DESE Educational Law, Ethics & Professionalism 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher posts a photo of her classroom on social media that incidentally shows several students' faces without parental consent. Which law is most directly implicated?
- COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) (Correct answer)
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
- Title I of ESSA
Correct answer: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
FERPA protects personally identifiable information from education records, including images that directly identify students in a school context.
Question 2: Under Massachusetts General Laws, which of the following constitutes 'conduct unbecoming a teacher' that could lead to license revocation?
- Arriving 5 minutes late to a staff meeting on one occasion
- Failing to submit grades one day past the deadline
- Falsifying student attendance records (Correct answer)
- Disagreeing publicly with a school policy at a faculty meeting
Correct answer: Falsifying student attendance records
Falsifying official records is a serious ethical breach that constitutes conduct unbecoming a teacher and can result in license revocation.
Question 3: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 primarily prohibits:
- Racial discrimination in schools receiving federal funds
- Disability-based discrimination in public schools
- Sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs (Correct answer)
- Age discrimination in teacher hiring
Correct answer: Sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Question 4: A parent demands to review all notes a teacher has written privately for their own use when planning a parent conference about their child. Under FERPA, the teacher's personal notes:
- Must be shared because they relate to the student
- Are protected education records subject to parental review
- Are exempt from FERPA if they are solely for the teacher's personal use and not shared (Correct answer)
- Must be shared only with the principal's authorization
Correct answer: Are exempt from FERPA if they are solely for the teacher's personal use and not shared
FERPA's 'sole possession records' exemption excludes private notes made by a teacher that are kept solely for their own use and not shared with others.
Question 5: Which ethical principle requires an educator to treat all students fairly regardless of their background, ability, or family situation?
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Equity (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Equity
Equity requires educators to provide fair treatment and access to resources for all students, recognizing and addressing differences in need.
Question 6: A school district in Massachusetts wants to administer a survey asking students about their political beliefs and family income. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), the district must:
- Notify and obtain prior written consent from parents before administering the survey (Correct answer)
- Post the survey questions on the school website 30 days in advance
- Receive approval from the state board of education
- Have the school committee vote to approve the survey
Correct answer: Notify and obtain prior written consent from parents before administering the survey
PPRA requires schools to notify parents and obtain their written consent before students participate in surveys that cover sensitive topics including political affiliations and family income.
Question 7: An educator in Massachusetts receives a gift from a parent valued at $75 during the holiday season. According to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission guidelines, the educator should:
- Accept it, as gifts under $100 are always permissible
- Decline the gift to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Accept it but report it to the principal
- Return it only if other parents find out about it
Correct answer: Decline the gift to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest
Massachusetts ethics rules prohibit public employees from accepting gifts of substantial value that could create a conflict of interest or the appearance of one; educators should decline to maintain professional integrity.
DESE Educational Law, Ethics & Professionalism 3
A teacher posts a photo of her classroom on social media that incidentally shows several students' faces without parental consent.
Which law is most directly implicated?