Education Dept. delays inBloom portal launch to next school year

ALBANY – A statewide database of identifiable student information has been delayed to the start of the next school year, according to the state Education Department.

New York had pledged by January to share data on its students -- including names and addresses -- with inBloom, a non-profit funded by the Gates Foundation. But the release of the information to inBloom was later delayed to April at the earliest amid concerns from parents and lawmakers.

Now the database, known as EngageNY, isn’t expected to be fully up and running until September, with the remaining data on 2.5 million students sent to inBloom two months prior to its launch, according to an Education Department spokesman.

“We are working with the Legislature on privacy matters and do not expect the full release of the EngageNY Portal until the start of the next school year,” the spokesman, Tom Dunn, said in an email. “The full data set (names and addresses) will be shared securely with our partners about two months prior to the full release.”

Several lawmakers have raised concerns over the inBloom database, with some pushing for the state to indefinitely postpone submitting data to the non-profit. They are concerned about a breach of security.

Assembly Education Committee chairwoman Cathy Nolan, D-Queens, said it appears the Education Department is starting to address the concerns in school districts.

“That sounds like they are starting to listen to parents,” Nolan said.

She indicated earlier this month that would she would seek a legislative delay in the program unless the state acted first. She is planning a hearing with education officials and inBloom.

When all the data is submitted, the database will include information about student enrollment, attendance, behavior and test grades. Students, teachers and parents will have access, while third parties would have access if they contract with the state for “specific contracted educational purposes only,” according to the state Board of Regents.

Education Commissioner John King has defended the initiative, saying the data is already collected by the state and the information would not be shared with the public.

Seven states have pulled out of the program with inBloom, leaving only New York and Illinois as still working with the Atlanta-based company.

"It's not just about data," King testified at a hearing in November. "It is also about ensuring that educators and parents have access to curriculum materials, materials that will shape instruction and the student learning experience."

JCAMPBELL1@gannett.com

Twitter.com/JonCampbellGAN

Includes reporting by Gannett Albany Bureau Chief Joseph Spector and Journal News staff writer Gary Stern.