What does confidentiality mean?

• A. Confidentiality means keeping secrets from students.
• B. Confidentiality only applies to medical records.
• C. Student information must remain private.
• D. Student grades can be shared with anyone who asks.

Answer: (C)

Confidentiality means that information about a student is kept private and shared only with people who have a legitimate reason to know it. In practice, this means you don’t discuss a student’s IEP details, health information, grades, or other personal data with teachers, family members, or staff who don’t need that information to support the student. Information should be stored securely and released only with proper consent or under approved circumstances (such as information shared with individuals who have a legitimate educational interest or to meet safety requirements). The statement that student information must remain private best captures this standard.

Keeping secrets from students isn’t the goal of confidentiality, and it isn’t limited to medical records—confidentiality applies to all personal student information. Sharing grades with anyone who asks bypasses proper safeguards and violates privacy rules.