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.
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. Hallway bulletin boards may be updated during the course of the school year and there should be a reasonable amount of time between updates.
While school supervisors cannot require a specific bulletin board format, they may request certain content to be posted, such as current student work, a task, title and a blank assignment rubric. There should be no completed rubrics, checklists or feedback forms used to evaluate students posted on bulletin boards.
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 your administration is engaging in micromanagement and has created unreasonable mandates for bulletin board updates, such as being instructed to use a specific format, post grades or to otherwise violate student privacy guidelines, speak to your chapter leader who can address these issues at your school's consultation committee or via the paperwork and operational process.
See bulletin board guidance as posted in Principals' Digest.
Also see Micromanagement; Teacher Facilities.