Tell me what you really think.
We had this very same conversation at school today. I've also posted about this, I think it was last October.
I am a professional. I spend more thime with these kids than the principals do. I have a right to know when a kid is psychotic, or diabetic, or whatever.
Last year, I noticed a diabetic kid having a meltdown (really bitchy when she normally was as sweet as sugar) because I knew for what to look.
Every year all the Specialists (music, art, library, PE, tech) meet with the nurse, guidance, and principal to be refreshed or learn about students on 504 or with medical conditions. I have 8 years of medical lists in a drawer in my classroom. Everything from color-blind to diabetic. I know the teachers get the lists for their grade level (not just their class) as well.
This should be required. Isn't safety more important that confidentiality?
The first school I taught at was an alternative school. All the students, at a minimum, were classified Emotionally Disturbed. The IEP's were kept in the files in the front office - away from where children or parents could get to them, and the staff had a series of in-service days before the school year started where we were able to access all of our student's IEP's. If we needed a copy of anything we were expected to keep it under lock and key.
I appreciated the access, because it allowed me to keep my cool when the students were losing it - such as when one young African-American student got in my face yelling that I was a "F***ing cracker."
I calmly turned to the other teacher in the classroom and asked her, "do you suppose I'm a Saltine or a Ritz?"
It completely diffused the situation.
Commenting by HaloScan
