Mishmeres HaSholom: Ask the Rav

Q: In a previous issue, I read a question regarding a secretary in a yeshivah who was concerned about lashon hara while entering marks into the computer. It set me to thinking about my particular position. As a teacher, I ask my daughter on occasion to help me enter marks into my roll book, or to grade multiple-choice tests. My daughter knows my students, and I was therefore wondering if it is assur for her to be exposed to their tests and marks. Does this constitute lashon hara? If it was an oversight, how can I correct it?

 
A: You should not give your daughter grades to record as they expose her to information that may include negativity about the students. In addition, you shouldn’t allow her to mark your tests, unless you conceal the girls’ names. (One way would be to place stickers over the names, if they can be removed easily.) If you transgressed in the above, you should repent with viduy, charatah and kabbalah al ha’asid. The secretary is a yeshivah staff member and may therefore be exposed to information regarding students. However, your daughter is not part of the teaching staff, and was not hired to mark tests.