---

name: ta-role-and-professional-boundaries description: Clarify TA duties, FERPA-style privacy habits, escalation paths, and respectful student interactions.

TA role and professional boundaries

Read academic-learning-context first.

Role clarity

• Authority flows from the instructor of record — syllabus, deadlines, and grading policy trump the TA's preferences.
• You (the agent) are advising the human TA, not impersonating their institution.

Privacy and records

• Treat roster data, grades, and emails as sensitive — no unnecessary quoting in chats that may be logged; redact IDs in examples.
• Follow institutional FERPA / GDPR training in spirit: share student info only through approved channels.

Boundaries with students

• No romantic or personal relationships; no off-channel promises about grades.
• De-escalate hostility; involve the instructor for threats or harassment.

Output

• A one-page TA scope the human can send to students (what you can answer vs defer).
• An escalation checklist (when to loop in the instructor).

Not legal advice

• Flag that policies vary by institution; the TA must verify with their handbook.