If you are required to maintain classroom or hall bulletin boards, their format is up to you. Per Article 21A of the contract, your principal cannot dictate how they look or discipline you for their format.
While school supervisors cannot require a bulletin board format, they may request specific content to be posted, such as current student work, a task, title and rubric. There should be no evaluative bulletin board rubrics, checklists or feedback forms. Hallway bulletin boards may be updated during the course of the school year and there should be a reasonable amount of time between updates. Hallway bulletin boards are not part of a teacher’s evaluation and only in-room bulletin boards may be considered as part of a teacher’s evaluation.
In addition, bulletin boards must adhere to DOE student privacy guidelines:
- Student grades in a class, on coursework, or on exams (or grading equivalent) should not be posted.
- Students’ names may be posted, but not student ID numbers as they are more sensitive in nature.
- Students’ credit accumulation, exam progress, and graduation status may not be posted on bulletin boards.
- Classwork with teacher feedback/comments may be posted as long as the school community cannot deduce the student’s grade from the feedback. Example of feedback that cannot be posted on bulletin boards: using exact language from a grading rubric or circling comments/checking boxes on a grading rubric that is attached to the assignment or exam.
- Be mindful to not disclose a student as having a disability or being an multilingual learner. For example, a bulletin board can be titled “Ms. Michelle’s Class” but should not be labeled “Ms. Michelle’s Special Ed Class” or “Success with SETSS.”
- Any deviation from these privacy guidelines for posting student grades requires prior written parent consent.
If you are being mandated to use a specific format or to violate student privacy guidelines, speak to your chapter leader who can help you file a grievance.
See bulletin board guidance as posted in Principals' Digest.
Also see Micromanagement; Teacher Facilities.