AIBU re data protection / common sense

[Butchmanda]

Just got an email from my son's school SENCO about a general matter of general interest to SEN parents. Instead of putting people in blind copy, she's just but everyone's emails for everyone to see.

It makes me wince when one of my amateur clubs does that but I suck it up and wouldn't make a fuss. But this s a school and surely she should know how to send group emails discreetly.

It's not the first time I feel she's crossed a line in terms of privacy and discretion. Unprofessional I think.

Very unprofessional. Are you actually going to raise it or do anything about it though or just have a moan on here?

sorry that sounds really rude! I don’t know how to word it but I didn’t mean to come across like that! What I meant was we can’t do anything to stop it so are you going to raise it so they don’t do it again ?

I was on a data protection course just the other day (mandatory for all staff) and one of the things they brought up was the importance of blind copying recipients. Somebody needs to have a word as she may just not have thought about it, but it's a little worrying given that she's a SENCO if she hasn't had that sort of training. I don't even handle any personal data, sensitive or otherwise, and my employer still made me learn what to do if I ever did!

I suspect these days many schools don't pick the most suitable, experienced person to be SENCO, but dump it on the nearest one who doesn't duck fast enough, usually the newest recruit.

Sorry - should have said a bit more.

On one hand in reality it doesn't matter (to me); on the other hand it's very unprofessional and makes me wonder in general whether this carelessness happens elsewhere in her work. Tbh there have been other things - which have been dealt with - and I'm not convinced she really understands confidentiality. If I complained it would have to be higher up and not directly as I don't want confrontation, even if I am right.

What would others do?

Complain, it really is very poor to do that and in this day and age there really is no reason to understand the importance of BCC and confidentiality. Even if it was a slip it needs to never happen again.

I would say something. Not sure who or how, but it definitely needs to be addressed.

I would complain. And raise the fact that is she is this careless with keeping things confidential you worry about what other things she is doing that could effect your privacy.

PLEASE do tell the school. Forward it to the HT.

She will have had a LOT of training, there is no way she doesn't know any better, this is an error, a big one to be honest! If the school know they can take the right steps to ensure a) it doesn't happen again b) that there are no big repercussions for the school as a whole.

But don't ignore it because you aren't all that bothered. As you say, it could indicate other areas where she is slipshod... and nobody in schools like to have to work with a lax SENCO, they make everyone's lives an absolute sodding nightmare, whereas good SENCOs are an absolute dream an deserve chocolate, unicorns and all sorts of other lovely things, forever

I've just glanced back through other emails. One earlier this week was to a smaller distribution: she emailed it to Mrs Smith and put me (and presumably others) in bcc. So we were fine but I now know the details of Mrs Smith.

Another time she seems to have put a few people in cc and then me (and others) in bcc.

A couple of times she might have got it right but it's random.

I looked more closely this time (so now she'll have to shoot me) and it's a total mishmash of 'Mrs Smith' 'Freds dad' 'fullemailaddress' 'childsname' so her address book must be a mess. No distribution lists, clearly. She needs sending on a course!

If it weren't something that, by its very nature is very sensitive, I wouldn't be quite so fussed.

She's been there a long time and everyone thinks she's marvellous. I think otherwise. And she is quite frosty with me anyway because I continue to raise things which affect my son. That's a whole other story...

There was also a massive fuck up last year which I probably shouldn't raise here as its quite outing.

Maybe just mention to her that you can see all the email address and suggest she uses BCC to keep within data protection laws. No need to make a huge deal.

Then definitely send it to the HT and let them deal with it.

Nessie It really is a big deal. SENCOs are supposed to be discretion itself. So not only do they have the usual safeguarding training and obligations that all school staff do, they work with students with the most sensitive needs and data and so have extra safeguarding training and obligations.

She has now told uncounted people the names of all students with specific learning / medical issues. The sort of stuff you just don't broadcast.

Maybe just mention to her that you can see all the email address and suggest she uses BCC to keep within data protection laws. No need to make a huge deal.

This is the sensible response. It's quite reasonable to assume that she genuinely doesn't know how to blind copy people, it's not covered on all data protection courses and not everyone is great with email.

A quiet word is all that is needed. Unless you're trying to create trouble OP?

it's not covered on all data protection courses and not everyone is great with email. But she will have had it covered during her safeguarding and IT training, most especially because of her job!

She is being lax and it could cause wider problems for the school. But if they don't know they won't be able to counter any possible issues. It isn't about causing trouble for one person, it is about avoiding it... across the school as a whole!

Just checked again and she has used 'undisclosed recipients' on numerous occasions but equally numerous the occasions she hasn't. So she can do it but doesn't always choose to.

There's no way I'm trying to cause trouble. Far from it. I try to keep my head down - always difficult when you have a child with needs who can't always legislate for himself - and it's hard / practically impossible ever to criticise a teacher. I've had my knuckles rapped by her myself so I'm not keen to cross her.

Curious but if no one has pulled her up on it, and she isn't computer savvy then she may not realise? If she has been told the problem and how to make the emails blind copies then yes, there is a problem.

The law is changing soon, on the 25th May. She must have had training!
GDPR

Gosh I dont know why she isn't sending all this through SIMS then it does all the hiding for you. If I ever send out a group email at school I do it through SIMS never through my direct mailbox

@curiousaboutsamphire interestingly I work in safeguarding and have never had specific data protection training regarding files and students through school. I just used the training I had had before at my previous job at a university where they were very hot on it.

Georgie have you had ne recent training? As purist said, GDPR will mean that such errors could be costly!

I know all my ex colleagues (I retired) have had some online training recently - mostly to remind them to use SIMS I would expect . They will have INSET on GDPR over Easter.

Then again, my last 'school' was a combined FE/HE campus, so may have been more on the ball with it all!

Nesssie Sorry, I don't think I was very clear. Yes she needs to know but the possible ramifications for the school also need to be managed.

I know, it sounds daft, OTT, etc. But the school will be better off if they can show that they acted appropriately when they became aware than they would if it is picked up via Ofsted, the media (if another parent is more pissed off than OP) or any other agency the SENCO may do the same to.

There are existing possible legal ramifications to this and, in a couple of months, those ramifications will be far greater as a thing called GDPR comes into force. Errors like this will then be very, very expensive. The school need to know so they can put training into place for ALL staff, to ensure it doesn't continue to happen.

Yes it's bad, but if it's a general matter maybe they didn't think it required the same amount of discretion?

Maybe email her and the head, and the IT person if you have their contact address.
But I'd do it more as informing them of what their obligations are first, then pointing out that they have disclosed a lot of peoples personal data. I'd be tempted to say that you don't intend to report it, as long as they take immediate steps to correct this in all their communication, but that of course you cannot speak for the other parents affected. That might cause them to understand that its not one parent whining, its a potential investigation by the DPR.

but if it's a general matter maybe they didn't think it required the same amount of discretion?
They shouldn't be sharing peoples email addresses, regardless of the subject matter of the email. The email address alone is personal information.

I wasn't a SENCO, but a teacher and I never had data protection training or IT training. In the last few years we had the safeguarding training each time frame required by ofsted. Everything else was work it out yourself.

Thanks said it does need pointing out. But that alone doesn't mean she's slack. Obviously there night be other evidence for that. I didn't know what bcc meant until very recently. When I started teaching email was in its infancy. We still hand wrote reports :)