewed a broad package of NEOLA-recommended policy updates and focused intense discussion on changes required by recent state legislation, particularly Senate Bill 29, which the committee said will alter how the district contracts for educational technology and treats student data.

Jeff Patterson, who explained the technical and contractual implications to the committee, said SB29 expands the definition of third-party providers and requires contract terms that make clear the district owns student data and that data be returned or destroyed when contracts end. "We need to make sure that we have enough checks and balances in place if we're sharing student data with them, that they acknowledge we own the data," Patterson said.

Patterson also flagged an SB29 change that broadens the definition of educational records to include browser history on district devices and networks. "So whenever we access those records, we have due diligence to notify the family," he said, noting that the law's current drafting could create mass-notification burdens if left unadjusted. Committee members said they expect the legislature to refine some of those notification requirements.

Committee members voiced concern about the policy's effect on classroom practice. One participant observed that some apps teachers rely on may need review or replacement. "Teachers are going to struggle," a committee member said, describing how tools discovered at conferences are often put into classroom use quickly and now must go through a formal review process. Patterson said the district intends to develop an approved-tools list and a tech update to help staff implement the law's requirements while minimizing classroom disruption.

The committee discussed specific NEOLA edits across numerous policy areasdefinitions, meeting notices, bylaws (including executive session placement and bylaw numbering), personnel and Rapback background checks for staff and contractors, procurement thresholds, and student conduct (including optional artificial-intelligence provisions). On several technical itemsfor example, adding website and app posting for meeting notices and raising construction bid thresholds to $75,000members generally agreed with the NEOLA recommendations.

On the technology topics, the committee repeatedly emphasized operational readiness before formal adoption. Patterson told the board staff is preparing resources for principals and teachers and is coordinating contract-review practices; he said the district has also joined a broader Ohio effort to negotiate standard student-data-protection exhibits with vendors. "We either get the data back or it gets destroyed," he said of contract-end requirements.

The committee did not take final votes on the substantive SB29-driven changes and tabled select policies (including some cellphone and AI provisions) until staff can confirm administrative processes and vendor contract language meet the new legal standards. Several items will move to the full board for first reading or further consideration at upcoming meetings.

The committee did approve the minutes of the Oct. 14 policy committee meeting by roll call (Megan Hudson and Missus Davis recorded as 'Yes' in the transcript, with an additional affirmative vote noted), and several minor procedural changes were agreed for presentation to the full board.