diff --git a/src/discussions/comments/comment/Comment.jsx b/src/discussions/comments/comment/Comment.jsx
index 2cdb6bc2..5c761730 100644
--- a/src/discussions/comments/comment/Comment.jsx
+++ b/src/discussions/comments/comment/Comment.jsx
@@ -10,9 +10,12 @@ import { Button, useToggle } from '@edx/paragon';
 import HTMLLoader from '../../../components/HTMLLoader';
 import { ContentActions } from '../../../data/constants';
 import { AlertBanner, DeleteConfirmation, EndorsedAlertBanner } from '../../common';
-import { selectBlackoutDate } from '../../data/selectors';
+import {
+  selectBlackoutDate, selectIsCourseAdmin,
+  selectIsCourseStaff, selectUserHasModerationPrivileges, selectUserIsGroupTa, selectUserIsStaff,
+} from '../../data/selectors';
 import { fetchThread } from '../../posts/data/thunks';
-import { inBlackoutDateRange } from '../../utils';
+import { handleAddPostForRoles, inBlackoutDateRange } from '../../utils';
 import CommentIcons from '../comment-icons/CommentIcons';
 import { selectCommentCurrentPage, selectCommentHasMorePages, selectCommentResponses } from '../data/selectors';
 import { editComment, fetchCommentResponses, removeComment } from '../data/thunks';
@@ -39,6 +42,24 @@ function Comment({
   const hasMorePages = useSelector(selectCommentHasMorePages(comment.id));
   const currentPage = useSelector(selectCommentCurrentPage(comment.id));
   const blackoutDateRange = useSelector(selectBlackoutDate);
+  const isUserAdmin = useSelector(selectUserIsStaff);
+  const userHasModerationPrivilages = useSelector(selectUserHasModerationPrivileges);
+  const isUserGroupTA = useSelector(selectUserIsGroupTa);
+  const isCourseAdmin = useSelector(selectIsCourseAdmin);
+  const isCourseStaff = useSelector(selectIsCourseStaff);
+
+  const hasPrivilege = handleAddPostForRoles(isUserAdmin, userHasModerationPrivilages,
+    isUserGroupTA, isCourseAdmin, isCourseStaff);
+
+  const handleAddComment = () => {
+    if ((!(inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange)))) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (hasPrivilege) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  };
 
   useEffect(() => {
     // If the comment has a parent comment, it won't have any children, so don't fetch them.
@@ -127,7 +148,7 @@ function Comment({
               />
             ) : (
               <>
-                {(!isClosedPost && !inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange))
+                {(!isClosedPost && handleAddComment())
                   && (
                     <Button
                       className="d-flex flex-grow mt-3 py-2 font-size-14"
diff --git a/src/discussions/comments/comment/ResponseEditor.jsx b/src/discussions/comments/comment/ResponseEditor.jsx
index 1ca8763b..45f7bd5a 100644
--- a/src/discussions/comments/comment/ResponseEditor.jsx
+++ b/src/discussions/comments/comment/ResponseEditor.jsx
@@ -8,8 +8,11 @@ import { injectIntl, intlShape } from '@edx/frontend-platform/i18n';
 import { Button } from '@edx/paragon';
 
 import { DiscussionContext } from '../../common/context';
-import { selectBlackoutDate } from '../../data/selectors';
-import { inBlackoutDateRange } from '../../utils';
+import {
+  selectBlackoutDate, selectIsCourseAdmin,
+  selectIsCourseStaff, selectUserHasModerationPrivileges, selectUserIsGroupTa, selectUserIsStaff,
+} from '../../data/selectors';
+import { handleAddPostForRoles, inBlackoutDateRange } from '../../utils';
 import messages from '../messages';
 import CommentEditor from './CommentEditor';
 
@@ -20,12 +23,29 @@ function ResponseEditor({
 }) {
   const { inContext } = useContext(DiscussionContext);
   const [addingResponse, setAddingResponse] = useState(false);
+  const blackoutDateRange = useSelector(selectBlackoutDate);
+  const isUserAdmin = useSelector(selectUserIsStaff);
+  const userHasModerationPrivilages = useSelector(selectUserHasModerationPrivileges);
+  const isUserGroupTA = useSelector(selectUserIsGroupTa);
+  const isCourseAdmin = useSelector(selectIsCourseAdmin);
+  const isCourseStaff = useSelector(selectIsCourseStaff);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     setAddingResponse(false);
   }, [postId]);
 
-  const blackoutDateRange = useSelector(selectBlackoutDate);
+  const hasPrivilege = handleAddPostForRoles(isUserAdmin, userHasModerationPrivilages,
+    isUserGroupTA, isCourseAdmin, isCourseStaff);
+
+  const handleAddResponse = () => {
+    if ((!(inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange)))) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (hasPrivilege) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  };
 
   return addingResponse
     ? (
@@ -37,7 +57,7 @@ function ResponseEditor({
         />
       </div>
     )
-    : !inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange) && (
+    : handleAddResponse() && (
       <div className={classNames({ 'mb-4': addWrappingDiv }, 'actions d-flex')}>
         <Button
           variant="primary"
diff --git a/src/discussions/data/selectors.js b/src/discussions/data/selectors.js
index 9fc1bc9c..771fe8de 100644
--- a/src/discussions/data/selectors.js
+++ b/src/discussions/data/selectors.js
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ export const selectBlackoutDate = state => state.config.blackouts;
 
 export const selectGroupAtSubsection = state => state.config.groupAtSubsection;
 
+export const selectIsCourseAdmin = state => state.config.isCourseAdmin;
+
+export const selectIsCourseStaff = state => state.config.isCourseStaff;
+
 export const selectModerationSettings = state => ({
   postCloseReasons: state.config.postCloseReasons,
   editReasons: state.config.editReasons,
diff --git a/src/discussions/data/slices.js b/src/discussions/data/slices.js
index e88fee88..f77fb088 100644
--- a/src/discussions/data/slices.js
+++ b/src/discussions/data/slices.js
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ const configSlice = createSlice({
     groupAtSubsection: false,
     hasModerationPrivileges: false,
     isGroupTa: false,
+    isCourseAdmin: false,
+    isCourseStaff: false,
     isUserAdmin: false,
     learnersTabEnabled: false,
     settings: {
diff --git a/src/discussions/posts/post-actions-bar/PostActionsBar.jsx b/src/discussions/posts/post-actions-bar/PostActionsBar.jsx
index 1d84ff66..887d34ac 100644
--- a/src/discussions/posts/post-actions-bar/PostActionsBar.jsx
+++ b/src/discussions/posts/post-actions-bar/PostActionsBar.jsx
@@ -12,8 +12,13 @@ import { Close } from '@edx/paragon/icons';
 
 import Search from '../../../components/Search';
 import { RequestStatus } from '../../../data/constants';
-import { selectBlackoutDate, selectconfigLoadingStatus } from '../../data/selectors';
-import { inBlackoutDateRange, postMessageToParent } from '../../utils';
+import {
+  selectBlackoutDate, selectconfigLoadingStatus,
+  selectIsCourseAdmin, selectIsCourseStaff,
+  selectUserHasModerationPrivileges, selectUserIsGroupTa,
+  selectUserIsStaff,
+} from '../../data/selectors';
+import { handleAddPostForRoles, inBlackoutDateRange, postMessageToParent } from '../../utils';
 import { showPostEditor } from '../data';
 import messages from './messages';
 
@@ -26,11 +31,29 @@ function PostActionsBar({
   const dispatch = useDispatch();
   const loadingStatus = useSelector(selectconfigLoadingStatus);
   const blackoutDateRange = useSelector(selectBlackoutDate);
+  const isUserAdmin = useSelector(selectUserIsStaff);
+  const userHasModerationPrivilages = useSelector(selectUserHasModerationPrivileges);
+  const isUserGroupTA = useSelector(selectUserIsGroupTa);
+  const isCourseAdmin = useSelector(selectIsCourseAdmin);
+  const isCourseStaff = useSelector(selectIsCourseStaff);
 
   const handleCloseInContext = () => {
     postMessageToParent('learning.events.sidebar.close');
   };
 
+  const hasPrivilege = handleAddPostForRoles(isUserAdmin, userHasModerationPrivilages,
+    isUserGroupTA, isCourseAdmin, isCourseStaff);
+
+  const handleAddPost = () => {
+    if (loadingStatus === RequestStatus.SUCCESSFUL && (!(inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange)))) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (hasPrivilege) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  };
+
   return (
     <div className={classNames('d-flex justify-content-end flex-grow-1', { 'py-1': !inContext })}>
       {!inContext && <Search />}
@@ -39,7 +62,8 @@ function PostActionsBar({
           {intl.formatMessage(messages.title)}
         </h4>
       )}
-      {(!inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRange) && loadingStatus === RequestStatus.SUCCESSFUL) && (
+      {handleAddPost()
+      && (
         <>
           {!inContext && <div className="border-right border-light-400 mx-3" />}
           <Button
diff --git a/src/discussions/utils.js b/src/discussions/utils.js
index ff84c9d1..12fdd95f 100644
--- a/src/discussions/utils.js
+++ b/src/discussions/utils.js
@@ -281,3 +281,11 @@ export function inBlackoutDateRange(blackoutDateRanges) {
     (blackoutDateRange) => dateInDateRange(now, new Date(blackoutDateRange.start), new Date(blackoutDateRange.end)),
   );
 }
+
+export function handleAddPostForRoles(isUserAdmin, userHasModerationPrivilages, isUserGroupTA,
+  isCourseAdmin, isCourseStaff) {
+  if (isUserAdmin || userHasModerationPrivilages || isUserGroupTA || isCourseAdmin || isCourseStaff) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}