Prairie State Wire

Lawmakers recently discussed legislation designed to protect student data and privacy during the House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and IT Committee Hearing on Aug. 7.

House Bill 1295, sponsored by Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago), would create the Student Information Transparency Act and expand protections of the Student Data Privacy Act, which prevents companies from using student data collected in the classroom for targeted advertising purposes or profit.

Although Rep. David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) said he liked the bill’s intent, he expressed concern that the wording could give parents the ability to destroy information.

Illinois State House Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago)

“The last thing it (HB 1295) does is allow the parent to 'destroy' or 'have destroyed' any of the child’s information," Harris said. “That is the aspect of the bill that troubles me; so as you work on this, you may want some clarification.”

Martwick said the bill would not allow parents to destroy school records like grades and the legislation is meant to address student data collected by smartphone apps.

HB 1295 was filed in response to a group of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) parents who approached Martwick over concerns regarding the privacy of their children’s digital data.

The bill is a response to evolving technology, which has drastically changed how schools handle sensitive student information, Martwick said.

The bill passed out of committee with an 11-0 vote under its original form, which Harris referred to as a "shell bill." The vote changed to 5-4 after Martwick filed a floor amendment.

Committee Chairman Jamie Andrade Jr. (D-Chicago) said he was interested in CPS Chief Information Officer Phillip DiBartolo's suggestions on a minimum of standards to follow for data sharing and said that the committee would follow up on that.

The Student Data Privacy Act was signed into law last year by Gov. Bruce Rauner.