Spring Break
Gamecock staff editorial
Don't end honor rolls
Issue date: 2/3/04 Section: Viewpoints
- Page 1 of 1
Federal student privacy laws are worthless if they are used to prevent something as harmless as a school honor roll from being published.
This is exactly what happened recently in the school districts of Nashville, Tenn., where on the advice of lawyers schools stopped publishing honor rolls or hanging outstanding student work in school hallways. While it is common practice for teachers to be wary about discussing grades with anyone but parents and guardians, the honor roll gives no specific information other than the fact that a student performed within a certain grading guideline consistent with excellence.
Also, the motive behind ending the honor roll practice is a more sinister case of political correctness, where schools would rather avoid praising their top students than hurt the feelings of underachievers. Parents in Nashville are outraged that their children aren't receiving the recognition that they deserve, and they couldn't be more right. Publishing an honor roll gives all students a target for which to strive in their daily studies.
College professors fall under the federal guidelines for student information privacy as well -- it is the reason that they can no longer post grades with names or social security numbers, or even discuss class performance over the phone. VIP goes to great lengths to ensure that sensitive data is secure in order to comply with these regulations.
While most students find these restrictions more of a hassle than anything else, they are important to others who want their performance or identity kept a secret. However, such protections should never extend to the realm of awards and honors, which are predicated on the desire to publicly acknowledge the efforts and contributions of outstanding students.
The Tennessee schools in question and educational institutions everywhere should not abolish honor rolls but rather include them in the publication waiver that every public school student signs every year. That way if parents have a concern about the identity of their children being released it can be addressed without taking away honors from other children.
This is exactly what happened recently in the school districts of Nashville, Tenn., where on the advice of lawyers schools stopped publishing honor rolls or hanging outstanding student work in school hallways. While it is common practice for teachers to be wary about discussing grades with anyone but parents and guardians, the honor roll gives no specific information other than the fact that a student performed within a certain grading guideline consistent with excellence.
Also, the motive behind ending the honor roll practice is a more sinister case of political correctness, where schools would rather avoid praising their top students than hurt the feelings of underachievers. Parents in Nashville are outraged that their children aren't receiving the recognition that they deserve, and they couldn't be more right. Publishing an honor roll gives all students a target for which to strive in their daily studies.
College professors fall under the federal guidelines for student information privacy as well -- it is the reason that they can no longer post grades with names or social security numbers, or even discuss class performance over the phone. VIP goes to great lengths to ensure that sensitive data is secure in order to comply with these regulations.
While most students find these restrictions more of a hassle than anything else, they are important to others who want their performance or identity kept a secret. However, such protections should never extend to the realm of awards and honors, which are predicated on the desire to publicly acknowledge the efforts and contributions of outstanding students.
The Tennessee schools in question and educational institutions everywhere should not abolish honor rolls but rather include them in the publication waiver that every public school student signs every year. That way if parents have a concern about the identity of their children being released it can be addressed without taking away honors from other children.
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