One bay area man is leading a new effort to protect the private Data Collected at school. Hes going to join us a little later in the show. But we begin tonight with the bathroom wars. This month be beginning of a new law for students to choose which bathroom they want to use at school. Parents say its an imposition on their kids. Im a girl. In junior high in the restroom, i dont want a boy coming into my restroom. And i dont think most parents want the opposite gender into their childrens restrooms, locker rooms, and showers. Now, opponents of the law who started a signature gathering effort to repeal it learned this week their effort is still in limbo. A random sample of signatures collected for the Ballot Initiative failed to prove they have enough valid signatures. The secretary of state has ordered a full count of signatures which is now under way. Okay. Kindergarten readiness, a hot topic that breaks down along racial and socioeconomic lines. When lowincome children show up for kindergarten, theyre about two years behind their peers, and catching up is hard for them to do. Backers of Early Education say the repercussions can last a lifetime. President obama wants free preschool for all, but he faces an uphill battle in washington. However, here in california, sacramento democrats are pushing ahead with their own initiative to expand early ed. They proposed this week a voluntary year of transition kindergarten for all. Thats the key here. For all of the states 4yearolds. This would expand californias transitional Current Program that serves only children with fall birthdays. The expanded program would be phased in starting 2015. Californias schools chief is one of the sponsors of that bill. Its a simple choice. Invest in kids now. And reap the rewards of a better educated and more Productive Work force and a healthier state, or pay the price later with more high school dropouts, more young people dropping into trouble, gangs, drugs and jail. The teachertostudent ratio for the tk would be two teachers per 20 students. Some 8,000 new teachers and 12,000 associate teachers would need to be hired. The city college saga continues. City college is in a battle to stay open. The school won a legal victory and can keep its accreditation for now. A judge ruling that a child must determine whether a commission acted lawfully in the evaluation of the college. The Commission Wants to revoke the accreditation because it says the school has not done enough to fix financial and educational problems. However, the judge said the consequences of the College Closing would be catastrophic. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi apparently agrees with that. She turned up this week at the campus in chinatown. She expressed a park for the college and encouraged potential students to sign up for classes. Where are those students . What is happening in their lives . What difference is it making in our to our Economic Growth and the success of the people in our community . Theres never been a complaint about the education at the school. In 2011, pelosi delivered the commencement address at that school. Enrollment at the school has dropped 23 since just last spring. Coming up, is your data about your child collected at school safe . More and more School Districts are turning to outside companies to provide learning tools for the classroom. Now theres growing concern that some Companies May not protect sensitive private information about kids. Well talk to the founder of Common Sense Media about that next. Mom. Yes honey . Dad told me that cheerios is good for your heart, is that true . Says here that cheerios has whole grain oats that can help remove some cholesterol, and thats heart healthy. [ dad ] jan . Ever wonder how many websites a Software Program your child uses at school . Education technology is a booming field. Some say has the potential to really help kids learn better and faster. But experts are beginning to warn of a potential down side. They say the private information of your child could be at risk. Were talking about personal details like their name, contact information, academic performance, and even possibly their health status. Joining me now to talk about this is jim desirstir that advo for chirns and family. A lot of people would be surprised to think theres this web out there that knows all this information. You know it about yourself, but you dont expect your kids information is being collected. Thats right, jessica. Your opening is right. There is a lot of Great Potential for Technology Used wisely and appropriately in the classroom. It can actually have a great positive effect on education in this country. Particularly for School Districts that need new resources. But the key is privacy. Are we going to protect the personal information of the students, and make sure that its only used for their academic achievement and performance. Let me ask you, when we talk about the kids private information, are we talking and technology, are we talking about a site to where i go on to see how my daughter is doing . Or when they use an app at school that collects things and using it as a web format that they share . Were talking about all of the above. The internet in general, were talking about all of that internet and app stuff that might be on a tablet, or on a computer, or even on a phone. Because its really important to remember, most of the apps are going to be used in the school, or technology, to improve Educational Achievement and assess how your child is performing and to see if they can do a better job in math or english or reading or science or whatever. However, that data is collected. The question is, can that data be used for noneducational purposes . Can they track your childs personal information . And is it stored in a place, or accessed by people who shouldnt have access to it . Thats the bottom line. Who has access to that information . Well, right now, its sort of like the wild wild west. There are no clear rules and laws. What we really need to do as a country right now, or here in the bay area and across the state of california, is set some clear rules and do three things. One, say that the information can only be used for strictly educational purposes. Number two, not allow it to be tracked or targeted so they can market your kid from Abercrombie Fitch ad, or Something Like that. And third, that its retained and secure, so that other people cant get access to it. It could be health, it could be behavior, all sorts of personal information thats nobody elses business. I want to go back to you with those individually. I think as a parent, i think that the School District should have a policy on who sees my kids information. But youre saying it doesnt . I wouldnt know that. Jessica, ive got four kids, right . I think about this all the time, too. We believe that Common Sense Media, that the Technology Used wisely can be a really positive thing for schools and education. But, right now, there arent clear privacy policies anywhere. This happened on the consumer side also. Youve got two kids, you worry about those kids getting on their instagram or facebook account, and advertisers sucking up their information. So in the school, right now, there are theres no clear statewide policy or local policy in the vast majority of schools. Its all scattered. Its woefully inadequate. What we in the media are saying, lets set one uniform set of rules that apply to all schools that makes sense. And that basically puts the parent in control of their childs personal data, and also say, it can only be used for Educational Achievement purposes and nothing else. So lets have there been cases of kids information being used . Sure. Right now, there was a study that just came out in december of this past year about how it was it was School Districts across the country. What it said is, theres no one policy. Its all over the map. No one really realized this would happen. The technology hasnt been there very long. Youve heard Horror Stories about kids personal information revealed or their health or behavior stuff coming out. Parents get very upset about that School District. So what you need is to stop what we really need to do is some some clear i know youve come up with a privacy zone initiative. Lets go through these. You mentioned it. One, you say students personal information used for personal purposes. Honestly thats what teachers and principals want, too. If theres some independent i. T. Consultant setting up the computers in the school, for the district, and deciding which software or app goes in, they dont necessarily have any kind of privacy control. And so marketers might want to go in there and get that information. They could sell clothes or music. That brings us to the next one, students personal information or Online Activity shall not be using advertising to students. People might see what were buying for my daughter . That should be stopped. It happened on the consumer side of the internet. We want to say, common sense is a big advocate around privacy for children and teens. And what you find out is theres a lot of companies here in Silicon Valley targeting your children, gobbling up children and teens information, using it to target them with marketing. People have no clue. Theres a 70page Privacy Policy on their phone. They just want to agree or accept. Same thing in the schools. Heres the good news. The schools havent really adopted this technology that widely yet. So theres a chance to put the rules in place that would say only for educational purposes, and no targeting with advertising. That can happen now. And i think youre going to see legislation in california this year, that would set those standards. That brings us to your third point. You just answered it, schools and tech providers offering destruction policies. Youve been reaching out to Tech Companies and saying, hey, how can we reach a middle ground here where this is being used for kids and not marketing purposes. Have you had success . Yes, we know them at the highest level, all those guys here in the bay area and around the country. Dont they lose money by doing that . Too bad. Our point to them is this. In schools, its about education. Many of them are parents, too, remember. Even though some of the young tech engineers havent gotten married and had kids yet. We said to them, look, this is about school and achievement and your kid and my kid. And these rules need to be for schools and educational purposes only. And truthfully, were going to win on this, because were right. Its been harder in the consumer aspect of this. In terms of trying to limit what facebook or instagram or google can do with your kids information. Thats a tougher battle to win. Weve been fighting it in california, in 2013. Governor brown signed it. It allows you to erase stuff, that was an important question. Poor decisions. That was common sense, because they selfreveal before they selfreflect. Right. All the time. We know that. We all need to be selfreflecting. We do. The deal in schools, i think we have more leverage over the companies. The challenge is theres been no policy so far. What do i do as a parent to help mitigate this in the interim . My daughter said to me the other day, oh, send it to me on my gmail i got from school. I said, what . I didnt know you had an account. Why wasnt i informed that she was getting an account . Thats actually a great example of what you have to do, jessica. Go to the School Principal and say, what are the rules about data privacy here . You have to say, we want there to be by the way, this is important roles for parents and pta associations. Anyone can go to common sense. Org, were the Biggest Group in the country based right here in san francisco. Come to us and well give you all the questions you need to ask to your principal, to your School District, about the basic rules for student data privacy. Okay. We give you that right now. Go to commonsense. Org and well give you that. As a parent, you need to go to the principal of your kids school and go, wait a minute, i didnt agree to a Gmail Account for my fifth grader. Because you didnt. Thats your right, thats not their right, thats your right. Now, google might have included that in a package of information they were giving that school for free. So the school might not even have thought of that. The point is, this is really new. And thats why we need to set some sort of basic rules of the road. And they have to be with parents and kids and students, not on big Tech Companies here in Silicon Valley. Im banking on you. Im banking on you, though. Jessica, this is what moms and dads across the country have to say. We at common sense will help make it happen. Thank you very much. Thanks, jim. We love having you here. Joining us today, upcoming, more details on the budget. The years of drought and cutbacks and pink slips for the teachers, were finally being able to provide a substantial amount of in you money for all the schools in california. Education taking center stage as the governors new proposal. Well break it down for you next. [ male announcer ] start engine. Accelerate. Shift. Shift. And shift again. Through all eight speeds of a transmission connected to more standard horsepower than its german competitors. And that is the moment that driving the lexus gs will shift your perception. This is the pursuit of perfection. [ female announcer ] it balances you. [ water crashing ]. It fills you with energy. And it gives you what you are looking for to live a more natural life. In a convenient two bar pack. This is nature valley. Delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. Nature valley. Nature at its most delicious. California has a strong budget. It is a balanced budget. But it is by no means a budget free from liabilities. Things are looking up in the golden state. Governor brown outlining his Budget Proposal this week. After years of de clips, he said california is getting back on track. The governor released what he calls a prudent budget, one that calls for staffing. In the rainy day fund. And tackling californias wall of debt. But earmarked 10 billion for education. The years of drought and cutbacks and pink slips for the teachers, were finally able to provide a substantial amount of in you money for all the schools in california. It is a Welcome Change to the story line in california. Heres how it breaks down for schools. Governor wants to raise spending by 725 per student in k through 12. That works out to an increase of 8. 5 . Pay back 6 billion. And boost higher ed spending by 839 million. On the subject of school money for the first time in nearly 40 years, money will be distributed to schools in an entirely new way. We first told you about this really farreaching overhaul of School Funding when i sat down with the architect of that new plan days after it was signed into law by the new governor. Were shifting politics in california from insiders in sacramento to local communities. And theres a responsibility not just for lawmakers in sacramento, but parents and communities to get after that school board and say, youve got this state money, we want it here, and it deserves to be here. Mike from the state board of education are expected to host a heated meeting this week. Education advocates want to guarantee that the cash will be spent on struggling students. But theyre at odds with district officials who say they want flexibility on how to spend that newfound cash. An update on a topic weve been covering in class action. We first reported in 2013 that the state has undertaken a massive effort to enhance standardized testing. Theres a technology element. We know the test themselves will look quite different from what students have experienced in the past. To move away from pen and paper. Computerized tests aligned to the new academic standards called the common core. We still dont have closure on what the tests will look like. Theres been a lot of backandforth with the feds. They have a testing waiver to allow it to suspend the old tests in favor of the new ones. California hasnt heard if they would get that waiver. And without it, the state could have a loss of federal funds. Jerry brown wants to set aside 46 million in his budget to pay for that transition. Back in a moment. Oh progressoh oh oh oh oh what do you know . Oh bacon . Oh oh oh [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying progressoh share your story for a chance to win a progressoh makeover in hollywood. Go to progresso. Com to enter. Welcome back. Wed like to revisit a story we first brought you back in september. Bay area researcher examined air quality in california classrooms and the results surprised even them. More than half of classroom studies arent properly ventilated and nothing has really changed with the air kids breathe. The jungle gym is no match for nathaniel today. The day his asthma flares up, his mother worries about the simple act of sending him to class. Hot, humid in a lot of the classrooms. Which is disconcerting, because if youre a parent of a child with asthma, thats where they spend a lot of the the majority of their time instead of at home. Sitting in a classroom and you cant breathe, and its just not good. Reporter she may be right. In the largest study of its kind, scientists found that more than half of california classrooms studies dont meet state ventilation standards. Lower ventilation rates were associated with substantial increases in illness absence in the students. Reporter mark mandel said indoor air pollutants can come from the carpet, the furniture, dust, or even other students who may be sick. Indoor pollutants should be diluted with outdoor air. Thats not always happening. Our best guess is theyre being operated to save energy and money by bringing in less outdoor air. Reporter California Building code requires schools be built to have a ventilation rate of 7. 1 liters per person. 5. 1 liter per second per person. The buildings littered throughout campuses, a ventilation rate of just 3. 1 liters per second. My concern as a teacher is i cant educate an empty desk. Reporter californias Teachers Association has fought for years for healthier classrooms. They say its clear where the responsibility lies. It falls on the School District, you know. The School District is responsible for following the laws, then they should follow the laws. The air comes from the unit up above. Reporter steve, the director of facilities for the san jose unified School District, says the Study Results dont reflect whats happening in his district. But he is frank about the challenges he faces. The ventilation systems are receiving the maintenance by our maintenance department. But its basically at a minimum. Reporter he said chronic underfunding has left School Districts strapped for cash. They funnel as much money as they can into classroom instruction. With little left over for ongoing maintenance. I think that in the private sector, a Maintenance Program for a ventilation system might mean visiting a unit three to four times a year as opposed to a School District usually has the resources to visit the unit when its broken. Reporter its not a situation he sees turning around anytime soon. Without much more significant investment from the state, the systems are only going to become more dilapidated over time. Reporter a concern that has a lot of parents holding their breaths. Im glad that the situation is being brought to light now. Because something definitely needs to be done about it. Thats for sure. If you have concerns about the air quality in your childs classroom, experts tell us, bring up those concerns directly to your principal. Thats going to do it for us for today. If you would like to see more of the class action stories, just go to our website. Thanks for watching. [ female announcer ] every box of General Mills big g cereals can help your kids school get extra stuff. Theyre the only cereals with box tops for education. You can raise money for your kids school. Look for this logo. Only on big g cereals. You can make a difference. Every cereal box counts. [ female announcer ] hey, ladies. You love it. Youve gotta have it. cause that cinnamon and sugar is so irresistible. Cinnamon toast crunch. Crave those crazy squares. ® cinnamon toast crunch. Tori and deen on the out. Leo movie creates controversy and bachelor juan pablos surprising crush admission. Hi even. Welcome to access hollywood. This is the Weekend Edition im shaun robinson. We get to all of that in just a moment. But first we start with the People Choice award. I covered the red carpet. So much fun. It delivered largest audience in 4 years. As the favorite pop artist was surprisingly a first time peoples choice winner. Its britney spears. Reporter applause and broad smile from boyfriend david as britney gingerly take the step up to the stage. This is so cool. This is awesome. I was not expecting this and its because of all of you that i am able to do what i love to do. The. Reporter back stage britney pet by the nearly blinding flash from photographers. Her award made sweeter beating out the like of heavy weight justin timberlake, demi. This year is hard for me. I worked really hard on my show in vegas and everything that we have been doing so i just feel really blessed. Feels really special. Reporter justin isnt exactly cold picking up 3