Committee approves one‑year extension of master data‑sharing agreement with Utah Education Policy Center

The Law and Licensing Committee unanimously approved the second amendment — a one-year extension — to the Master Data Sharing Agreement between the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah Education Policy Center.

Nicole Sanchez, the board’s student data‑privacy specialist, told members she was filling in for the regular staffer and confirmed the amendment was limited to an extension. Andrea Roar, director of the Utah Education Policy Center at the University of Utah, said the center stores data collected under the MDSA within the United States and coordinates with USBE’s data-privacy division to follow federal and state requirements. "With regard to the data that we collect...it is unequivocally housed within The United States," she said.

Vice Chair Bollinger moved the amendment forward and the committee voted to send the amendment to the full board for approval. Staff said they will continue monitoring legal and rules changes and will update assurances in future amendments as necessary.