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Board moves to require staff to disclose serious student-safety information to parents and appropriate authorities
Summary
The board voted to change Policy 207 so information received "in confidence" from a student about health, safety, or welfare "shall" (not "may") be revealed to a student's parent, guardian, principal or other appropriate authority; members also discussed mandatory-reporting obligations.
The Conewago Valley School District board on Jan. 29 voted to amend Policy 207 (Confidential Communications of Students), replacing the word "may" with "shall" for disclosures about a student when the student’s health, safety, or welfare is clearly in jeopardy.
Nut graf: Board members and administrators debated whether the revised wording needs an explicit cross-reference to mandatory‑reporting laws. Administrators said mandatory‑reporting procedures already require prompt involvement of law enforcement or children and youth services where abuse is suspected, and that procedural safeguards and training are in place for administrators and counselors.
Discussion details Superintendent Doctor Perry told the subcommittee the administrative committee and solicitors (administrative review) had examined the language and that administrators support keeping "shall" in the key sentence requiring disclosure when a student's welfare is at risk. Board members raised the potential conflict staff could feel when both disclosing to parents and following mandatory-reporting procedures. Perry replied that mandatory‑reporter obligations cannot be superseded by district policy: where suspected abuse implicates a parent or guardian, law enforcement or child-welfare authorities would be notified and would communicate with families as appropriate.
Motion and vote A motion to adopt the change was called and passed unanimously: recorded votes indicated yes from Bill, April, Lindsay, and other members present.
Implementation and context Administrators said the district runs annual Stock and Leader (solicitor) trainings for building administrators to review discipline, reporting obligations and procedural safeguards; those trainings and the parent-student handbook are the practical guides administrators use to implement Policy 207. Board members asked administrators to ensure handbook language explains the appeals and reporting steps so families know what to expect when a staff member receives information that raises safety concerns.
Ending The amended policy will be included as updated language and implemented with administrator training already in place; the subcommittee did not add separate mandatory-reporting text because administrators said statutory obligations already govern those cases.
