Albemarle County 6/20/25

Your HEAV school board monitor team identified a privacy breach, found on a school board agenda that was open to public view. The breach included the first and last name of the parents and their six minor children, along with their physical address and the children’s grade levels. Upon receiving the report, your HEAV director of government relations took immediate action to request removal of the family’s private information.

We are pleased to share that the district removed the family’s information from public view within 20 minutes of contact. We are thankful to Albemarle for their prompt response in correcting the mistake.

What You Should Know:

• Virginia law prohibits local public school districts from sharing any information provided to satisfy the requirements of the home instruction and religious exemption laws. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, sharing any information with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), other public school districts, student information systems and companies, private schools, colleges, trade schools, military recruiters, police academies, and employers without the written consent of an adult student or their parent. (Reference: § 22.1-254.1(G))
• In March of 2025, HEAV sent official correspondence to all 131 public school superintendents and school board chairmen to address several ongoing concerns relating to increasing homeschool privacy violations and cybersecurity risks. (Reference: 2025 Homeschool Privacy Concerns)
• During the 2025 legislative session, HEAV initiated HB2598 with the patronage of Delegate Phillip Scott, which requires the superintendent of public instruction to include in the annual superintendent’s memo an explanation of the public school division’s legal obligation as indicated in § 22.1-254.1(G). The memo is directed to go out before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. (Reference HB2598)
• Parents are not required to provide a grade level to comply with the home instruction law. The compulsory attendance law is based on the age of the child—not a public school grade level system. Avoiding over-compliance is one way we can protect our family’s safety and rights. (Reference: Providing What the Law Requires)