Are teachers meant to be using WhatsApp to discuss my DS

[PETRONELLAS]

Job-share with various other adults involved. Teacher said ‘we let eachother know about DS’s medication issue on WhatsApp. It works really well as we all read it’. I really though GDPR would not allow this and think it’s quite unprofessional. AIBU?

Paranoia the destroyer

If the exchange of messages about your son's medical needs keep him safe, I don't think it's something I'd complain about.

That said, as a teacher myself, I do not use my personal phone for school things, including e-mails. I have an antique laptop and tablet provided by the school and only access school info on one of those. Reason being that I don't want there to be any chance of school info being accessed by my own DC if they are using my phone.

Presumably they’d be better using signal rather than WhatsApp. All the cyber security people I know use signal for messaging.

I work for a major employer in the UK (and International) and we don't allow Whatsapp to be used for work-related communication. It's an outside app that we have no control over, nor can we track or keep records of what's been sent/received.

I'd raise the issue with the school. This is your child and you have a right to know the information is being distributed in an official and professional capacity.

The personal data for this child share on WhatsApp will not include anything particularly identifiable, eg DOB, address

This is not the test. Under GDPR any Data that may lead to the identification of an individual including through "singling out" is personal data and must be treated accordingly.

The fact that no one would be interested is irrelevant. It also means that all the people saying "we only use initials" or "we don't include DOB" are misunderstanding the provisions - the fact that you know who is being referenced means the data is identifiable.

I'm surprised at all the posters saying "we don't use WhatsApp because it's an external platform and we can't control it".

What about email or any of the other myriad third party platforms that are commonplace? How anyone can be comfortable with the use of e.g. Microsoft Office email but not WhatsApp from a GDPR perspective is astonishing

What’s app is not secure as the recent breach showed. My employer has banned us using it. They should not be using it.

@WutheringBites NHS England late last year released updated advice about WhatsApp here which more sensible

Presumably the sort of messages they send are "Sam has his medication at 10am. Next dose due at 2pm".
It's not like they're saying "Samuel Jones of 123 Baker Street had his dose of 7mg of xyz at St Anne's Primary school at 10am..."
I dont see how this is in any way a breach of confidentiality if only the teachers can see it - it's certainly no worse than an email with the same information on it. Would you be happy with them speaking in person? Using a post-it note system?

Surely your son having his medication done correctly is more important than some perceived problem with being unprofessional.

If they just use the child's initial there's no GDPR issue.

OP, I think your reaction is probably due to the fact that most of us see WhatsApp as a social tool. But actually it's far more secure than the communication methods that you might see as 'more professional'. Also real time messages are far more efficient when it comes to a child's day to day medical needs then email would be.

Try to let go of your perception of WhatsApp. It's a multi purpose platform, social AND professional, and its encryption makes it much more secure than email etc.

I dont have an issue with whatsapp as a communication. Email in school is useless. I do have a problem with that being the process for recording when medicines taken /what dose if thats what you mean.

While Office 365 is an externally hosted platform workplace Admins do have oversight of the data on outlook. I can go onto anyone's email account and search for a name phrase or anything else required for a Subject Access Request. You can't do that with WhatsApp (and it's why the IT team doesn't use Office 365 to communicate ;) )

Just this....

For those of you suggesting smoke signals etc, I don't think teachers have gone straight from ancient forms of communication to WhatsApp. There are many other ways to communicate. How did these teachers communicate before WhatsApp was invented?

Also, I really do not believe that there is no way for FB (who own the app) to access the information in WhatsApp messages.

Example of an appropriate professional use of whatsapp:
"I'm off tomorrow so just a reminder SB needs a dose of medicine at 11.30am. Details in medication file as always"

Example of an inappropriate professional use of whatsapp:

"Simon Barnes mum has insisted we give him calpol at 11.30 even though she should really be keeping him at home. I'm off shopping for the day so can someone make sure he gets it, don't want another email moaning 🙄"

Can you see the difference?

How did these teachers communicate before WhatsApp was invented?

Emails. Which are easy to miss, could be send to a spam folder, might not get checked until later in the day. Not to mention they would have the same content as the messages on Whatsapp.

Teacher here and we wouldn’t be allowed a WhatsApp group to discuss pupils. We have to use email or OneDrive (which is apparently far more secure than email). With both of these we just always use initials only.

I can see however how WhatsApp might be used - for example if it had been a day out of school such as a sports day and staff wanted to communicate with each other in an FYI situation- e.g. that pupil ‘MD’ had taken his medication while out and parents had been informed at pick up. This would then be followed up at school. I can see that it would be useful and no actual breach of confidence or privacy is going on.

If the WhatsApp group is for a specific student, there is no need to even use initials.

Unless you work for a software company, all platforms are externally hosted.

Whatsapp is secure. If MPs have Whatsapp groups, I fail to see why teachers cant

I find the using of initials frustrating but we have to use them at all times. It’s particularly frustrating when I get an email from a parent saying something like “Sam banged his head at football at the weekend, please make all staff aware etc etc”. Despite the parent telling us to distribute the Information amongst staff, we still have to use initials. I get it if it was sensitive info but it’s not.

How did these teachers communicate before WhatsApp was invented?

Post it notes they sent w child walking around school with until they found the right staff member!

I think I would prefer WhatsApp!

I would rather them share information about my sons allergies on a shared WhatsApp group so everybody knows, rather then a postit that could get lost that leads to my son being very very ill and possibly worse ( he has a few severe allergies) so this wouldn’t bother me.

The teachers seem to be trying their best in the interest of your child OP - why are you trying to find fault with them?

Job shares in teaching often communicate like this. Before technology, job shares would use a planner that stayed on the desk which isn't secure at all. A job share only works when two people behave as one. They have zero cross over time so all communication is done outside of school hours via email or any other messaging service. YABU.