Academic and disciplinary results of 18-year-olds in secondary school could now go directly to the student, bypassing parents, as they are technically adults. And with the increasing number of young adults in secondary level, this is becoming more and more prevalent.
Commenting on the issue, the director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), Clive Byrne, told the Irish Times: “This is a real issue which schools will need to come to terms with”.
According to Clive there are a number of reasons there are more over-18s at schools these days, including youngsters "staring school at five" and the additional transition year, but “many schools are not familiar with their legal obligations” regarding the issue.
The changes could also mean that students who are of age could place complaints about teachers without their parent’s involvement.
But where do we actually stand?
Well, the Data Protection Commissioner has reiterated that adults have control over their personal data but suggested that schools could decide to give students, who are legally considered adults, the choice of where their information would be sent.
A Department of Education spokeswoman has said that whether or not schools comply with the data protection legislation was up to the school boards of management.
