Professional Development and Support

As schools join forces with outside service providers, professional development plays a key role in preparing teachers and other school staff for new roles and responsibilities. Sharing information with a variety of service providers, for instance, may be a new way of working for most school staff. Administrators may want to structure some professional development opportunities for staff to increase their awareness of the legal and ethical implications of sharing information, familiarize them with the procedures involved in obtaining and storing confidential information, and keep them continually informed of new legal statutes and procedures for maintaining confidentiality.