Opinion ID: 1443106
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admissibility of Communications between Appellant and his Former School Guidance Counselor

Text: Appellant next contends that it was error for the trial court to deny his motion in limine seeking to bar the prosecution from introducing communications Appellant had with Sheila Britton. Appellant contends that his relationship between Ms. Britton and him was that of guidance counselor and student, and therefore, any communications between them were confidential and privileged under 42 Pa.C.S.  5945(a), which provides in relevant part:  5945. Confidential communications to school personnel (a) General rule. ÔÇö No guidance counselor, school nurse, school psychologist, or home and school visitor in the public schools or in private or parochial schools or other educational institutions providing elementary or secondary education, including any clerical worker of such schools and institutions, who, while in the course of his professional or clerical duties for a guidance counselor, home and school visitor, school nurse or school psychologist, has acquired information from a student in confidence shall be compelled or allowed: (1) without the consent of the student, if the student is 18 years of age or over; or (2) without the consent of his parent or guardian, if the student is under the age of 18 years; to disclose such information in any legal proceeding, trial, or investigation before any government unit. 42 Pa.C.S.  5945(a). The Commonwealth argues that Ms. Britton's relationship with Appellant did not fall within the scope of Section 5945(a) because the relevant communications occurred in 1997. Ms. Britton was never Appellant's guidance counselor, nurse, psychologist or the like. Rather, she administered the Upward Bound Program, which assisted high school students seeking specific advice regarding college attendance. Moreover, at the time of the murder in 1997, Appellant was out of high school and Ms. Britton no longer worked for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Accordingly, regardless of their prior relationship, when the murder occurred, Ms. Britton and Appellant simply were not in a counselor/student relationship. When reviewing the denial of a motion in limine, we apply an evidentiary abuse of discretion standard of review. See Commonwealth v. Zugay, 745 A.2d 639 (Pa.Super.), appeal denied, 568 Pa. 662, 795 A.2d 976 (2000) (explaining that because a motion in limine is a procedure for obtaining a ruling on the admissibility of evidence prior to trial, which is similar to a ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, our standard of review of a motion in limine is the same as that of a motion to suppress). The admission of evidence is committed to the sound discretion of the trial court and our review is for an abuse of discretion. See Commonwealth v. Albrecht, 554 Pa. 31, 720 A.2d 693, 704 (1998). Ms. Britton specifically denied ever being a guidance counselor. Instead, she testified that when she initially met Appellant, her job title was Director of the Upward Bound Program. She testified that she was the administrator of the program, which was designed to help and encourage low-income or at-risk students to attend college by providing academic and personal counseling. She explained that although she met Appellant when he was enrolled in the program during the 1992-93 school year, he dropped out of the program the next year when he transferred to another school. By 1995, she also had left the program and was no longer employed by the Pittsburgh Public School Board. Ms. Britton also explained that there are guidance counselors within the Pittsburgh Public School system, but she was not one of them. She further testified that she was never a school nurse, school psychologist, licensed psychologist, or home school visitor. In summing up her relationship with Appellant, Ms. Britton said that she was never a guidance counselor, her relationship with Appellant was personal, and she felt like a second mother to him. Accordingly, we can discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court's ruling on the motion in limine under the facts of this case. Ms. Britton's position as administrator in the Upward Bound Program did not qualify her as one of the enumerated professionals. Even if it did, the relationship had ended long before the communications at issue occurred and long after Appellant left Schenley and Ms. Britton changed professions. Consequently, the relevant communications which Appellant sought to exclude with Ms. Britton were not subject to immunity under 42 Pa.C.S.  5945(a) and Appellant's claim of error lacks merit.