Senate sends TLE confidentiality bill to governor

The Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday to better protect the privacy of Oklahoma’s teachers. Sen. Ron Sharp is the principal Senate author of House Bill 3173, which would require public bodies to keep confidential all records created under the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE) that identify a current or former employee.

“The TLE must be kept confidential because it reflects the quantitative test scores of students on the teacher’s evaluation. These scores are protected federally by FERPA and in the case of students with learning disabilities by HIPPA,” said Sharp, R-Shawnee. “There are also privacy issues involved with this being an internal evaluation of the teacher’s performance. I’m pleased that we were able to get this bill through the legislative process so quickly to better protect our teachers.”

Under HB 3173, TLE records that identify a current or former employee are not subject to disclosure under the Open Records Act.

HB 3173 was requested by Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE).

“This is an important bill because it guarantees privacy for teachers,” said Ginger Tinney, POE Executive Director.

The measure now goes to the Governor’s office for final consideration.