PASL PASL Legal, Ethical & Equity Leadership 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a school must provide students with disabilities:
- The most expensive educational placement available
- A free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Correct answer)
- Placement in general education classrooms at all times regardless of need
- Services only if parents request them in writing
Correct answer: A free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE)
IDEA guarantees FAPE in the LRE, balancing access to general education with individualized support.
Question 2: A teacher reports a student disclosed possible abuse at home. As principal, your FIRST action should be to:
- Investigate the claim internally before involving outside agencies
- Contact child protective services (CPS) as a mandated reporter without delay (Correct answer)
- Notify the student's parents before contacting any agency
- Document the report and address it at the next staff meeting
Correct answer: Contact child protective services (CPS) as a mandated reporter without delay
School leaders are mandated reporters and must immediately report suspected abuse to CPS regardless of an internal investigation.
Question 3: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits:
- Discrimination based on race in federally funded education programs
- Sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities (Correct answer)
- Age-based discrimination in public school staffing decisions
- Religious discrimination in school enrollment policies
Correct answer: Sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any federally funded education program, including schools.
Question 4: A school leader discovers that a staff member has been accessing students' confidential records without authorization. This is MOST likely a violation of:
- Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (Correct answer)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Correct answer: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA protects the privacy of student education records and restricts access to authorized personnel with a legitimate educational interest.
Question 5: When a school leader models ethical decision-making, they PRIMARILY demonstrate:
- Deference to district administrators on all controversial decisions
- Consistent alignment between stated values and actual actions (Correct answer)
- Strict adherence to rules even when context suggests a different approach is more equitable
- Avoidance of any decision that might generate parent complaints
Correct answer: Consistent alignment between stated values and actual actions
Ethical leadership is visible through the consistent alignment of a leader's values, decisions, and actions.
Question 6: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act differs from IDEA primarily in that Section 504:
- Requires an individualized education program (IEP) for every eligible student
- Provides broader eligibility and focuses on accommodations that ensure equal access rather than specialized instruction (Correct answer)
- Only applies to students with physical disabilities
- Is enforced exclusively by the Department of Justice
Correct answer: Provides broader eligibility and focuses on accommodations that ensure equal access rather than specialized instruction
Section 504 has broader eligibility criteria and provides accommodations to ensure equal access without requiring the specialized instruction framework of IDEA.
PASL PASL Legal, Ethical & Equity Leadership 1
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a school must provide students with disabilities: