North Carolina § 8-53 - 4. School counselor privilege.

§ 8-53. 4. School counselor privilege.

No person certified by the State Department of Public Instruction as a school counselor and duly appointed or designated as such by the governing body of a public school system within this State or by the head of any private school within this State shall be competent to testify in any action, suit, or proceeding concerning any information acquired in rendering counseling services to any student enrolled in such public school system or private school, and which information was necessary to enable him to render counseling services; provided, however, that this section shall not apply where the student in open court waives the privilege conferred. Any resident or presiding judge in the district in which the action is pending may compel disclosure, either at the trial or prior thereto, if in his opinion disclosure is necessary to a proper administration of justice. If the case is in district court the judge shall be the district court judge, and if the case is in superior court the judge shall be a superior court judge. History (1971, c. 943; 1983, c. 410, ss. 4, 5.) Legal Periodicals. - For comment surveying North Carolina law of relational privilege, see 50 N.C.L. Rev. 630 (1972). For survey of 1983 law of evidence, see 62 N.C.L. Rev. 1290 (1984).