Relating to the confidentiality of certain information held by the Texas Education Agency.
Summary
HB 983 would create a new confidentiality provision in the Texas Public Information Act for certain personal information maintained by the Texas Education Agency about educators. The bill adds Section 552.1178 to the Government Code and makes confidential TEA records that relate to an educator’s home address, home telephone number, personal cell phone number, personal email address, driver’s license number, emergency contact information, date of birth, social security number, or information revealing whether the educator has family members.
The bill is narrowly focused on protecting educator privacy in records held by TEA, and it would exempt that information from the general public disclosure requirements of Section 552.021. It applies to information maintained by the agency rather than to all school district records, and it uses the Education Code definition of “educator.” The bill would take effect immediately if approved by a two-thirds vote in each chamber; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2025.
Impact
HB 983 would amend Chapter 552 of the Government Code, which governs public information, by adding a new confidentiality category for educator personal data held by the Texas Education Agency. This would limit public access to specified identifying and contact information, as well as family-related information, and would require TEA to withhold those records from disclosure requests covered by the Public Information Act. The bill affects educators and TEA’s records-handling obligations, but it does not appear to change substantive education policy or employment law beyond confidentiality protections.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was generally noncontroversial in concept, as it is framed as a privacy and security measure for educators. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes indicating strong opposition or support, but the bill’s posture in the Public Education committees and its narrow subject matter suggest it was treated as a targeted administrative privacy bill rather than a major policy dispute. Its later postponement indicates it did not advance smoothly, though the record provided does not explain why.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the balance between educator privacy and public access to government-held information. Supporters would likely view the bill as necessary to protect teachers and other educators from unwanted disclosure of sensitive personal data, while any critics might be concerned that it further restricts transparency under the Public Information Act. Because the bill covers information revealing whether an educator has family members, some may also view that category as broader or less precise than basic contact information, but no specific objections are recorded in the provided materials.