No federal privacy laws that prevent school officials from publicly discussing a disciplinary case? I find that hard to believe too, as the law kept me from discussing any patients when I was a nurse, and the legal & law enforcement fields are tightly bound by privacy laws too - seems education, involving minors, would be equally protective of privacy concerns.
There's a world of difference between discussing medical patients and that of the very public school system and its operations. The "Federal privacy laws" that this and many school administrators like to hide behind to CYA is FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974).
It's the federal law (applicable to schools which receive federal funding) that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. Those rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. There are exceptions to who has access to the records, of course, like school officials, accrediting officials, other schools to which a student is transferring, appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to the student, officials related to health or medical emergencies, and to comply with court orders.
In other words, these records are not public records (as we are all well aware from The Obama Experience), unless the parents (or "eligible student" - 18 years old or in school beyond high school) give explicit permission for all or part of them to be public.
These records include all the things you'd assume they would, like test scores, classes taken, attendance,
and including disciplinary records. And it's that last one that school officials hide behind when they're on the hot seat for a brain-fart decision that becomes public.
While permission is usually given in writing by the parents to release information, when the child or the parents go public with all or part of the records, that's also explicit permission, expressly given, and the school officials really can't hide behind FERPA. But, the phrase"federal privacy laws" will stop 99 out of 100 reporters in their tracks. And the school officials know it. They use it as a cop out to prevent themselves from being scrutinized in public for their ridiculous decisions, to avoid having to take public responsibility for their actions.
OTOH, maybe you're right, and she is just covering her behind in case of a potential lawsuit - that seems reasonable in this day & age.
That's certainly part of it. When you admit to and discuss a butt-stoopid decision, you not only look ridiculous, but you open yourself wide open to a lawsuit. Better that mum be the word.
What she did say is that there has to be a violation of the code of Conduct, so if the word 'gun' is a violation, why wouldn't she say so? It's not like a super sekrit classified document, right? Other parents can certainly provide the Code to interested parties, if the school officials are too weaselly to do it.
That they haven't is telling, IMO.
It's very telling. Everything about this screams butt-stoopid decision that they don't want to own.
School rules are none of the feds business, or at least they should not be.