Last night and today were awful.

So I got a call from a parent last night asking if I could come to some sort of meeting for one of my students. I asked if the student was okay and said that I "was scared he was hurt or something" so the parent answered "oh, no he's fine, my daughter is interested in going out with him, but there's something wrong with him right? He doesn't talk much and he's not very friendly to other kids"<br><br>So I was totally caught off guard and I didn't know what to say. The student has high-functioning autism, and his parents have asked me specifically not to tell the other parents about his condition because they don't want him labelled or excluded. <br><br>I just sort of... mumbled something about shy kids taking time to come out of their shell and then offered to take the call in the principal's office so that the principal could also join. The principal and I talked for a while and agreed that we would tell the student's parents and then see what to say in response, but both of us were worried because the parent on the phone had basically said "one of my kids is interested, but you seem off" <br><br>The student's parents said they would be OK with me giving a non-specific explanation of "emotional difficulties" if it meant that their daughter wouldn't think it was something more serious, but I don't think that even helped. When I called the parent back I could tell she was basically horrified and she apologized profusely for being so pushy.<br><br>Then today I walk into school and the secretary pulls me aside to tell me the parents are divorced and the father is trying to push for a report on the student's condition to use against the mother in some way.<br><br>I just feel like... I did the right thing, I can't just tell people about a student's medical condition, but I also feel awful that the mom called me up to ask what was wrong only because her kid was interested. I feel shitty about the student because we basically had to tell his classmates he's not scary, he's just a bit "broken" which is like... not great for a kid. I feel like I'm in on some observation the student doesn't know about, and like his whole personal life is my business now.<br><br>I'm also going to have to talk to the dad at some point and I know he's going to yell at me about this and that will be stressful.<br><br>Ugh.<br><br>ETA: I don't know if anyone will see this but I am very overwhelmed by the kindness and support in the comments. I think I might have to bring it to my principal that the student's parents don't want him labelled as I feel it is a safety issue. I'm also considering reaching out to the special ed department in our district because it absolutely does sound like he has autism. I appreciate all the advice on this, and I am sorry if my initial wording was offensive.