Stop HB 123: Protect Our Children from Data Profiteering
Unmasking the Dangerous Alliance Between Politicians and Private Data Interests
H.B. 123, introduced by Rep. Harold Dutton, significantly expands early childhood educational interventions and mandates extensive data collection from preschool through third grade. This legislation, strongly supported by organizations such as The Commit Partnership and Texas 2036, heavily relies on so-called "evidence-based" policies that enable private entities to collect, analyze, and profit from detailed educational data about Texas children.
Critical Counter to H.B. 123:
Exploitation of Children's Data:
Organizations like The Commit Partnership hold the largest repository of student data in Texas. Their advocacy for H.B. 123 conveniently aligns with their business model, which profits directly from the vast accumulation and analysis of children's educational data. H.B. 123 significantly expands their data empire, embedding lucrative public-private partnerships within state education policy.
Questionable Data Privacy and Security:
Despite assurances, the legislation dangerously broadens the state's data collection capabilities from the earliest educational stages. The mandated reporting of student raw scores to the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) centralized "school readiness certification system" (Sec. 28.006(d)(3)) constitutes an unprecedented level of surveillance on Texas children from preschool onwards, raising serious data privacy and security risks. Such extensive data collection also positions private companies to exploit this information for profit.
Illusion of Transparency and Accountability:
Advocates of H.B. 123 argue for transparency through parental notifications and progress monitoring. However, the complex and continuous nature of data collection and reporting under this bill obscures true transparency. Many parents may not fully grasp the extent or implications of this data surveillance system, thus inadvertently surrendering significant privacy rights.
The Flawed Premise of Early Interventions:
H.B. 123 is premised on purportedly addressing educational gaps through targeted interventions. However, this system inherently risks mislabeling and stigmatizing children from an early age, based solely on data-driven projections. This could unfairly influence their educational trajectory, limiting their potential based on premature assessments conducted primarily for data collection rather than genuine educational enrichment.
The Financial Interests Behind "Evidence-Based" Approaches:
The Commit Partnership and Texas 2036 promote "evidence-based" educational interventions primarily because they control the data and analytical tools that define this "evidence." Their support is less about student outcomes and more about maintaining and expanding their influence over Texas’s education policy for financial gain.
TEA's Questionable Financial Accountability:
The bill proposes significant increases in funding and responsibilities for the TEA, despite its documented failures in effectively supporting student achievement. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, already under scrutiny for mismanagement and inefficiency, would gain additional power and financial resources without adequate safeguards or demonstrated capacity for improvement. Specifically, this bill allocates substantial funds to TEA:
$233.8 million in fiscal year 2026
$213.9 million in fiscal year 2027
Increasing to $366.2 million by fiscal year 2030
Additional costs for IT implementation: $341,261 in fiscal year 2026 and $1,046,320 in fiscal year 2027
Annual ongoing costs in staffing and operational expenses amounting to approximately $3.2 million
This misallocation of taxpayer resources must be scrutinized, given TEA's existing record of failing Texas students.
Legislative Quotes Highlighting Concerns:
Data Surveillance Concern: "using the school readiness certification system... report electronically each student's raw score on the reading instrument to the agency" (Sec. 28.006(d)(3)).
Intervention Mandate Overreach: "Reading interventions...must include targeted instruction...during a period and at a frequency sufficient to address the areas described...provided by a person with training in reading interventions...under the oversight of the school district" (Sec. 28.0064(b)).
Protecting Children's Futures:
H.B. 123’s approach risks turning Texas classrooms into data harvesting operations, benefiting private entities like Commit and Texas 2036, rather than genuinely supporting student success. Texans must challenge this legislation’s underlying intent, prioritizing children’s privacy, parental rights, and genuine educational freedom over corporate profits and invasive state surveillance.
Urgent Call to Action:
H.B. 123 was placed on the Major State Calendar today, May 6, 2025. This legislation must be exposed for exactly what it is—a dangerous intersection where Democrats and Republicans join forces inside the pink dome in Austin, prioritizing profits and power over children's privacy and parental rights. Meanwhile, outside that dome, they divide us with identity politics, manipulating us into conflict while quietly stripping our families of fundamental freedoms. We are being played. Texans must unite, stand firm, and demand transparency and accountability. Contact your state legislators today and urge them to oppose H.B. 123. It is imperative that we protect our children and reject policies that treat them as commodities for data profiteering.
Great article!