If you are a parent and your child is involved in some kind of issue at his or her school, sometimes trying to get accurate information only adds to the frustration of the situation.

Because of the built-in privacy protections for underage children, school administrators - even those who are sympathetic to the plight of the parent trying to get information - admit that their hands are tied because of a combination of federal and state laws and school policies.

We’re painfully reminded of this problem because of an incident that reportedly occurred at a Lehighton school and which came up at a recent board of education meeting as the result of a concerned grandparent.

During the board’s public comment period, Dave Parsons asked why a student who threatened bodily harm and made death threats, then later brought a weapon to school was allowed back in school after a short suspension.

Now, this is really serious stuff, but unless you’re a district resident who has insider information about all of the facts of these allegations, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Wow, this is crazy. That kid should never have gotten off so easily.”

But here is the problem: Dr. Christina Fish, the Lehighton Area School District superintendent, said that Parsons is mischaracterizing the situation. OK then, so what is the truth?

“We can’t discuss individual student discipline,” Fish said at the Dec. 19 school board meeting. She added that there is “absolutely no lack of concern for student safety in this district.”

Fish went on to discuss policies and legal aspects of incidents such as this in general terms, not necessarily about the specifics about which Parsons was speaking. According to Fish, when district officials review the details of an allegation, federal laws guide how disciplinary actions can be handled, especially when special education children are involved.

Saying that the district’s policy is to continue services to the student or students involved, Fish also said the district evaluates each situation independently - in other words, one size does not fit all - and “there are some limitations and different parameters that come into play.”

This kind of gobbledygook speak doesn’t help anyone understand what really is meant. What are those “limitations” and “parameters”?

So the public is left on its own basically to try to sort out what has happened, what has been done about what happened and what is being done to ensure that whatever happened doesn’t happen again.

Some of this hinges on definitions. For example, Parsons contends that the offending student brought a “knife” to school. Maybe yes, maybe no. There appears to be different definitions about what a “knife” is. I join in with school board President Joy Beers who said during the discussion that she was unaware that there were different classifications for knives. Silly me. I thought a knife was a knife. I mean, sure, there are pocket knives, pen knives, hunting knives, butcher knives, etc., but they are all knives. Is the penalty greater depending on which kind of knife is brought into the building?

Beers acknowledged that the board is doing its fact-finding to get all the information on the issue. The question is, though, that after this complete investigation, will the board make a public announcement on its decision and what, if any, additional disciplinary action will be taken.

If past is prologue, there is no guarantee. I’m not talking only about Lehighton, because most other districts bend over backward to make sure they do not put themselves in a position of running afoul of federal and state laws when it comes to student privacy.

I sought a comment from the U.S. Department of Education and was referred to its explanation on its website, which says, “The U.S. Department of Education is committed to protecting student privacy. We administer and enforce student privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. In addition, we provide technical assistance to help school districts safeguard information about students.”

We know full well in this era of proliferating social media that rumors can take off when incidents like this happen, and they can be really damaging until the truth is known. It’s too bad that school districts cannot be more forthcoming to squelch these rumors. I’ve always been a fan of Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s incisive quote which says, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

By Bruce Frassinelli?|?tneditor@tnonline.com