This is an important action item so I wanted to be sure people saw this. I highlighted Education Liberty Watch’s action alert on TAE social media, but I wanted to include it on our website for people dropping by our website who may have missed it.
Here is their whole post below. Be sure to leave a comment today (9/19) or tomorrow (9/20). Comment close on 9/20p at 11:59p (EDT). Also, if you use a MacBook, just know the form in Safari is wonky. I ended up having to use my iPhone. You may want to also try Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox if you use a MacBook.
Restore the longstanding, pre-2012 definitions and interpretations of an “authorized representative,” “education program,” and other terms.
Stop a state department of education or other agency that receives PII for other purposes from redisclosing that data to other entities, such as researchers, without parental consent.
Restore the audit exception so that the requirement (previously contained in 34 CFR §99.35(a)(2)) that in order for a state or local educational authority to conduct an audit, evaluation, or compliance or enforcement activity, it must demonstrate authority to do so under some federal, state, or local grant of authority.
ESSA [20 U.S.C. §6311(b)(2)(B)(iii)] requiring statewide assessments to “objectively measure academic achievement, knowledge, and skills, and be tests that do not evaluate or assess personal or family beliefs and attitudes or disclose personally identifiable information.” There is identical language in the Education Sciences Reform Act that covers the NAEP [20 USC §9622(b)(5)(A)]
PPRA [20 U.S.C. §1232h(b)(1-8)], which requires parental review and consent for surveys in federally funded education programs that ask about 8 sensitive items, including mental health, illegal or anti-social behavior; or sexual behavior or attitudes.