Clarity scarce in privacy laws

It’s still very much in flux.
That was the message Acadia Parish executive director of personnel and operations Ellan Kay Baggett delivered to the Personnel/Insurance/Curriculum Committee regarding the new state student privacy law Wednesday night.
“My recommendation is that we wait for more guidance from policy makers and (others),” she said. “The law is in place Aug. 1, whether we have a (specific) policy or not. That will not change.”
No one, it seems, can peg down an accepted and usable interpretation of the laws – Act 837 of 2014 and Act 228 of 2015 – designed to be directives in regard to students’ personally identifiable information.
All Acadia can do is to continue to wait for further guidance. At the request of Baggett, who continues to wait for the clarifications, the committee took no action on the item in regard to local policy.
The laws have been interpreted many ways. Some, including those at the federal level, have stated that the laws should not be as restrictive as they are; while others are saying they should be.
The laws combine to provide identification information (i.e. student ID numbers) as well as designate what information can be released to the school board, the state and other entities. And, to make matters worse, Act 228 of 2015 is designed to help clarify Act 837 of 2014, but seems to have only caused more confusion.
Earlier in the meeting, reports on the Acadia Parish Choices Program and the energy program through Johnson Controls, Inc., were presented to the committee.
Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Maxine Trahan explained to the committee that, due to earlier testing periods for the ACT, Choices week will probably be Feb. 28 through March 4 in 2016 and that this will be the final year of not only ACT prep courses but for Choices under Trahan as she will be retiring.
“It will be up to the new sheriff if he wants to continue youth activities,” said Trahan.
She was, however, quick to thank the school board for its continued support. Already budgeted, the committee remarked it will once again donate $2,000 to the program this year.
Meanwhile energy project manager Derland “Chip” Moore reported continued progress in the energy efficiency sector of Acadia.
“The last 30 days have been really busy,” he said. “We were progressing well and everyone seems satisfied.”
In the past 30 days, Johnson Controls has completed the following:
• Crowley High: controls;
• Crowley Middle: lighting;
• Crowley Kindergarten: lighting;
• North Crowley Elementary: lighting;
• Church Point High: lighting and new gym ceiling;
• Ross Elementary: lighting;
• Alternative School: lighting;
• Egan Elementary School: controls and mechanical upgrade;
• Estherwood Elementary: controls and mechanical upgrade;
• Morse Elementary: controls and mechanical upgrade;
• Mermentau Elementary: controls and mechanical upgrade;
• Armstrong Middle: lighting; and
• Evangeline Elementary: controls and mechanical upgrade.
Work has also progressed nicely in several other sectors that are expected to be completed within the next 30 days or so.
Moore explained that, thanks in part to work being able to be done in the day time during the summer, things have continued to be taken care of in a quick manner.