Confidentiality, Self-Harm, and a Custody Subpoena

First, separate three issues: clinical confidentiality, the parent's FERPA rights, and the school's safety duty. Jordan's request is understandable, but unconditional confidentiality was not and cannot be promised.

1. Reassess risk now. Use a structured suicide risk screener and ask directly about intent, plan, means, and protective factors. No current suicidal intent lowers urgency but does not eliminate risk: self-harm plus THC use plus functional decline is a cluster that warrants active intervention.
2. Explain limits in developmentally appropriate language. Identify safety, abuse/neglect reporting, and court orders as limits. Invite Jordan to co-disclose to the mother, offer to be present, and negotiate what is shared-for example, the safety plan and need for treatment rather than every detail.
3. If Jordan refuses and risk remains, notify the parent/guardian with the minimum necessary information. The parent has a legal right to information about a minor's education records, and the school has a safety interest. District policy and state law govern the exact form, so consult a supervisor. Do not disclose to peers or the 19-year-old.
4. Build a safety plan with a trusted adult, coping strategies, sharps restriction, crisis numbers, and follow-up; refer for outpatient therapy and substance use assessment.
5. Document the risk assessment, rationale, disclosures, and follow-up. The 'duty to warn' is not triggered absent a threat to an identifiable victim.

Do not copy everything. A subpoena is not the same as a court order and does not by itself override FERPA.

• Tell the principal that releasing records without proper authorization creates legal risk and violates district records policy; request the district records custodian and legal counsel.
• Determine whether parent/guardian consent or a court order exists. For a subpoena, FERPA generally requires a reasonable effort to notify the parent before compliance so the parent can seek a protective order, unless the court order says otherwise.
• Identify which records are responsive. School social work notes are likely education records if they are shared with staff or used in decisions; the 'sole possession notes' exception is narrow and does not apply once notes are disclosed.
• Redact information about other students and third parties, and release only relevant records.
• Log the disclosure.
• If the custody dispute raises safety concerns, provide factual, behaviorally specific information, not opinions beyond the social worker's expertise.

The principal's instruction does not override law or district policy; escalate in writing and document the advice given.

Treat the disclosure as a possible mandatory report, not a counseling secret. The social worker should not interrogate Jordan or promise silence; ask only enough to determine whether a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect exists, then consult the supervisor and report to child protective services if state law defines sexual activity between a 15-year-old and a 19-year-old as abuse, or if the adult is providing substances and exploiting the minor.

Document Jordan's statements verbatim and the report. In parallel, address immediate safety: the 19-year-old should not have access at school; review transportation, boundaries, and social media; and involve the parent as described above. If the relationship is not sexual but involves providing THC, still consult, because contributing to a minor's delinquency may be reportable and is a safety risk. Continue supportive counseling and protect Jordan from retaliation; reporting and clinical support are not mutually exclusive.