School District Seals Honor Rolls; Official Says Policy Places Privacy Over Pride
by Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
February 5, 2004
(AgapePress) - The Tennessee Department of Education is defending a move by Nashville schools to stop posting honor rolls.The change came after a few parents complained their children might be harassed for not making the list. Officials with the Nashville school system say they based their decision on a long-standing state privacy law that requires schools to obtain parental permission before posting honor rolls. The problem of releasing such information is unique to Tennessee, because most states follow federal student privacy guidelines, which allow honor rolls to be made public.
Kim Karesh, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Education, dismisses any notion that the school acted in a politically correct fashion. She says the Nashville school system is simply adhering to a law designed to protect the privacy rights of students.
"The purpose of the law is to provide a choice on academic information and to make sure that parents and students have the right to keep that information private if they choose to do so," the education department representative explains. "It is not intended to take away the honor roll for the school as a whole; it is intended so that locals can make the decision on what's best for their students and their community."
Some education professionals in other parts of the state have questioned the wisdom or necessity of the Nashville school district policy. In Blount County, pride in student achievement and the desire to encourage all students to strive for excellence has influenced the county's three school systems to continue their practice of posting and publishing honor rolls.
Blount County Director of Schools Alvin Hord told the local Daily Times newspaper, "These kids need to be recognized for their success.'' He and other county administrators feel that such recognition encourages students to high levels of performance. And the school officials say they have received no complaints about posting or publishing student honor rolls; in fact, one middle school principal noted that he receives complaints when his school's honor rolls are not published.
But according to Karesh, the Tennessee DOE has not received many complaints regarding the now confidential honor rolls in the Nashville schools. While the benefits of the Department's policy may not be apparent to everyone, she feels that many families will undoubtedly appreciate having their privacy protected.
"I think that the benefit comes in if you have a parent who has a child who is shy or a victim of bullying," Karesh says, "or who for some reason doesn't want that name posted on a public honor roll list. This law gives that family a choice."
Nashville school district officials are also contemplating a ban on hanging good work done by students in the hallways. Meanwhile, some Nashville schools recently dropped their academic pep rallies and others are thinking about canceling spelling bees.
