Roles and Responsibilities Flashcards

A teacher suspects a student is being abused at home. What is the teacher's primary legal obligation?

Answer: Report the suspicion to the appropriate authorities immediately

Teachers are mandatory reporters in Texas and must report suspected child abuse to authorities immediately without delay.

A student's parent requests to review their child's educational records. Under FERPA, within how many days must the school provide access?

Answer: 45 days

FERPA requires schools to provide parents access to educational records within 45 days of the request.

Which of the following best describes a teacher's legal 'duty of care'?

Answer: Protecting students from foreseeable harm through reasonable supervision

Duty of care requires teachers to provide reasonable supervision to protect students from foreseeable harm.

A teacher overhears two students discussing plans to harm a classmate. The teacher's FIRST action should be:

Answer: Report the threat to school administration without delay

Immediate threats to student safety must be escalated to administration before any other action.

Which federal law primarily governs the confidentiality of student educational records?

Answer: FERPA

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) specifically protects the privacy of student educational records.

Under FERPA, a school may disclose student records to law enforcement without parental consent when:

Answer: There is an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or others

FERPA's health-or-safety exception permits disclosure without consent when an emergency presents an immediate threat.

A Texas teacher who knowingly fails to report suspected child abuse may face:

Answer: Criminal charges and potential loss of teaching certification

Texas Penal Code makes failure to report suspected child abuse a Class A misdemeanor, and SBEC may revoke the educator's certificate.