Does a school have privacy laws about information about a child ? Please read?

Question

Ok see my son stayed sick alot last school year..He would cough alot and so on....So yes days i would let him miss cause of that but when he would go to school if he would just cough one time the school would call and tell me to come and pick him up and when i would he would not be sick at all, they done this many, many times. Well were he missed alot we had to go to court over it and they ordered him/us to send him to summer school.

Now should teachers that don't even know him (because he is in 1st grade) and these teachers are 4th grade teacher and the library teacher --should they be knowing how many days he missed?

Should that info be made public to the whole school?

(I think the principle, us and the court should only be knowing about this)

Does anyone know?

Answer 1

Well I'm sure that the 1st grade teachers know and if the 4th grade teachers are the ones that are teaching summer school then yes, there's a great chance that they would know what's going on, as they should. They have a better understanding this way of how many days your son has missed and what he needs to work on. Especially if you're in a small community, things like this are discussed frequently. It's not like they're going out into the community and saying "Did you hear about so and so's kid?". They're discussing it with you the way it sounds and not with outsiders.

I have to question why you keep your child home for a simple cough though. I've sent my daughter to school with colds every time that she has one. Sometimes her coughs are really nasty, but she gets cough meds before school, cough drops to take with and put in her desk and school is fine. All the other parents send their kids to school with coughs and colds too. The teachers understand that kids get colds! If the school is sending him home for a cough, I would be more concerned about THAT issue. Talk to the principal if the teachers do that next year. He may be coughing in class on purpose just because he's found out that you'll come get him then and he gets to go home too.

But yes, I would expect any school personnel that works with your son to know the situation.

Answer 2

School attendance is talked a lot about in staff meetings. If a child is not in school that means the school does not get any money for a child for the day which leads to more budget issues.  So when a child is missing a lot of school often times teachers will bring up the issue.  I have worked in schools for the past few years and although students were not in my class I still knew about them and other teachers knew about students who were in my class.  It's all a community (just like if you worked in an office and someone was absent a lot you figure it out.)  I highly doubt that the issue of your student missing school and going to court about it was an in depth conversation amongst the staff or made as a public announcement to them.

Answer 3

I don't know what state your school is in, or how the laws concerning records are there. but no i do not believe that in anyway should a teacher (let alone anyone else in the school building) have to know about his health records. there should be a privacy act of some sort that entitles your kids health to be on a need to know basis. unless your son has some kind of viral infection or something else contagious. then yes the teachers would have to know about it, and your child should not be at school.

Answer 4

not saying anything bad about your son but it sounds like one more way of teachers avoiding having to deal with a child, next thing you know they will be trying to get you to put him on meds  to calm him down.to make there job easier.and i believe it was an invasion for more than his regular teachers to know. good luck to ya.had to edit if you sent him with a cough they would send him home but when you keep him home they send you to court bless your heart you cant win for losing.