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Education-transparency bill rolled for a week after Department of Education raises safety concerns
Summary
Representative Hemmer's HB 1890 to expand legislative access to Department of Education records prompted Department testimony that certain school safety plans and building diagrams are exempt from disclosure; the sponsor agreed to work with the department and the committee rolled the bill for one week.
Representative Hemmer presented House Bill 1890 to require the Department of Education to disclose records and information to members of the General Assembly who submit written requests tied to oversight. Hemmer said he filed the bill after experiencing resistance to requests for department-held data and argued that legislative oversight sometimes requires access beyond what was previously provided.
Anna Hall of the Department of Education testified that some provisions in the bill would open categories of records that are subject to existing public-records exclusions — including school safety plans, building diagrams and employee records — and that the department was concerned about broad disclosure of such information. Hall said confidentiality agreements included in the bill would protect some information but emphasized the department's preference to limit distribution of safety-sensitive materials.
Representative Warner asked whether explicitly excluding school safety plans from the statute would address the department's concerns; Hall said the department would still prefer not to be singled out but indicated willingness to work with members. Representative Hemmer said he was willing to carve out safety-related items if the department provides a list of those records. The committee agreed to roll the bill for one week to allow additional negotiation.
