In an effort to stop the state from sharing sensitive student data with an outside company that has raised eyebrows among parents and educational leaders in Queens, and the rest of the city, more than 50 Assembly members penned a letter to New York’s Education Commissioner John King and urged him to suspend the controversial plan.
The legislators, whose concerns have been echoed by parents and others for months, requested that the state Education Department withhold sharing data with inBloom, a vendor selected by the department to collect information on New York’s school children.
“I have a lot of serious concerns about sensitive student information being released to a third party and possibly being further distributed to other unauthorized companies,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach). “There are many flaws in [the Education Department’s] plan to share student data, and I strongly believe that information should not be shared with inBloom at this time.
The state in October finalized its agreement to share student information – such as test scores, disciplinary records, and contact information – with inBloom, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that has powerful backing, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The nonprofit, as well as the state Education Department, has said such an accumulation of data would lead to more personalized and effective teaching methods because the data could be used by educational companies, such as McGraw-Hill, to tailor products to various students’ needs.
However, parents – including Community Education Council members at the most recent gathering of the Parent Advisory Board at Queens Borough Hall – have been furious that they are not given the chance to opt out of sharing their child’s information with the company.
“The PTA of PS/MS 146 strongly oppose any plans that inBloom may have to share our children’s personal information with any companies they may deal with,” said Sally Ann Sinisgalli, president of the parent teacher association at PS/MS 146 in Howard Beach. “We believe compiling personal, medical, behavioral, educational, or economic data on any student is morally and ethically wrong, and in our opinion not a way to develop new learning materials for children.”
Earlier this year, Goldfeder announced the passage of an Assembly bill that would allow pupils and parents to opt out of the distribution of student information to inBloom and other companies.
“It’s unthinkable that a child’s personal information could become compromised before they even reach middle school,” Goldfeder said. “In this day and age, with the rampant growth of technology and information flow, it’s important that our families are given the right to keep their children’s information from being released to private companies and potentially compromised.”
By Anna Gustafson
