When Confidentiality

Is the Law

To the Editor:

One really must question the motives of Julia and Joseph Morris (“Student Journal ‘Threats’ Spark Parent Concerns”) and their letter to the editor published in last week’s Bee). Firstly, although they claim they were upset that the school did not offer counseling to their son, it is telling that instead of going to a counselor or psychologist, they went to an attorney.

Secondly, regarding their demand that a child’s background, home life, websites and chatrooms be “checked out,” does anyone in town really think that our school personnel should be acting like KGB agents? The main theme in comments made by the Morris parents seems to be that they were frustrated by the school’s position that it could not disclose to them exactly what the school did to the child who wrote the journal. Reading between the lines, it appears that the Morris parents may be more interested in exacting retribution than anything else.

One would hope that someone who has “quite a bit of experience with the subject of physical security and life-threatening situations” would respect the rule of law that requires confidentiality of student records.

Sincerely,

Karen Karpie

6 Monitor Hill Road, Newtown                                   June 15, 2005