Editorial: Public schools and private info

Privacy and a public job are often at odds.

Take a job with a government agency, and you are answerable to everyone. More than that, everyone feels a little bit (or a lot) entitled to ask questions about your job, your paycheck, your hours and exactly why you were hired.

That’s because, in a very shareholder kind of way, all of those people are your boss.

As an employer, there are things a borough or a county or the state has to keep confidential about a worker. As a government body, there are things they have to make public. It all becomes like Jennifer Lopez’s body stocking for her Super Bowl halftime show performance: something that gives the illusion of transparency while still maintaining tight control.

Add in the student protections of a school district, and it’s not surprising that Pittsburgh Public Schools is trapped in a sticky web regarding the January case of a North Side kindergartner burned during a science experiment — tied up by a combination of requests and requirements.

The teacher at Pittsburgh King, who had been on administrative leave while the district investigated, resigned Wednesday. The district has declined further comment in the ongoing personnel issue. With regard to the employee, that makes sense.

Not with regard to the experiment.

The family of the child deserves to know what happened with hot liquid that appears to have scalded the student’s stomach and chest, according to pictures. The family’s attorney, Todd Hollis, said the district has provided no information.

But as much as they need answers, they aren’t alone. The 5-year-old girl in question isn’t the only kindergartner in the district. She’s not the only kid interested in science. Her parents aren’t the only ones interested in safety. Other families are owed answers too.

In fact, parents and educators in other districts could learn a lot from an experiment that went wrong. We often learn as much from a mishap as from a success.

Pittsburgh Public Schools can balance the privacy of a student and the confidentiality of a now-former employee while still providing more information that could help parents make informed judgments about their children’s education.