Harris Beach Educational Institutions Industry Team attorney and certified school psychologist Anne McGinnis recently addressed how the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the way to telemental health, as well legal considerations for school districts to keep in mind in a recent article for NYSSBA On Board Magazine.
Anne touched on the legal ramifications of abrupt endings to telesessions as well as student privacy rights under FERPA and NYS Education Law 2-d.
“When a student is in your office and discloses that he or she may be at risk of harm and others may be at risk of harm, you’re able to manage that situation much easier because the student is in front of you and you can keep the student safe,” Anne said. “That is harder to do when you’re remote.”