CPRC (CT Parental Rights Coalition)

Legislation Position
For Immediate Release: April 30, 2015
Contact: duffyqctpp@gmail.com

CT State Agencies Would Own Childrens Personal Information and Allow it to be Sold
H.B. 7017: Strike & Amend or kill the bill'
Parents must be aware that the H.B. 7017
- allows their childrens data to be shared and/or sold without informed consent.
-takes away parental ownership of their childs data.
CPRC insists that this language be stricken from the bill:
(4) (b) (1) of House Bill #7017 An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy: "A statement
that student records continue to be the property of and under the control of the local or
regional board of education, the State Board of Education or the Department of Education"
This language does not exist in the California Student Online Personal Information Protection
Act (SOPIPA), upon which CT House Bill #7017 is based. In addition, this
language does not exist in any other state law we have reviewed.
CPRC also, insists that children be protected over the gains of profiteers by adopting the four
Amendments we have provided to State Representatives and are available to view on our
website. The bill has not come to the floor for a vote yet, but our Coalition is on high alert
and requests votes be recorded. Make our CT children and teachers safeH.B. 7017: Either Strike & Amend or kill the bill
CPRC thanks CT leadership who have advocated for student & teacher data privacy
protections- Senator Toni Boucher, Representatives Gail Lavielle, Cristin McCarthyVahey, Tom
ODea and Mike Bocchino. We are grateful for your efforts and ongoing commitment to the
safety of CTs children and teachers.
CPRC thanks CT media for shedding light on the vulnerabilities and critical need for real data
protections for the children and teachers of our state.
A special acknowledgment for Senator Markleys encouragement during CPRCs launch and
continued support. CPRC is the union of 11 citizen groups throughout CT, representing
approximately 40,000 CT residents. The Coalition has and continues to, demonstrate willingness
to work with legislators by submitting research, evidence and expert council. We are committed
to the safety of children and the rights of parents.
(1) From HB 7017 as written: An operator shall not (3) Sell covered information, unless the sale is part of the
purchase, merger or acquisition of an operator by a successor operator and the operator and successor operator
continue to be subject to the provisions of this section regarding covered information.

Children's data should not be for sale, especially without the informed consent of their parents.

The 4 Amendments address these missing protections that other state laws have included:
1) CTs SLDS (State Longitudinal Data System), known as P20-WIN (Preschool to twenty
Workforce Information Network) to be transparent, accessible to parents and protected.
2) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) loop holes to be closed
*3) Online and third party vendors; utilized by schools, to be regulated.
4) Responsible Breach Policy enacted.
*HB 7017, addresses only (and insufficiently) the Online and third party vendors.
The children of Connecticut deserve a comprehensive student data privacy law akin to what other states have
already enacted. House Bill #7017, while an attempt to do that, falls short of delivering on the promise we must
make to the students and parents of Connecticut- that the legislature is serious about protecting children and
teachers data and parental rights in the Constitution State.

Resources
To read HB 7017 as currently proposed:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?
selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB07017&which_year=2015.
For Information regarding CPRC, its members and a copy of the Amendments
ctParentalRightsCoalition.Weebly.Com
http://ctparentalrightscoalition.weebly.com/home.html.
For the latest information on CTs student data privacy issues Like and Share
CT Student Data Privacy: A Voice for CT Children of P20 WIN
https://www.facebook.com/CTStudentDataPrivacy.
For direct contact, email Dale "Duffy" Dauphinais at duffyqctpp@gmail.com