An amendment to the Parental Bill of Rights designed to clarify audio and video recording permissions for schools is headed to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk.
The amendment, packaged within House Bill 266, which proposes structural changes to the Department of Energy, ensures that audio and video recordings made by schools can continue without written parental consent.
Schools began complying with the parental rights law following an advisory from the Department of Education, which arrived in December, half-way through the school year. The advisory reinforced the requirement that schools obtain written parental consent before recording a student.
The department’s guidance left lingering questions about school-sponsored events that are open to the public, such as sporting events.
House Bill 266 clarifies that recordings may still be made for “a required assessment” or “during a school-sponsored event that is open to the general public.”
The bill defines required assessments as “standardized assessments that are required by state or federal statute or regulation.” Events exempted from the recording restriction would include any gathering that involves ticketing or registration and is open to members of the community.