Lashon HaRah – Asking Students to inform on others

Igros Moshe (YD II #103) Question: Is it permissible for a teacher to ask his students to inform him  who did something wrong? Answer  This is a disgusting thing since it causes that they are lenient about speaking lashon harah. This is similar to what G-d said to Yehoshua “Am I an informer?” If this is asked for the purpose of chastising the student for pure reasons in order that the misbehaving student  will be punished and reform his ways it might be permitted. But that is relevant where the student takes the initiative for the sake of a fellow student and not where the teacher demands that the students inform on the perpetrator. Such is disgusting even if the students are great Torah scholars. Thus for us it can not be considered pure motivation for adults and surely not for children. 

Igros Moshe (YD II #103) Question: Is it permissible to punish students  in a manner that interferes with their Torah studies? Answer It is certainly not permitted since it is definitely harmful to them while the possible benefit is  highly doubtful. Therefore a different punishment should be used

Igros Moshe (YD IV #30.1) Question: Explaining why asking students to inform on each other is disgusting an d encourages them to be lenient about lashon hara when it seems it is a useful request? Answer  I said it is permitted if done solely for giving proper chastisement and only if the student takes the initiative to inform the teacher to properly chastise the misbehaving student. When the teacher demands that they inform he is being lenient with the severe prohibition of lashon hara. The teacher can explain the seriousnouss of the misbehaving even without punishing the misbehaving student. Even if he can’t he still is not allowed to encourage lashon hara 

Rav Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos VeHanhagos 1:839)  Question: If a teacher tells his students to inform him who misbehaved can they tell him? Answer It seems to me that the teacher first has to explain to them that the sin of lashon hara is a very serious sin. However if the information serves a useful purpose it is not considered lashon harah. In this case since it is for the good of the proper education of the student, thus there is no problem of lashon harah. In fact the opposite is true. Just as it is prohibited to speak lashon harah about another person, there is an obligation  to inform the teacher so that he can properly chastise  and this is not lashon harah at all. I heard that this is described in the Igros Moshe as a disgusting thing and that it causes the students to take the prohibition of lason harah lightly. I don’t see that there is such a concern. Nevertheless the teacher needs to explain to the children what constitutes lashon harah and that the present case is not lashon hara since it is for a beneficial purpose.