Hollister
– A simple list naming honor roll students may not seem like a
big deal, but at San Benito High School this little list is causing
a big commotion.
Hollister – A simple list naming honor roll students may not seem like a big deal, but at San Benito High School this little list is causing a big commotion.
The school has not released an honor roll in several years because of administrators’ concerns about the legality of making student records public.
“We were told that legally we could not do it because of student confidentiality,” said Steve DeLay, a San Benito High School District school board member. “Teachers can’t even post grades with student names, so you have to be real careful about confidentiality these days.”
But many staff, parents and students say that’s taking concerns about privacy too far – and they want the academic honor brought back.
The school’s honor roll used to include students with grade point averages higher than a 3.0 and no failing grades. Although it was eliminated several years ago, the SBHS student handbook still states that an honor roll will be prepared after each semester’s grades are released.
Frank Muro, who heads San Benito High School’s Migrant Program, is frustrated by the lack of an honor roll. He brought up the need to reinstate the honor roll at a school board meeting in December, and again this month, but was met with hesitation from board members who said it might be illegal.
Muro argued that the list should be published or, if it was found to violate a student’s privacy, the entry in the student handbook touting the presence of an honor roll should removed.
SBHS Senior Damasio Zepeda agrees that the school should have an honor roll.
“I think that there should be one in order to enable the school to acknowledge the outstanding students,” said Zepeda, 17. He meets the grade requirements, but has never been on an honor roll during his four years at SBHS.
Superintendent Stan Rose said there is some question as to whether the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of student education records, would prevent the release of any information – positive or negative – about student grades.
“The question is do they constitute student records that students have a right to hold as confidential? Or is it OK to publish them?” Rose said.
Jim Bradshaw, who works in the press office of the U.S. Department of the Education, said the school is at liberty to release an honor roll.
“The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act permits school honors to be disclosed to the public without permission from the parents,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said honors and other directory information, such as a student’s name and address, can be released without parent permission, as long as parents are given the opportunity at the beginning of the year to opt out, meaning parents may notify the school that they do not want this information to be released.
Despite the expressed concerns about an honor roll violating a student’s privacy, DeLay said he would like to see the academic honor reinstated.
“Personally, I’m in favor of it. Anything you can do to recognize the good that kids are doing, I think you need to do,” DeLay said. “My impression from the board is all of us were in favor of reinstating the honor roll, if it’s legal.”
Anzar High School has avoided any debate about the legality of releasing personal information by having students apply for the California Scholarship Federation, the school’s honor roll. Anzar students fill out a membership application for the honor roll after each grading period.
The reason for having an honor roll is primarily symbolic, and to give recognition to students with outstanding academic achievement.
Brandon Gianechini, who works in the admissions office at San Jose State University, said that for the most part being named to an honor roll has very little bearing on whether a student is accepted into a college.
“It’s not looked at terribly closely. If you have a 3.0 or above, it really doesn’t matter if you’re actually in an honor roll,” Gianechini said. He said the good grades will reflect well on an application, regardless of whether there is an actual list associated with it.
But the prestige associated with being on an honor roll is not something to be scoffed at either, according to one parent.
“If it doesn’t violate any privacy things, and I don’t think it does, I think they should have an honor roll,” said Monica Rodriguez, whose daughter is a junior at SBHS. “I know people and kids love to see their names in the paper, so it’s always something to look forward to.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at (831) 637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
