Two of the bills, SB 5214 and HB 1153, aim to keep the lid on illegal, violent, and otherwise suspicious student behavior. While the bill's authors talk a lot about protecting kids, there seems to be less concern with protecting kids' rights. SB 5214, for example, requires that any student caught bringing a gun to school be given a mental health evaluation. She explains that the evaluation, which would be shared with parents but not necessarily with the kids themselves, would assist courts in deciding whether to return a student to the community or to social services for help, such as therapy or hospitalization. Sheehan believes that the mental health records required by SB 1524 will also be shared.
Schools can use any basis to say no to a kid.
Police and mental health records haven't traditionally been kept in student files at all. The ACLU's Sheehan believes federal policy will give way for the local initiatives. One thing that won't change as a result of the laws, however, is that students under 18 will still have no direct access to their school files.