Our secretaries have had kids in our school. One of the secretaries is very friendly with 1 of the lunch aides and a few mothers in our school. The secretary not only tells the lunch aid personal tidbits about people but she also tells the mothers that shes close to!

She hasn't talked about me behind my back(because it seems everyone knows my business)but she has done it to others who were smart enough to go to the principal. He put a stop to her gossiping, so now we only have to deal with the lunch aid. He said he can do anything about her because she shouldn't have access to the files. I know for a fact that when no one is in the office she goes through the files(she's been caught by a few teachers)but because he really, really, really likes her its ok.

A few people have talked about going to the board of ed about her,but decided against it because she's leaving the school in June.

By the way KMA, she's going to be another one of your problems!! I'll fill you in when I see you again.

Just like any position a person needs to be interviewed for the job regardless if they are a parent at that school. I am sure if the principal felt uncomfortable with someone they would not hire.

I can also see the concern of having parents working with in the school system for some it works for others it doesn't. Like KMA felt I was uncomfortable with the fact so and so can access this information on my family... but in the long run it can work out to be positive having that person in there that does know as long as they handle it properly.

Like the previous posters we are very fortunate to have an office staff that feels confidentiality is very important. They could lose their job if they spread the information they know and I would want it that way. Personally, I don't need to know everyone's woes and I would be deeply upset by any school staff that I heard talking about confidential information. However, refusing to hire parents to work in these positions may be taking it too far. There may be some you wouldn't want in there, but there are non-parents that would be just as bad. It all depends on the person. As long as they are good to the kids, get their work done, show courtesy to the parents and staff and maintain the level of confidentiality that is required of them, I wouldn't care if they have kids in the school or not.

Our secretaries are also part time school nurses, disciplinarians and general catch-alls. They are very involved with the kids and probably know more than the principal. Luckily they are very conscientious women who do not misuse the information they have. I can see how that kind of knowledge of personal information could make life uncomfortable if the secretaries don't show respect. But it's hard to avoid. Everything goes past their desks or they can hear things as people come into the office.

I think that it is normal for secretaries to know much more than than the job requires. They'd have to cover their ears not to. They are right next to the boss and everything goes past them to get to him/her. But I've been lucky and worked with very professional people who don't even let on about how much they know much less gossip.

Sorry, that's probably not what you wanted to hear. I can see how it could be a very bad situation with an unprofession gossipy person, though. In that case, I guess people learn to work around him/her - probably the hard way.

KMA I must agree and disagree. First I will tell you I am a substitute teaching assistant in our school district, but I specialize in office work. This can get long so I will try to be brief.

1-I have been a very active board member of our HSA the past 7 years. Being president 2 times secretary 2 times and always chairing a committee. My daughter is in her last year at the elementary school this coming September.

2-Because of this volunteer work I discovered how much I loved working in the school with the kids, teachers and office staff. So I applied and have been a main sub at the same school.

3-Confidentiality is serious. I find that knowing the children and their families has helped me some children respond to me and parents know me. We are currently involved in an extremely sensitive and serious situation on the HSA and the women in the office including the principal have shown nothing but the best judgement and respect to not only the people involved but they have been nothing but loving and caring to the children of the people.

I guess it boils down to the person or people on staff and how trustworthy they are. Our office staff is A+. I would trust them with my deepest darkest secrets and know that they would do what was in the best interest of my child. Some people by nature are gossips. But when I work at the school I know I have a responsiblity to not share information with people about anything; when I am HSA president I know that certain things need to be kept in line; when I am a parent I do what is in the best interest of my children and I try to impart on them the importance of trust and loyalty.

May not make any sense but I love working at the school my child(ren) go to and I plan on doing it more when my daughter is in middle school. But I am hoping to stay where the kids are shorter than me... my heart is in Elementary school work.

As for us having "private" information I would only hope that the principal would see to it that no gossip occurs. It only makes them look bad. When I sub I get no private information I just really answer the phones and do attendance subs do not have access to anything sensitive. I wish every school could have as outstanding an office as our school. These women know every single kid and who they can go home with and who the cannot go home with.

I'm uncomfortable with the thought of ANY parent of any child in our school having that sort of access to private information, mostly the gossip-worthy kind . It's bad enough our secretaries are very close, personal friends of some of the parents, and they get access to not only personal information (try proving it though ), but also a heads up on matters of importance.

I'd rather the incoming secretaries have as little affiliation with the school as possible. I understand having certain knowledge might help them with their job, but I see it as a "secretarial" position, and most secretaries in the work force get by without that sort of knowldege just fine.

FINALLY: In your school's main office, are the "secretaries" moms or other closely networked parents?