State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Civil rights groups raise privacy concerns over post-Parkland school security database

Tampa Bay Times: Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and several that advocate for people with disabilities or mental illnesses, said Tuesday that the state should re-evaluate its plan for creating an expansive database of student discipline and behavior.

In a letter scheduled to be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis at 6 a.m. Tuesday, the 32 groups wrote that the still-developing database amounted to an “overly broad” attempt at “mass surveillance” of students that could end up discouraging kids from reporting bullying incidents or mental health needs out of fear that they could be labeled as a “potential school shooter.”

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