Title: Teachers' Responsibilities for Student Confidentiality | Synonym
Headings: Teachers' Responsibilities for Student Confidentiality
Teachers' Responsibilities for Student Confidentiality
Explore this article
1 The Laws
2 Grade Confidentiality
3 Medical Privacy
4 Responsibility to Report

Content: These codes, statutes and acts dictate the type of information that teachers must keep confidential between herself and the student and the type of information that the teacher has the responsibility to tell the parent. The laws distinctly spell out confidentiality responsibility in grades and medical information. 2 Grade Confidentiality
Teachers have the responsibility to disclose student grades to the parent, but legally cannot make those grades public knowledge. Test scores, such as those from state issued exams, can be disclosed, but the teacher must remove all of the student’s personal information attached to the score. The exception to the grade confidentiality is with group grading that many teachers perform as a learning tool. According to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, the U.S. Supreme court decided in 2002 that the practice, also known as peer grading, did not violate confidentiality laws and was actually beneficial to students in the classroom. Other than in peer grading situations, the teacher cannot share the students' grades with anyone other than the parent. 3 Medical Privacy
Teachers do have access to the child’s medical files, but that information cannot be disclosed to anyone but the parent and the child. The teacher does have the responsibility to inform the parent of suspected medical issues that the child exhibits within the classroom. However, teachers are prohibited by FERPA laws from subjecting the child to tests without the parent’s consent.