As used in this section, "early childhood program" means any publicly funded program providing services to children younger than compulsory school age, as defined in section 3321.01 of the Revised Code.

Student level data records collected and maintained for purposes of administering early childhood programs shall be assigned a unique student data verification code in accordance with division (D)(2) of section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code and shall be included in the combined data repository authorized by section 3301.94 of the Revised Code. The department may require certain personally identifiable student data, including student names, to be reported to the department for purposes of administering early childhood programs but not be included in the combined data repository. The department and each school or center providing services through an early childhood program that receives a student level data record, a data verification code, or other personally identifiable information shall not release that record, code, or other information to any person except as provided by section 3319.321 of the Revised Code or the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232g. Any document relative to an early childhood program that the department holds in its files that contains a student's name, data verification code, or other personally identifiable information shall not be a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

Any state agency that administers an early childhood program may use student data contained in the combined data repository to conduct research and analysis designed to evaluate the effectiveness of and investments in that program, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and regulations promulgated under that act.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.128, SB 316, §101.01, eff. 9/24/2012.