In Kentucky is it illegal for a coworker to secretly record private conversations between other coworkers in a public school? This person is not the boss, not the principal or superintendent, and the conversations took place while she was out of the room. She left her phone hidden and recording. It did not involve students, was not during class time or during teaching, but during break times or while she was gone to lunch. She made comments to others about wanting to know what was being said about her while she was out of the room. She did not ask any permission, did not have permission from anyone higher up, and those being recorded (several individuals, recorded several times) in no way gave consent, and she was not a party in the conversations. Can she be sued and/or have charges pressed against her by the coworkers she recorded?
To clarify, the person doing the recording was not in the room, was not part of the conversation, and had no consent from anyone she recorded.
Yep. That’s electronic eavesdropping, and it’s illegal in all fifty states and at the federal level. But how do you know that she’s recording y’all? Did she put it on YouTube or something? Or was she actually stupid enough to tell people that she was recording? Sentence five isn’t entirely clear on that point.
She had complained to another coworker that she believed people were talking about her when she left the room, and she wanted to know what was being said. She was caught and admitted to taking my date book from my purse and going through it to see if there was anything about her written in it. Her phone rang, and she had placed it in a box and covered it with papers and set it beside a desk where several coworkers sit for their break (that happened two or three times). She made a comment about knowing ‘the truth’ because she had the room bugged, but then denied having said that. Then she began making very very specific comments about things that were said while she was out of the room, with no way for her to be able to do that without having heard the conversations.
Sometimes I swear that people are getting dumber by the year. Is this a teacher? With credentials and everything?
Yes, and sadly with a lot of emotional issues… I don’t want to go into too many specific details, because of confidentiality (it is a school and I do take privacy very seriously), and I have tried very hard to remain professional, but it’s reached a point that some of us coworkers feel we will end up having to take action. But the laws on recording conversations can be confusing, and I would like to know all my rights and the legal ramifications before I go the next step of filing a complaint.
It’s been my experience that most teachers are a couple of cans shy of a six-pack. I don’t hold out much hope for the American educational system.
Uh, is it possible that this women has some mental health issues, not just emotional ones?
I’d wager that that’s virtually certain.
Aside from the enlightening prognosis on mental health in the teaching profession, :rolleyes: wouldn’t it be best to consult a lawyer first? Getting some good advice and taking your time could be the best course of action, where a serious breach of trust has occured.
Definitely, mental & emotional… but with how the education system works, even unstable people are protected to the point it takes an act of congress to take action against them. I just want to have all my ducks in a row, and know what is or isn’t legal, before we head to the main office with this. What’s morally wrong isn’t always legally wrong, and with secret recordings there are so many gray areas…
Justin, you’re right, a lawyer visit should be our next move, thank you. The internet just makes it so tempting to try to find answers on your own, especially when you’re up at 2am, lol.
Please, I need to back up a bit. I mean no disrespect to all the great teachers out there. I did not intend for this to be a reflection on teachers, but to just get some advice on this particular situation with this particular person, regarding invasion of privacy and secretly recording conversations. The teaching profession itself has my utmost respect.
Pretty crazy…
If she publishes it, that could be slander.
I don’t think its a reflection on teachers… but maybe its a reflection on the school system and whoever hired this person.
Isn’t it in situations like this where you wonder “What would Jim and Pam do if they were bored and discovered Dwight was surreptitiously recording their conversations?”
Lawyers cost money of course.
What your co-worker did is way beyond the pale, and something that needs to be brought to the** immediate** attention of your principal. He/she would be in a better position to confront her and if necessary, call in for legal advice.
In the meantime, I would not be uttering her name AT ALL, under any circumstances to your other co-workers. She sounds like a right nutter, and you don’t want her to have any ammunition when the shit hits the fan (as it will undoubtedly do).
Wow…good luck mate!
None taken, QE, it was the “two cans short…” statement I was referring to but didn’t want to direct any comments at anyone as this is GQ. Maybe it should be in another forum anyway.
Is there a third party you can ask, part of a union or somesuch? If not, I’ve had an initial consultation with a lawyer (driving offence) that didn’t need payment.
And how is this not a cause for instant dismissal?
IANAL, but I think if she published something it would be libel, not slander, and even then it would not be as she has proof that the things were actually said, which I believe is a solid defense against libel.
But, the act of recording the information AND the act of telling anyone about what she recorded both seem to be pretty clear violations of the Federal antiwiretapping regulation found here. It seems to carry a fine or jail up to five years, but I didn’t see how much the fine could be.