https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm Jasmyn Smith, Legal & Ethical Principles 6305 en-us 2018-10-20 17:58:31 UTC 2026-03-23 00:22:10 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Diskette.png jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/342161228 After completion of my Masters in Education Administration, my future professional perspective will be from that of an assistant high school principal. In my current position as a high school English teacher, I deal with various ethical dilemmas. I foresee my future as an assistant principal to also include ethical and legal dilemmas. ]]> 2019-03-17 19:35:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/342161228 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/343553911 I discussed current legal and ethical issues that administrators might have to entertain with Dr. Jay L. Smith, a high school superintendent and current employee of the Texas Education Agency. 

#1 - Despite premise liability, several court cases have ruled that school districts are in fact not liable for certain issues pertaining to students. With courts ruling against normal regulation, the underlying question is: who is responsible for students whether they are school grounds or not?

#2 - Discipline management and decision making pertaining to discipline can become an ethical dilemma. Dr. Smith suggests always using the Chapter 37 discipline chart. 

#3- Bullying is also an ongoing issue that students face. However, bullying is not just a school issue, it is a societal issue. Dr. Smith stated that as an superintendent, he pushes anti-bullying programs to inform students of the long term effects. The underlying issue: If your child is being bullied what are the legal ramifications?

#4- It is much more expensive to educate a child in a small school rather than a larger school. Unethical funding in public education has become an issue.  

#5 - Inappropriate use of technology throughout the school system has become a dilemma. Today's students have technology at their finger tips and the issues now is whether we are taking technology too far. Other issues that spark from this are whether it is ethical for a teacher to take a child's phone. If the phone were to become damaged, is the teacher now liable? ]]> 2019-03-20 21:35:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/343553911 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344028787 Additional article relating to ethical issues that administrators might face.  ]]> 2019-03-21 22:42:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344028787 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344210379 While this article is titled issues that teachers face, ultimately, the safety of students and safety concerns are issues that administration handle. This article displays more examples of the question: Who is liable for student safety? ]]> 2019-03-22 13:47:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344210379 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344211407 This article provides examples of court cases that depict the various decisions made about who is responsible for students.
Campisi, J. (2019). To what extent are districts, schools liable for students' safety?. Education Dive. https://www.educationdive.com/news/to-what-extent-are-districts-schools-liable-for-students-safety/547823/]]> 2019-03-22 13:49:31 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344211407 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344215637 Several court cases have ruled that the school district was not liable for an incident based on the measures that the school took prior to the event (Campisi, 2019). If the district has an emergency plan, yet someone still gets hurt, the district was not held responsible. However, if the district did not take safety precautions, such as having locked doors or enforcing an emergency plan, the school could be held liable. Some schools have been held responsible for harassment or bullying which took place outside of school hours; courts claimed that the school could have predicted that the harassment was going to occur and should have taken the necessary measures to prevent the event.
 A similar case depicted that the school did not have the right to discipline a student who harassed another student because the school was hindering the student's ability of free speech or expression. With each case varying, what are schools supposed to do to make sure they are protecting their students and following safety precautions, yet not overstepping their boundaries? ]]> 2019-03-22 13:56:13 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344215637 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344226245 This article provides examples of liability issues and discusses when the school is liable and why ]]> 2019-03-22 14:14:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344226245 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344226385 Attendance is mandated in Texas and parents send their children into environments where they hope that they are protected. Recent court cases have determined that school officials might not be liable for the safety of these children. The underlying question: To what degree are schools/campuses liable for student safety? ]]> 2019-03-22 14:14:47 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344226385 jsmith1401 https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344474154 One ongoing issues is administration making discipline decisions based on legal and ethical reasoning rather than emotional reasoning. The Chapter 37 Discipline Code and Chart are reliable tools for administrators. ]]> 2019-03-23 17:02:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jsmith1401/gdc23gh0nvnm/wish/344474154