Legal, Contracts & Board Policy Committee (remote optio)

Education

Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m. EDT

10 N Main St, Akron Akron, OH 44308 (Directions)

Sylvester Small Administration Building, 102, Board Room

The Akron Board of Education has four committees that meet on Mondays when there isn’t a regular meeting. The committees are: The Instructional Policy and Student Achievement Committee; The Equity Committee; The Finance & Capital Management Committee; The Legal, Contracts & Board Policy Committee.

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Akron - OH Documenters Team

Live reporting by Brittany Nader

Committee discusses data privacy policies amid pending state legislation that may set the standards for districts to follow

brittanynader @brittanynader

Today, I will be documenting the September @akronschools Legal, Contracts & Policy Committee Meeting for #AKRDocumenters and @SignalAkron (thread 1 of 2)

11:24 AM Sep 18, 2024 CDT

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Here is the meeting agenda: go.boarddocs.com/oh/akron/Board…

go.boarddocs.com/oh/akron/Board…

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The meeting was called to order at 5:39 p.m. Committee members Sykes, Autry, Carter and Hanshaw, along with an attorney, were present.

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CLARIFICATION: Board Member and committee chair Rene Molenaur called the meeting to order at 5:39 p.m. Committee members present are Board Member and committee co-chair Barbara Sykes and Board President Diana Autry.

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Others present include APS Superintendent Michael Robinson, Chief of Staff Angela Carter, Zach Hanshaw, director of information technology and an attorney

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The Aug. 19 meeting minutes were approved with no discussion.

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CORRECTION: Committee members made a motion to approve the Aug. 19 minutes, which was seconded, but a vote was not then taken to approve before the meeting went on.

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No members of the public attended in person or signed up for public discussion.

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The first reading of Policy 8660—Incidental Transportation of Students by Private Vehicle—was moved to the second reading for the next meeting.

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Rene Molenaur then led the meeting into the roundtable discussion portion. NEOLA needs to come out before any policy changes are made. Amendments were made to Senate Bill 29, which was signed in July of this year and effective Oct. 24, 2024.

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CLARIFICATION: NEOLA is an organization that works with school districts to develop district policies. neola.com/state/ohio/

neola.com/state/ohio/

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The first amendment to Senate Bill 29 talks about educational support services data is exempt from public record. The bill regards education records and student data privacy and can be viewed in full here: legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/13…

legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/13…

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The next amendment was about confidential information involving students or their families. The state board has the right to revoke a license of student data is released for something other than instructional purposes.

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District data: Limit of 90 days if the district parts ways during a contract to destroy educational data. The attorney recommended 30-40 days for APS.

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CORRECTION: Hanshaw recommended setting a limit of 30-40 days for a contractor to delete data. The attorney suggested waiting until NEOLA provides feedback.

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Another piece of the legislation states districts must alert parents by mail, email or other electronic communication by August of every year about technology used for student records. APS will alert parents once the bill goes into effect and then in August every year thereafter.

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The bill also states that the district shall not access or monitor certain student behavior on school-issued devices, such as tracking their location, keystrokes or web browsing.

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According to the bill, parents must alert student's parents within 72 hours if there is a special circumstance, e.g. a safety threat. Zach Hanshaw, Akron Public Schools Executive Director of Information, said APS is drafting letter templates for this communication.

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NEOLA will make adjustments and recommendations based on the legislation and will bring it back to APS board for review.

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Hanshaw addressed a question about free apps and privacy terms and whether or not they "steal" student data. He said there is a process in place to ensure as much compliance with FERPA, for instance, as possible.

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives parents certain rights regarding their children's education records.

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Molenaur asked if there are criteria for why an app might be blocked. Hanshaw said there is a policy in place.

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The bill will remain in discussion for the next meeting.

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HB 214 was up for discussion next. There is no policy to review until NEOLA sends recommendations. It will be discussed at the next meeting. This bill regards public school staff member professional duties and can be viewed here: legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/13…

legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/13…

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The next roundtable discussion focused on nepotism and anonymous complaints. The entire district, including the board, has a policy regarding conflicts of interest.

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https://x.com/brittanynader/status/1836442665149206778

https://x.com/brittanynader/status/1836442665149206778

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Agency Information

Akron Board of Education

See meeting notes for details

www.akronschools.com

(330) 761-1661

See Documenters reporting

The Akron Public Schools Board of Education is the official body representing the citizens of Akron on all matters of public education. The board is non-partisan and non-sectarian. Its members are elected at-large for four-year terms.