PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY. If you have any questions about this information, please discuss it with Superintendent/Principal Mike Heffner.
The following types of information about students are CONFIDENTIAL:- Academic strengths, weaknesses, skills, performance on tests, etc.
- Special education status, resources received or declined, etc.
- Discipline issues or disciplinary actions taken by staff
- Medical information, diagnoses, etc.
- Any details about a student’s family life or personal situation. (Parents and students need to make their own decisions about what to reveal publicly.)
- Immigration status
- Any information that might be embarrassing or sensitiveStudents at Bonny Doon School have the right to expect that all volunteers will keep information about them confidential. California law prohibits school volunteers from giving out any personal information concerning any student who is not their own child to any person other than a teacher or administrator at the school. California law also prohibits sharing information about a student's circumstances without using their name.
Additionally, the U.S. Congress has addressed the privacy-related concerns of educators, parents, and students by enacting the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (knows more commonly as “FERPA” or the “Buckley Agreement”). FERPA allows the government to take funds away from any school which spreads a student’s educational information without their parents’ consent.
Each student with whom you work has the right to expect that nothing that happens to or about him or her will be repeated to anyone other than authorized school employees.
You are authorized to share confidential student information with the student's teacher and/or the principal only. Even when discussing a student with those who are directly involved in a student’s education, such as a teacher or principal, you may not share otherwise confidential information with them unless it is relevant to the student’s educational growth, safety, or well being.
You may not share information about a student even with others who are genuinely interested in the student’s welfare, such as club leaders, relatives, family friends, other school personnel, or clergy. Thus,
you must refer all questions about confidential student information to the student’s teacher or the principal. You may, however, share relevant confidential information with emergency responders if it is necessary for the student's health during a medical emergency. You may also share confidential information with child protective services if you are filing an official report of potential child abuse.
Parents, friends, or community members may in good faith ask you questions about a student’s problems or progress. Again, you must refer all such questions to the authorized school employees.
You may not share information about a student even with members of your own family or the student’s family.Remember that violating a student’s confidentiality is unethical, against the law, puts the school at risk, and is hurtful to families and our community.