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Subcommittee tightens requirement to inform parents when student disclosures suggest risk
Summary
The Conewago Valley policies subcommittee changed Policy 207 to require staff to tell a studentadsparent or guardian when confidential student disclosures show the studentadshealth, welfare or safety is in jeopardy, and asked administrators to produce operational rules addressing thresholds and sensitive cases.
The policies subcommittee revised Policy 207 on confidential communications of students to require staff to notify parents or guardians when a studentadsconfidential disclosure indicates the studentadshealth, welfare or safety is in jeopardy.
Staff presented changes recommended by the districtadsadministration and counsel. The subcommittee voted to replace permissive wording ("may be revealed") with mandatory wording ("shall be revealed") when the disclosure pertains to imminent risk to the student or others. Counsel had offered the word "imminent danger," while several board members preferred the statutory language "in jeopardy," and the subcommittee directed the district to use the term "in jeopardy" (consistent with Chapter 212/Title 22 references discussed in the meeting) for the policy text.
A lengthy discussion followed about the policyadsscope and practical application. Several board members expressed concern about confidential student disclosures being withheld from parents in a way that later results in harm; others cautioned that too-broad mandatory disclosure language could sweep in routine, non-urgent student comments (for example, day-to-day complaints or non-harmful personal confessions) and could chill student trust in counselors. Members asked administration to develop clear administrative regulations and protocols that would:
- Define the threshold for "health, welfare, or safety in jeopardy" (examples suggested during the meeting included risk of physical harm or imminent threat of serious self-harm), - Describe steps staff should take when a student makes a confidential disclosure (who should be notified, timelines, whether law enforcement or child-protective services must be involved), and - Address how the district handles sensitive topics that commenters raised during earlier public comment (the transcript includes extended exchange regarding disclosures about a student's gender identity and when that may be shared with parents).
The subcommittee voted to move the revised Policy 207 language forward with the required-change wording ("shall reveal" when health/welfare/safety is in jeopardy) and to ask staff and counsel to return with administrative guidance and recommended procedures for the sensitive scenarios discussed.
