Schools Quit Posting Honor Rolls

(Nashville, Tennessee) This story is disturbing. Lawyers have advised officials of the Nashville School System that Tennessee privacy laws prohibit releasing academic information (good or bad) without permission. Therefore, the schools will no longer post honor rolls for fear of lawsuits from parents of students who didn't make the required grades. Since spelling bees and academic challenges may also cause poor performers to be ridiculed, they are also being canceled. Accordingly,

School officials are developing permission slips to give parents of the Nashville district's 69,000 students the option of having their children's work recognized. They hope to get clearance before the next grading cycle - in about six weeks at some schools.

The problem can be traced to a 1970s privacy law that's unique to Tennessee.

I suppose they won't be able to name a valedictorian unless they name every student as a valedictorian. This is absolutely ridiculous.