No, I didn’t write an article with this title. The article comes from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).Unfortunately, I am afraid the HSLDA is on target, and don’t forget, I am a data guy.

If you want to get an idea of the huge amount of data that some educators want to collect on your child, take a look at the incredible list of 416 different “attributes” in the Next Education Data Model, Version 3.0, at the National Center for Education Statistics web site. If you go to this site, be patient. It takes a long time to respond when you enter the web address. It will come up (unless they decide to take it down due to the growing controversy).

Just to perk your interest, here is one item the feds want to know about your child:

“Religious Affiliation” - The religion or religious group (e.g., the specific unified system of religious expression) with which the individual or institution most identifies. Clearly, this is way out of line for schools to collect and widely share, but this “attribute” is one of the 416 different, sometimes highly sensitive pieces of information the US Department of Education wants to know about your child.

I am going to have a lot more to say on this important subject, so stay tuned.