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Upon completion of a Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling, I hope to be employed as a school counselor in elementary education. My mission as a future school counselor is to assist students as they progress in their academic, social/emotional, and career development.

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 1: Interview With a Current Professional

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 1: Interview With a Current Professional

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I had the opportunity to interview the school counselor at Fisher Elementary in Pasadena ISD since I am completing my practicum hours under her mentorship this fall term. The following are the top five things I learned about legal and ethical issues during our discussion:

1. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) magazine is a helpful resource that provides real-world, relevant advice and information concerning legal and ethical issues as they directly relate to school counseling.

2. Maintaining and updating 504 folders is a major part of a school counselor's duties in Pasadena ISD, and it is important that these folders meet all required criteria in the case of an audit.

3. It is important to be knowledgeable of proper protocols a school counselor must follow in accordance with ethical principles when a student makes a statement of suicidal ideation.

4. It is important to be aware of the proper protocols school personnel must follow in accordance with the law when a student confides in them that he/she has been physically harmed by another individual.

5. Ethically speaking, a school counselor should provide short-term services to students with sessions generally lasting from 6-8 weeks with follow-ups. If the student needs additional support, the counselor should consider seeking outside resource referrals for the student and/or his/her family
(R.A. Henley, personal communication, October 22, 2018).

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 2 : Professional Association Websites

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 2 : Professional Association Websites

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While exploring the National Education Association (NEA) website, I identified the following legal and ethical issues:

* educator rights that include advocating for economic security, improving student learning, and providing an educational environment that is conducive to student success

* effective instructional practices teachers can implement when working with students from poverty and/or trauma in order to close achievement gaps (NEA, 2017)

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Our Current Focus

More Issues

In support of common issues and public education.

Research reports reviewing data on educational issues and policy papers concerning NEA members, educators, and the public school community.

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In support of common issues and public education. Research reports reviewing data on educational issues and policy papers concerning NEA members, educators, and the public school community.

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 2: Professional Association Websites (cont'd)

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Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues Option 2: Professional Association Websites (cont'd)

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While exploring the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website, I identified the following legal and ethical issues:

* the protection of student confidentiality by the school counselor unless the student states that he/she wishes to harm himself/herself or another person

* complying with ethical responsibilities to inform parents/guardians if a student states that he/she intends to harm himself/herself in any way (ASCA, 2018)

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Not-Found - American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

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Topic of Personal Interest: Student Suicide Ideation

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Topic of Personal Interest: Student Suicide Ideation

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The topic I selected from my exploration of legal and ethical issues concerning the field of school counseling is student suicide ideation. I selected this topic because it is highly relevant to my role as a future school counselor, and a suicide attempt by a second grader occurred earlier this year at the elementary school where I am currently employed.

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During my internet search for information concerning student suicide ideation, I explored the article "Suicide and Child Abuse Reporting" by Carolyn Stone located on the ASCA website. This article stresses the importance of school counselor's treating suicide ideation with as much urgency as child abuse cases. Counselors should report incidents of suicide ideation to parents/guardians just as they would report incidents of possible child abuse to proper authorities, such as Child Protective Services (CPS) (Stone, 2018).

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Login | American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

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ASCA. (2018). Legal and Ethical. American School Counselor Association.  Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/legal-ethical

Francis, P.C. (2003). Developing ethical institutional policies and procedures for working with suicidal students on a college campus. Journal of College Counseling, 6(2), 114-123. Retrieved from eds.b.ebscohost.com.easydb.angelo.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=f0eb1e14-9992-4522-acb8-6acdaa048cd6%40pdc-v-sessmgr

NEA. (2017). Issues and Action. National Education Association. Retrieved from www.nea.org/home/IssuesAndAction.html

Stone, C. (2018). Suicide and child abuse reporting. American School Counselor Association. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/july-august-2018/suicide-and-child-abuse-reporting

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Researching Student Suicide Ideation (cont'd)

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Researching Student Suicide Ideation (cont'd)

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Through my online search of the Angelo State University Library, I found and explored the article "Developing Ethical Institutional Policies and Procedures for Working With Suicidal Students on a College Campus" by Perry Francis. This academic article contains implications for school counselors who service individuals from all developmental and age levels and implores counselors to act "in loco parentis" to ensure student safety (Francis, 2003).

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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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What I Learned About Student Suicide Ideation

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What I Learned About Student Suicide Ideation

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The ASCA article "Suicide and Child Abuse Reporting" discusses the idea that, in regard to the duties of a school counselor, "reporting suicidal ideation is as much a legal/ethical imperative as that of reporting suspected child abuse to authorities" (Stone, 2018). Ethically speaking, it should not be left to the counselor's discretion or based solely on the results of a suicide assessment to determine whether or not parents/guardians are notified of a student's ideation. Informing parents/guardians of the situation parallels the ultimate responsibility of a school counselor concerning student safety and well-being- to do no harm. Counselors should not hesitate and wait until they feel certain that a suicide attempt may occur; if they believe that a student is at risk on any level, that is justification enough for a notification to parents/guardians.

Suicide assessments should be viewed as a tool counselors can use when notifying parents/guardians of a student's suicidal ideation. While the counselor can relay what level of risk the assessment determined, he/she should make it clear to the parents/guardians that these results can be unreliable and should not affect their decision to seek the support and expertise of an outside mental health professional. This professional can provide further guidance for the student and family, as well as the extra time needed to make a more detailed, accurate assessment of the student's risk (Stone, 2018).

Although the academic article "Developing Ethical Institutional Policies and Procedures for Working With Suicidal Students on a College Campus" focuses on suicide risks at the university level, it still holds many relevant implications for elementary school counselors, as well. College campuses often have parents question why they were not informed by administrators and/or other campus leaders or why more preventive steps were not taken following a student's suicide. A school counselor at any academic level has the obligation to follow protocols for "in loco parentis," which allows him/her to act on behalf of the student in the place of a parent/guardian figure. By doing so, the counselor is able to help ensure the student's welfare (Francis, 2003).

The responsibilities and duties of the counselor when acting "in loco parentis" involve notifying necessary persons, including the campus dean or principal and appropriate family members, and making referrals to local crisis and/or mental health centers. Ethical procedures established by the American Counseling Association (ACA) state that disclosure of suicidal ideation by a student should only be made to the aforementioned individuals and that minimal information be shared on a "need-to-know" basis. The ACA further stresses the importance of maintaining student confidentiality unless the student indicates an intent to cause self-harm. In this case, the counselor should ensure that proper policies and procedures are in place to assist with upholding the safety and physical well-being of the student until further support can be acquired (Francis, 2003).