HSC Professional Ethics in Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher discovers a student is being bullied online by classmates. What is the most ethically appropriate first step?
- Ignore it since it happened outside school hours
- Report it to the school counselor and document the incident (Correct answer)
- Confront the bullies publicly in class
- Tell the victim to handle it themselves
Correct answer: Report it to the school counselor and document the incident
Educators have a duty of care that extends to cyberbullying situations and must follow school reporting protocols.
Question 2: Which principle best describes a teacher's obligation to treat all students fairly regardless of background?
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Justice
Justice in professional ethics requires equitable treatment and fair distribution of educational resources.
Question 3: A parent asks a teacher to share another student's academic records. The teacher should:
- Share the records as a courtesy to the parent
- Decline, as student records are confidential under FERPA (Correct answer)
- Share only the grade, not personal details
- Ask the student's permission first, then share everything
Correct answer: Decline, as student records are confidential under FERPA
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) prohibits sharing student records with unauthorized parties.
Question 4: An educator accepts an expensive gift from a student's parents before grading final exams. This is problematic because:
- Gifts are always prohibited in schools
- It creates a conflict of interest that could compromise objectivity (Correct answer)
- Parents should not interact with teachers
- It violates curriculum standards
Correct answer: It creates a conflict of interest that could compromise objectivity
Accepting gifts before evaluation creates a conflict of interest that undermines fair and objective grading.
Question 5: A student confides they are experiencing domestic violence at home. The teacher's ethical obligation is to:
- Keep it confidential to protect the student's trust
- Consult a colleague before deciding what to do
- Report it immediately to the appropriate authorities as a mandated reporter (Correct answer)
- Only act if the student gives permission to report
Correct answer: Report it immediately to the appropriate authorities as a mandated reporter
Teachers are mandated reporters and are legally and ethically required to report suspected child abuse immediately.
Question 6: When a teacher uses social media to friend a current student, the primary ethical concern is:
- Wasting time on social media
- Violation of professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- Poor digital literacy modeling
- Potential copyright infringement
Correct answer: Violation of professional boundaries
Friending current students on social media blurs professional boundaries and can create inappropriate relationships.
Question 7: A school administrator asks a teacher to alter student test scores to improve the school's rating. The ethical response is to:
- Comply to support the school's reputation
- Alter scores but only slightly
- Refuse and report the request through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Agree verbally but do nothing
Correct answer: Refuse and report the request through proper channels
Falsifying academic records is fraudulent and unethical; teachers must refuse and report such requests.
HSC Professional Ethics in Education 2
A teacher discovers a student is being bullied online by classmates.
What is the most ethically appropriate first step?