OSAKA -- A man in Osaka Prefecture was handed a list of private information on his daughter and students from a stranger claiming to be a PTA board member -- just one of many controversial cases in which personal data has been shared among PTA members even before children start school.

Just before his daughter was set to enter elementary school, an unexpected visitor turned up at the man's home. A woman he had never met, who identified herself as a PTA committee member gave him a list of data on students who would be walking to school together, including their names, genders, home addresses and phone numbers. He wondered, "I never gave the PTA my personal information, so how did they get it?"

Similar incidents have been reported across Japan with some cases escalating to the point where principals were criminally accused over the mishandling of personal information.

Shared as a matter of routine

The company employee in his 30s from Osaka Prefecture goes by the pseudonym Yasushi. In April 2023, before his eldest daughter started attending a municipal elementary school, the PTA board member brought the list filled with personal details, such the time and place students meet to commute in groups. She seemed to be distributing it without any malicious intent, as though it was a standard process.

However, Yasushi felt uneasy about how the information he had given to the school before enrollment had somehow made its way to the PTA. At the entrance ceremony, following the principal's speech, a PTA executive member subtly implied mandatory membership, saying, "Participation is optional, but everyone joins." Before even having time to submit a membership application, Yasushi noticed that PTA fees had been withdrawn from the bank account whose information he had provided to the school.

With questions on the situation, he contacted the city's board of education. He was told, "The principal explained during a pre-enrollment briefing that personal information would be provided to the PTA." But Yasushi had no recollection of such an explanation, nor had he received any documents confirming it. Seeking clarity, he filed a request for disclosure of public records relevant to the matter.

Education board issues apology

After some time, Yasushi received a letter of apology from the city's education board stating, "It has been found that the school hadn't provided an explanation to parents about providing personal information to the PTA." The handling of private data by the school was deemed inappropriate, and the principal was apparently given guidance.

Although the principal also apologized to him, they justified enrolling parents into the PTA without verifying their intent, saying, "That's just how it's always been done."

The school's response deepened his distrust, and he considered filing a criminal complaint alleging a violation of the Local Public Service Act, specifically breaching confidentiality. "I don't want to stir up trouble, as I'm worried my child could face harassment. But they weren't taking the protection of personal information seriously, and it felt like I couldn't get through to them," he complained.

Subsequently, the school introduced a consent form to authorize the sharing of personal data, and the PTA began preparing documents to confirm the intent to join, among other improvements. Yasushi also submitted a membership application of his own accord and agreed to the provision of private information. He emphasized, "The school and the PTA are separate entities. Without the establishment of proper procedures, trust cannot be ensured."

Spate of problems across Japan

A similar issue occurred in Hyogo Prefecture, where a resident in his 40s was shocked to discover that membership fees had been withdrawn from his bank account before he joined the PTA at the municipal school his eldest daughter attends. He was further surprised to learn that the PTA used school rosters to assign duties to supervise children walking to school.

The man exclaimed, "What the PTA considers common sense is nonsense in general society."

Similar cases have continued to surface nationwide, including in the cities of Takamatsu and Oita where parents filed criminal complaints against school principals for allegedly violating confidentiality obligations, with some even being referred to prosecutors.

Some education boars establish guidelines

What do principals themselves think? One principal of an elementary school in western Japan's Kansai region admitted, "If things have run smoothly so far (by the school and the PTA), personal information might be shared without much thought about how it should be handled."

The principal explained that because PTAs involve teachers and parents in various positions, "it's difficult for one principal alone to suddenly decide and change operations that have been in place." They pointed out the need for education boards to create standardized manuals to prevent future issues over the handling of personal data.

Some boards have already compiled their policies and issued notifications.

Since 2021, the Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education in Fukuoka Prefecture has issued annual notifications to its municipal elementary and junior high schools clearly stating that personal data of students and parents held by schools must not be provided to PTAs without the individual's consent.

In 2023, the Shiraoka Municipal Board of Education in Saitama Prefecture issued a notice to municipal elementary and junior high schools outlining precautions for PTA activities, stipulating that private information was not to be shared with PTAs. A board official said, "By setting principles, schools can act as intermediaries for non-PTA member households to participate in school commuting groups, and PTAs can collect personal information with parents' consent, allowing each school to take a flexible response."

(Japanese original by Yumi Shibamura, Osaka City News Department)