Kari Steeves' letter to the Regents about inBloom

From: Kari Steeves
To: mhtisch@mhtisch.com; RegentCashin@mail.nysed.gov; regentnorwood@mail.nysed.gov; regentcea@mail.nysed.gov; regentyoung@mail.nysed.gov; regentrosa@mail.nysed.gov; regentbendit@mail.nysed.gov; regentjackson@mail.nysed.gov; regenttilles@mail.nysed.gov; regenttallon@mail.nysed.gov; regentphillips@mail.nysed.gov; regentchapey@mail.nysed.gov; regentbottar@mail.nysed.gov; regentdawson@mail.nysed.gov; regentbennett@mail.nysed.gov; regenttisch@mail.nysed.gov; regentsoffice@mail.nysed.gov; regentcottrell@mail.nysed.gov

Dear Board of Regents,

I urge you to pull New York student data out of inBloom like Louisiana did. I have already written to Commissioner John King informing him that I do not give permission for my children's data to be released to any entity.  I do not want my children's personal data, photos, health histories, special education status, and other information stored on a cloud. I do not store any of my own or my children's information in a cloud, nor do I give it to private corporations, and I expect others to respect my right to privacy.

"Data" has become a loaded weapon in the hands of federal, state, and city education departments and it is causing untold damage to the quality of life in my children's classrooms.  Teachers are operating under in an atmosphere of fear because of how politicians are using "data."  Decisions are being made based on "data" without real, first-hand knowledge of how those decisions will play out in schools.  "Data" is being used to replace the insights of human beings based on human interaction.  Resources are being diverted from our classrooms to the favorite entrepreneur du jour and our children are the poorer.

I ask that you put a stop to the packaging, buying, and selling of our children's identities, and return the attention of our education department to the very real and dire work of supporting teachers and students in the classrooms with what THEY need, not what the education technology industries claim they need.
Thank you.

Kari Steeves, Parent of public school children in NYC Districts 6 and 4