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Burnham, J. J., Wright, V. H., & Houser, R. A. (2011). Cyberbullying: Emergent Concerns for Adolescents and Challenges for School Counselors. Journal Of School Counseling, 9(15), 1-31.

David's Legacy Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.davidslegacy.org/

Stone, C. (2018, July/August). Negotiating Neutrality. ASCA School Counselor, 55(6).

Stone, C. (2018, July/August). Suicide and Child Abuse Reporting. ASCA School Counselor, 55(6).

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Upon completion of a Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling from Angelo State University, I hope to be employed as a secondary counselor.

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I spoke with Kate Allen, a middle school counselor, about the legal and ethical issues impacting her role. She has 25 years of counseling experience at the elementary, middle, and high school level.

#1: One major legal and ethical issue facing secondary school counselors is bullying, specifically cyberbullying.

#2: Currently, there are no federal laws that address cyberbullying; however, Texas recently passed SB 179 which directly addresses cyberbullying.

#3: SB 179, also known as David's Law, gives Texas Public Schools the authority to address cyberbullying that is occurring off-campus.

#4: SB 179 (David's Law) is very important for school counselors to be aware of because they specifically mentioned in it. Under this law, counselors are required mediate interpersonal conflict, including accusations of bullying.

#5: Kate is a member of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA). This is one of the primary resources she uses to stay current on legal issues directly impacting counselors. In February, she went to the TCA conference in Galvestion, TX and attended two seminars specifically about counselor roles and responsibilities relating to cyberbullying.

(K. Allen, personal communication, August 21, 2018).

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Professional Association Website: American School Counselor Association

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Professional Association Website: American School Counselor Association

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#1: After exploring the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website and magazine, one legal and ethical issue that surfaced many times was suicide and child abuse reporting. School counselors are required by law (child abuse prevention and treatment act) to report suspected child abuse and suicidal ideations (Stone, 2018).

#2: The second issue is an ethical ethical relating to neutrality when working with pregnant teen mothers. It is important for counselors to remain neutral on issues like abortion, regardless of personal beliefs (Stone, 2018).

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#1: After reviewing the the Texas Counseling Association Website, there was a significant amount of literature relating to the unaccompanied refugee minors and the harmful effects of separating families which is currently happening at Texas borders.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1164913.pdf

#2: Another legal and ethical issue mentioned in this publication is the effects of cyberbullying and the legal and ethical responsibilities of school counselors.

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After exploring legal and ethical issues in relation to school counseling, I am interested in researching the impact of cyberbullying on students, as well as the legal and ethical responsibilities of school counselors.

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Researching cyberbullying and  the role of school counselors

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Researching cyberbullying and  the role of school counselors

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After searching through the Angelo State Library, I located the article titled Cyberbullying: Emergent Concerns for Adolescents and Challenges for School Counselors. It gives relevant statistics and address concerns and challenges regarding cyberbullying (Burnham, Wright & Houser, 2011).

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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Bullying is no longer confined to the 8 to 3 school bells; it has a much further reach due in part to technology. Cyberbullying is defined  as, "a form of bullying which uses technology (e.g., cell phones, MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites, email, webcams, blogs, Internet, text messages, video games) to tease and taunt others (Burnham, Wright & Houser, 2011, pg. 4). According to a recent cyberbulling survey of middle school students, 30% of respondents reported being cyberbullied (Burnham, Wright & Houser, 2011). The effects of cyberbullying can be detrimental and lead to poor academic performance, truancy, depression, even suicide (Burnham, Wright & Houser, 2011).

Until recently, there were no laws regarding cyberbullying. David's law was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2017. A few requirements of this law include the notice of cyberbullying to parents, anonymous reporting for students, as well as civil and criminal implications for cyberbully perpetrators and their parents (David's Legacy Foundation, n.d.).

For counselors, cyberbullying is no longer just an ethical issue its legal too. As I mentioned in my discussion with the counseling professional, a counselor's role is to be an impartial mediator for interpersonal conflict between two or more students. This includes accusations of cyberbullying; however, this does not exempt counselors from mandatory reporting under other provisions of the law (David's Legacy Foundation, n.d.). This topic will remain relevant to school counseling professionals for years to come, so it is vitally important for counselors to stay abreast of legal and ethically requirements regarding cyberbullying.

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Researching cyberbullying and the role of counselors 

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Researching cyberbullying and the role of counselors 

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After talking with a current counseling professional, I wanted to take a closer look at David's law which directly relates to cyberbullying. The following website was created as a legacy for David Molak, a victim of continued cyberbullying.

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The pledge is part of a campaign that brings awareness and support to David's Law, a new law that protects Texas children by treating cyberbullying offenses as misdemeanors and establishing new channels of communication to report these criminal acts to law enforcement through their schools. When a David's Law Pledge sticker is placed on a cell phone or computer, it...

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The pledge is part of a campaign that brings awareness and support to David's Law, a new law that protects Texas children by treating cyberbullying offenses as misdemeanors and establishing new channels of communication to report these criminal acts to law enforcement through their schools.