Opinion ID: 2636671
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Education Records

Text: Because Wittrein believed that declining school performance, and not abuse, may have caused K.H.'s PTSD, he sought an in camera review of K.H.'s education records. In addition, Wittrein believed that the education records might actually contradict the finding of PTSD if the dates of K.H.'s decline in school performance did not correlate with the dates of her alleged abuse. The trial court held that if the People introduced any evidence as to K.H.'s school performance, the door would be open and the education records would be disclosed. However, the trial court ultimately refused discovery of the education records, and it also declined to review them in camera because it determined, incorrectly, that federal law prohibited their disclosure. The court of appeals disagreed with the trial court's analysis, holding that the federal law contained exceptions to Colorado's statutory prohibition on the release of school records without written parental consent. The court of appeals then held that a trial court should weigh the confidentiality interests of the child and parents against the defendant's need for the requested information. Wittrein, 198 P.3d at 1240. However, the court of appeals concluded that Wittrein had not sufficiently established a need for the information; therefore the trial court's error was harmless. Id. We agree with the court of appeals that a balancing test is appropriate but we do not rest our determination on Wittrein's insufficient proffer. Discovery of K.H.'s school records involves the interplay of state and federal law. Under section 22-1-123(3), C.R.S. (2009), [a] school district shall not release the education records of a student to any person, agency, or organization without the prior written consent of the parent or legal guardian of the student except as otherwise permitted in [the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)]. Under FERPA, an exception to the parental consent requirement exists for release of records in compliance with judicial order, or pursuant to any lawfully issued subpoena if the students or parents have been notified. 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(2)(B) (2006). Thus, the federal statute does not altogether prohibit disclosure of education records but instead requires parental notification and a judicial order or subpoena. Prior to the issuance of a judicial order or subpoena, the defendant must articulate, in good faith, a specific need for the information contained in the records. See Bachofer, 192 P.3d at 461. The trial court must then balance the defendant's need for the information with the privacy interests of the student and her parents. Id. A non-exclusive list of factors the court should consider includes: (1) the nature of the information sought, (2) the relationship between this information and the issue in dispute, and (3) the harm that may result from disclosure. Id. (citing Zaal v. State, 326 Md. 54, 602 A.2d 1247, 1261-62 (1992)). If the trial court determines that the defendant's need outweighs any privacy interests, then it should review the records in camera. The trial court, in its discretion, may then order disclosure of the records. Id. (holding that a defendant may obtain school records upon a proper showing of need and that the trial court's decision will be reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard). Here, Wittrein made no proffer of need directly related to the education records. [8] However, even though the proffer was deficient, we cannot ignore the constitutional issue implicated in the nondisclosure of K.H.'s education records. Under Brady v. Maryland, the prosecution must disclose any information that is materially favorable to the defendant. 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). The court should also disclose inculpatory information that will be of material assistance in preparing the defense. Bachofer, 192 P.3d at 461. We do not believe that, under the circumstances of this case, Brady or its progeny required K.H.'s education records to be reviewed for exculpatory information. K.H.'s education records related only tangentially to her diagnosis and treatment for sexual abuse, and academic performance is only one among many factors that are considered in a PTSD diagnosis. Moreover, the prosecution never relied on the education records at trial. Had the prosecution relied on them, the trial court's pre-trial ruling would have required disclosure or, at the very least, an in camera review. Based on the facts of this case and the relationship of the education records to the evidence, we hold that it was not reversible error for the trial court to decline an in camera review of these records.