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Upon completion of my Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling, I hope to be employed as an elementary school Guidance Counselor.  I would like to stay in the current district that I am teaching in or a smaller surrounding district.  In my 17 years as an elementary educator, I feel the need to meet the emotional need my students are coming to school with daily.

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Exploration Option 1 - Top Five From Professional Interview

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Exploration Option 1 - Top Five From Professional Interview

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I talked to Mrs. Angela Bivins, current Guidance Counselor at Coronado Elementary in Amarillo, Texas, about the current legal and ethical issues of school counselors.

#1: Elementary counselors must stay under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) when it comes to releasing confidential information.

#2: Under FERPA, once a parent request their child's educational records, the school has 45 days to provide them.  Our district likes to produce records within 10 days of the request.

#3: Involving a school lawyer and other agencies during an ARD of one of our 5th grade students.  The mom brings lawyers so the school and district reassures they are staying in guidelines of the legality of the ARD and services.

#4: Each person has some bias, so looking at your own personal bias and using the American School Counseling Model to meet the needs of the students.

#5: Being aware of significant threats to students and other individuals at the is important for the safety of all involved. FERPA, Penal Codes and laws guide in the handling of these threats.

(A. Bivins, personal communication, January 14, 2019)

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Exploration Option 2 - Model School Policy on Suicide Prevention (American Foundation for Suicidal Prevention, AFSP)

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Exploration Option 2 - Model School Policy on Suicide Prevention (American Foundation for Suicidal Prevention, AFSP)

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The Trevor Project, ASCA, National Association of School Psychologist (NASP), and AFSP, are working together to provide a document which outlines model policies and best practices for school districts to follow to protect the health and safety of all students. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10-19 year old's.  The model stresses the importance of having the school counselor conduct a risk assessment.

AFSP urges states to provide school personal with regular suicide prevention trainings.  There are policies that guide and support school personal when referring students who are suicidal.

https://afsp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Model-Policy_FINAL.pdf

https://afsp.org/our-work/advocacy/public-policy-priorities/suicide-prevention-in-schools/

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Exploration Option 2 - School Counselors Legal and Ethical Issues (American School Counselor Association, ASCA)

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Exploration Option 2 - School Counselors Legal and Ethical Issues (American School Counselor Association, ASCA)

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As I reviewed the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website, I noticed that school counselors are faced with a number of legal and ethical issues.  One issue is the obligation of the school counselor if he/she learns that a student might be suicidal. The counselor should always err on the side of caution and put the students well-being first.

I also found the Solutions to Ethical Problems in Schools (STEPS), which is a 9 point decision-making model when counselors are faced with an ethical dilemma.  These steps would walk the counselor through making ethical decisions, such as student's with suicidal thoughts or feelings.
a. Define the problem emotionally and intellectually
b. Apply the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors and the law
c. Consider the students’ chronological and developmental levels
d. Consider the setting, parental rights and minors’ rights
e. Apply the ethical principles of beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, loyalty and justice f. Determine potential courses of action and their consequences
g. Evaluate the selected action
h. Consult
i. Implement the course of action

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/legal-ethical

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Legal and Ethical Issue of Interest to Me - Working with Suicidal Students

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Legal and Ethical Issue of Interest to Me - Working with Suicidal Students

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After exploring legal and ethical principals in the field of school counselors, the topic that I have the most interest in is working with students who are suicidal. I am interested in this topic because of the rise is mental illness of our young children. I also have a strong personal connection to suicide and the life-long effects suicide leaves for everyone.

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Researching Counselors Working with Suicidal Students

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Researching Counselors Working with Suicidal Students

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In my internet search on school counselors working with suicidal students, I came across an article on the American School Counselor Association webpage. In Eisel vs. Board of Education of Montgomery County (1991), the case posed both a legal and ethical analysis of the role of the school counselor and a suicidal student. The school counselor holds a responsibility to keep the students safe in the school setting, as well as keep in contact and open communication with parents.

Carolyn Stone, Ed.D., is an associate professor at the University of North Florida and the chair of ASCA’s Ethics Committee.

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/may-june-2012/student-suicide-legal-and-ethical-implications

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Researching Counselors Working with Suicidal Students

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Researching Counselors Working with Suicidal Students

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In the research of counselors working with suicidal students on the Angelo State University library database, I found an article focused on proposing the increase of student safety through suicide prevention.  Students spend more than one-third of their time at school.  Schools are mandated to protect students which makes a suicidal prevention program essential in the schools.  A school counselor supervisor will give insight on suicide prevention and interventions for school counselors, teachers, administration, and staff.

Implementing a suicide prevention program in schools ensures better student safety.  Counselors will help with in class guidance lessons, along with on-going staff development for the school staff, to ensure student safety.

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.easydb.angelo.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=6d7eccc0-94e9-4003-af13-18a065debd4a%40pdc-v-sessmgr02

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Ward, J. & Odegard, M. (2011). A proposal for increasing student safety through suicide prevention in schools. The Clearing House, 84, 144-149. doi: 10.10801/00098655.2011.564981

Stone, C. & Zirkel, P. (2012). Student suicide: Legal and ethical implications. ASCA Schoolcounselor. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/may-june-2012/student-suicide-legal-and-ethical-implications

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What I Learned About Counselors Working with Suicidal tudents

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What I Learned About Counselors Working with Suicidal tudents

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School counselors will more than likely come in contact or be aware of students who are suicidal or have suicidal thoughts. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10 to 19 year-olds. Students spend more than one-third of their time at school. The schools are mandated to protect students and some of that responsibility is put upon the school counselor.

Implementing a suicide prevention program in schools is a step in which counselors can work with school staff and students to ensure student safety. Counselors are legally obligated to reach out to parents if a students has been identified as a suicidal threat or in immediate danger.

In Eisel vs. Board of Education of Montgomery County (1991), the legal and ethical responsibility of a school counselor when knowledgeable of suicidal student was presented to the court system.  The school counselor is required to work with the minor's parent or guardian to protect the student.

As a future school counselor, I have to know how to assess a student who might be suicidal, counsel families of suicidal students, and investigate all reports of suicidal students.  With suicide being the third leading cause of death among 10 to 19 year-olds, it doesn't matter if I am on an elementary or high school campus, I need to know the legal and ethical implications to working with students who are suicidal.