I am 1st - a Mom 2nd- Advocate, and Always, a Protector of my Special Needs ADD & ADHD diagnosed children.

I feel an individual teacher harassed my child(ren) and in turn endangered my child's/ children's safety and emotional well-being, but I don't know how to resolve the matter.. I also feel a violation of FERPA took place.

In our one household, we have living with us besides our immediate family, additional extended family members who have fallen on hard times. The parents are separating, and they have one child.

So, living with us is just one parent, and one additional child.

This child was enrolled into the same school that my children attend.

Unlike my children, the child that additionally lives with us is undiagnosed, but suffers from a range of behavioral and emotional problems. These problems also surfaced while in a classroom setting.

The child's teacher approached myself and my children and asked very personal questions about what my children witnessed {and did not witness} in our home setting. She then turned and used this "testimony" against the child {and the child's parent} during the child's parent-teacher conference without my knowledge or consent.

My own children came forth and told me that the teacher was additionally asking them very personal and incriminating questions in relation to the additional child living with us. {Again, this teacher was not my children's personal teacher.}

I asked the school to please request that the teacher stop approaching my children about the additional child living with us. It was causing emotional stress on my children because they were afraid of the additional child's parents being upset w/ them for having to testify to things they witnessed in our home environment. My children did not want to be used as witnesses.

In turn, the school replied that a written request must be submitted if I wanted the teacher to stop approaching my children.

I did so, and submitted it through e-mail.

In this email, I spoke of my child's IDEA accommodations and also asked that my child be sent to counseling to help my child deal with the stress of our home environment and additional family members, and coping skills. Also in the email, I made reference to my child's ADD/ADHD diagnosis- something that I intended to keep private. I listed reasons why I felt it was inappropriate for the teacher to be approaching and questioning my children.

The teacher in turn made copies of the e-mail, and released them to third parties, including the parent of the additional child living with us.

When the parent read the email, the parent became irate, because the parent felt what I wrote was incriminating.

What should I do here to resolve the teacher's conduct? I felt she was harassing my child, and she acted inappropriately by printing my personal files and emails and then releasing them.

Should I file a complaint? And if so- what is the best way to do so?

I sought legal advice, and was told that school e-mails are a matter of public record. What can be done here to ensure that this teacher does not hurt my family any further?

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