Q: One of our veteran teachers was offended by a performance evaluation that she felt didn’t adequately reflect her contributions to the school—so she wrote a rebuttal. Do I have to include this in her personnel file?
A: While you’re not necessarily required to include rebuttals in personnel files, it is good practice to do so, for several reasons. Firstly, it reflects the accurate history of the performance discussion—i.e., the administrator had these views, the teacher had those views. Secondly, it shows respect to the teacher—i.e., we take your views seriously, so much so that what you’ve written will become a part of the permanent record. Thirdly, in the unlikely event that a court case ever evolves, it strengthens the school’s credibility by showing that you have nothing to hide and as a matter of course included the employee’s writings on this matter in their official personnel file which may be subpoenaed and exposed in open court.
