ATSW Ethical Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher is asked by a journalist to comment on a specific student's academic struggles. The teacher should:
- Provide general comments without using the student's name
- Decline to comment to protect student privacy under FERPA (Correct answer)
- Confirm or deny the student's enrollment only
- Refer the journalist to the student directly
Correct answer: Decline to comment to protect student privacy under FERPA
FERPA prohibits disclosure of personally identifiable student education records without consent, including to media.
Question 2: A teacher discovers that a fellow teacher is falsifying student attendance records. The ethical response is to:
- Help cover it up to protect a colleague
- Confront the colleague and threaten to report them
- Report the falsification to the appropriate administrator (Correct answer)
- Anonymously contact the school board without speaking to anyone
Correct answer: Report the falsification to the appropriate administrator
Falsifying records is an ethical and legal violation that must be reported to appropriate school authorities.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the ethical duty of 'non-discrimination' for teachers?
- Treating all students identically regardless of individual needs
- Providing equitable opportunities and not allowing bias to affect educational decisions (Correct answer)
- Avoiding any discussion of race or identity in the classroom
- Grading all students on the same scale regardless of accommodations
Correct answer: Providing equitable opportunities and not allowing bias to affect educational decisions
Non-discrimination means ensuring equitable treatment and opportunity, not identical treatment, and requires awareness of personal bias.
Question 4: A teacher posts a photo of a classroom activity on personal social media without student permission. This action:
- Is acceptable if no student faces are visible
- Violates student privacy rights and school social media policy (Correct answer)
- Is fine as long as the school is tagged
- Is only an issue if parents complain
Correct answer: Violates student privacy rights and school social media policy
Posting identifiable classroom content without consent violates student privacy and typically violates school or district policy.
Question 5: A student admits to cheating on a test and asks the teacher not to tell anyone. Ethically, the teacher must:
- Honor the student's request and handle it informally
- Follow school policy on academic dishonesty and report as required (Correct answer)
- Give the student a chance to retake the test in secret
- Only report it if the student cheats again
Correct answer: Follow school policy on academic dishonesty and report as required
Academic integrity policies exist to ensure fairness, and teachers are obligated to follow established procedures regardless of student requests.
Question 6: When is it appropriate for a teacher to discuss one student's performance with another student's parents?
- When comparing class averages
- When the other student was directly affected
- Never — student records are confidential to each student's own family (Correct answer)
- Only when both families give verbal consent
Correct answer: Never — student records are confidential to each student's own family
FERPA strictly prohibits sharing one student's educational information with another student's family without proper written consent.
Question 7: A teacher who holds strong personal political views should handle class discussions by:
- Sharing their views openly to model civic engagement
- Presenting balanced perspectives and encouraging critical thinking (Correct answer)
- Avoiding all controversial topics entirely
- Assigning readings that reflect their own viewpoint
Correct answer: Presenting balanced perspectives and encouraging critical thinking
Teachers must remain professionally neutral on partisan issues and facilitate balanced inquiry rather than promoting personal beliefs.
ATSW Ethical Standards 3
A teacher is asked by a journalist to comment on a specific student's academic struggles.
The teacher should: