When working with minors, how should communication with guardians and schools be handled?

• A. Share all information with schools without consent.
• B. Document progress and communicate with guardians and schools with appropriate consent and privacy safeguards.
• C. Do not communicate with schools to protect student privacy.
• D. Only communicate with schools, ignoring guardians.

Answer: (B)

Communicating with guardians and schools about a minor’s therapy relies on protecting the child’s privacy while enabling coordinated care. The best approach is to document progress and share information with guardians and school personnel only after appropriate consent and with privacy safeguards in place. This ensures the minor’s rights to confidentiality are respected while allowing necessary collaboration for treatment and educational planning. Practical safeguards include obtaining a written release of information from guardians, sharing only information that is necessary for care, using secure channels, and complying with relevant privacy laws (such as FERPA for school records and HIPAA for health information) and professional ethics. Sharing everything without consent would violate privacy rights, not communicating with schools would hinder support and planning, and communicating only with schools would exclude the family from decisions.