LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
ACROSS THE STATES

Privacy statutes

Last year, the privacy of homeschool records became a big issue when the Department of Administration announced that homeschool data was treated as "government data" and subject to release at any time. Home School Legal Defense Association and Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) wrote every school district in the state asking them to clarify their policy on homeschool privacy. While most school districts never responded, many indicated they would protect homeschoolers' privacy. Only a handful admitted that state law seems to require them to release homeschool records upon request.

One school district asked the Minnesota Department of Administration to adopt a "temporary classification" that would allow them to keep homeschool data private. In response, the Department of Administration drafted proposed legislation to "protect privacy." Unfortunately, the department's initial draft treats homeschoolers just like public school students. This is far from adequate. Although federal and state law requires school districts to advise public school parents of their right to protect the privacy of their children's information, many school districts in Minnesota bury those notices in fine print in the "legal notices" sections of local newspapers. As a result, the right to public school privacy in Minnesota is rarely exercised.

HSLDA and MACHE have begun discussions with the Department of Administration to request more effective privacy laws. Senator David Knutson has now filed Senate File 99, which would protect homeschool privacy.

To keep up with the latest developments on this issue, we urge every HSLDA member to sign up for our free e-lerts at www.hslda.org. Your action today may protect your privacy tomorrow!

— Scott W. Somerville