Student Confidentiality by

Professional Perspective/Audience/Topic

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:21:16 UTC

Include a description of your professional perspective and field of education as well as a description of the audience and topic of the Guide. Include why you chose this topic.

Governing Agency

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:23:55 UTC

Must include a summary of the governing agency, at the federal and state level, in your field of practice with practical expertise related to the Guide topic. The summary should include what you learned about governing bodies and accountability at the federal and state level.

Identify the federal and state constitutional laws that align with your topic

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:24:36 UTC

The laws should include the source of law (label it appropriately), the in-text citation, link to full text of law, and a brief bulleted list about the law and the legal requirements.

Identify the one statue and one administrative law that align with your topic

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:25:19 UTC

The laws should include the source of law (label it appropriately), the in-text citation, link to full text of law, and a brief bulleted list about the law and the legal requirements.

Identify the common or case laws that align with your topic

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:25:50 UTC

The laws should include the source of law (label it appropriately), the in-text citation, link to full text of law, and a brief bulleted list about the law and the legal requirements.

Identify the federal regulation or mandate that align with your topic

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:26:22 UTC

The law should include the source of law (label it appropriately), the in-text citation, link to full text of law, and a brief bulleted list about the law and the legal requirements.

Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule:

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:27:08 UTC

Identify a local policy/rule that illustrates how local institutions are approaching your topic The laws should include the source of law (label it appropriately), the in-text citation, link to full text of law, and a brief bulleted list about the law and the legal requirements.

Discuss, in bullet point format, three risk management strategies related to the topic and why it is important. You should include the in-text citation.

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:27:50 UTC

Ethical Principle

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:28:55 UTC

Identify one item in your professional code of ethics related to your topic or related to an ethical dilemma that can come up in scenarios related to your topic. Include the ethical code item, citation for the code of ethics, link to the code of ethics, and a brief explanation to the connection to your topic.

Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:29:41 UTC

Identify your personal connection to legal and ethical standards by providing an overview of how the context allowed you to understand the application of the law to your personal educational journey (3 sentences). Include three (3) sentences points regarding your feelings about these connections to the law and how this paved a way for your education goals.

Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 18:30:18 UTC

The last and MOST IMPORTANT content for your padlet. Analyze your content and summarize for your audience a list of at least 6 and no more than 10 bulleted statements of recommendations related to educational practice for this topic or best practices for legal compliance.

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-05 23:42:03 UTC

As a school counselor, my professional role focuses on supporting students’ academic, social, and emotional development while maintaining their privacy and trust. Confidentiality is an extremely important ethical and legal obligation that protects students and create a safe environment. The individuals involved with student confidentiality are educators, school counselors, administrators, and school support personal. I chose this topic because confidentiality is essential in the education field. Misunderstanding confidentiality laws can lead to legal violations and can harm relationships. As a future school counselor, understanding how federal, state, and district policy intersect with the ethical standards ensures lawful practice.

Federal and State

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 00:32:42 UTC

Federal Agency:

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): This act ensures that schools are receiving federal funds to protect student's educational records. This includes academic records, student account records, and student contact information/ demographics.

State Law:

Texas Education Code § 26.004 – Access to Student Records : This code gives parents the right to access written records within a school district about their child.

Both federal and state agencies work collaboratively to ensure student privacy. Non-compliance can result in funding loss and disciplinary action. With laws and codes changing every year or new ones added, regular staff training is required.

References: US Department of Education. (n.d.). FERPA and Ethics Principles FAQ. https://www.weatherfordisd.com/document_vault//Student%20Services/ferpa_and_ethics_principles_faqs.pdf

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/docs/ed/htm/ed.26.htm

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 00:47:43 UTC

Conduct annual FERPA and Texas Education Code training for ALL staff.
Limit student record access to authorized personnel only.
Make sure physical and digital record storage are secure.
Regularly review district confidentiality policies.
Clearly define and communicate confidentiality policies to staff, students, and parents.
Document all student and parent interactions when needed

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 01:07:29 UTC

Learning about FERPA and the Texas Education Code has deepened my understanding of the legal responsibilities school counselors have in protecting students information and rights. Understanding these standards will help strengthen my professional integrity and decision making for what is in the students best interest while following all legal and ethical responsibilities. After researching student confidentiality, I feel more confident in navigating ethical dilemmas that involve student confidentiality, consent, and student safety.

-These laws reinforce my purpose in promoting student privacy and safety.

- The knowledge gained supports my goal of becoming a trustworthy and compliant school counselor.

-I am more confident in understanding the different legal and ethical laws regarding students rights and privacy.

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 01:13:55 UTC

A.2. Confidentiality: “Protect the confidentiality of students’ records and information and disclose information only when required to prevent serious and foreseeable harm.”

Confidentiality is a fundamental principle in school counseling. School counselors must balance legal obligations, ethical duty, and student safety while following FERPA and Texas laws.

Reference: American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf American School Counselor Association

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 15:17:30 UTC

Children's Online Privacy Protections (COPPA)

This is a U.S. federal law that gives parents control over what personal information websites and online services can collect from children under 13
Requires operators to get parental consent before accessing students personal information
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, 15 U.S.C. 6501–6505
15 USC § 6505
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa

The Student Privacy Act: Texas House Bill 2087 (2017)

Requires parental consent for data collection (Sec.A32.151 C)
Prohibits educational technology organizations from using student data for targeted advertising, non-educational profiling, or selling it to third parties (Sec.A32.151)
Student's data must be deleted when the student leaves or if a parent request (Sec.A32.156.A)

https://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/85R/billtext/pdf/HB02087F.pdf

Risk Management Strategies

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 15:32:37 UTC

Have yearly FERPA and Texas Education Code training for all staff. This ensures staff are aware of state and federal confidentiality rules.
Make sure the district has secure data systems. Limit access to student records to authorized personnel only (TEA, 2023).
Have clear consent procedures. As a counselor, require written parental consent for disclosure unless stated otherwise by law.

https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/contact-us/complaints/parental-and-student-privacy-and-information-rights

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 16:09:32 UTC

https://www.merkelisd.net/student-handbooks

Consent to Receive Parenting and Paternity Awareness Instruction If a Student is Under Age 14

Objecting to the Release of Directory Information The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, permits the district to disclose appropriately designated “directory information” from a student’s education records without written consent. 12 “Directory information” is information that, if released, is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy. Examples include: ● A student’s photograph (for publication in the school yearbook) ● A student’s name and grade level (for communicating class and teacher assignments) ● The name, weight, and height of an athlete (for publication in a school athletic program) ● A list of student birthdays (for generating schoolwide or classroom recognition) ● A student’s name and photograph (posted on a district-approved and-managed social media platform) ● The names and grade levels of students submitted by the district to a local newspaper or other community publication (to recognize the A/B honor roll for a specific grading period)
(MISD Student Handbook, pg. 12)

References: US Department of Education. (n.d.). FERPA and Ethics Principles FAQ. https://www.weatherfordisd.com/document_vault//Student%20Services/ferpa_and_ethics_principles_faqs.pdf

afarmer3_9 — 2025-10-06 16:35:08 UTC

Owasso Independent School Dist. No. I-011 v. Falvo, 534 U.S. 426 (2002)

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/534/426/

-This case decided that peer-graded assignments do not qualify as educational record under FERPA.

-Clarified what as considered educational records and confidentiality and what was not.