SAC Ethical & Legal Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student discloses to a SAC counselor that she was sexually abused by a family member last year. The SAC counselor's FIRST obligation is to:
- Notify the student's parents immediately
- File a mandated report with child protective services (Correct answer)
- Refer the student to a private therapist
- Document the disclosure in the student's permanent record
Correct answer: File a mandated report with child protective services
SAC counselors are mandated reporters and must report suspected child abuse or neglect to child protective services, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Question 2: Under FERPA, which of the following individuals does NOT have an automatic right to access a student's educational records?
- A parent of a dependent minor student
- An eligible student (18 or older)
- A non-custodial parent with a court order granting access
- A school counselor from another district without consent (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A school counselor from another district without consent
FERPA prohibits disclosure of educational records to outside parties, including other school counselors, without written consent or a specific legal exception.
Question 3: Which ethical principle requires a SAC counselor to act in the student's best interest even when the student cannot fully understand what is beneficial?
- Autonomy
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical obligation to promote the well-being of clients and act in their best interests.
Question 4: A SAC counselor receives a subpoena for a student's counseling records. The counselor should FIRST:
- Release the records immediately to comply with the subpoena
- Destroy the records to protect student confidentiality
- Consult with the school's legal counsel before releasing records (Correct answer)
- Notify the student's parents and release records with their permission
Correct answer: Consult with the school's legal counsel before releasing records
A subpoena is a legal request but not always a court order; the counselor should consult legal counsel to determine the appropriate response and protect privileged communications.
Question 5: When a student assistance program involves group sessions, confidentiality limitations MUST be:
- Kept secret from participants to avoid anxiety
- Disclosed only at the first sign of a breach
- Explained to all members at the outset of the group (Correct answer)
- Waived because groups are considered public settings
Correct answer: Explained to all members at the outset of the group
Counselors must inform group members of confidentiality limits at the start of the group because the counselor cannot guarantee other members will maintain confidentiality.
Question 6: A student's parent requests that the SAC counselor keep a second set of informal 'personal notes' separate from official records. These notes are BEST described as:
- Exempt from FERPA if kept entirely private and not shared (Correct answer)
- Always subject to FERPA disclosure requirements
- Protected by counselor-client privilege in all states
- Required to be destroyed after each session
Correct answer: Exempt from FERPA if kept entirely private and not shared
Under FERPA, 'sole possession' notes that are kept private, not accessible to others, and used only as personal memory aids are exempt from the definition of education records.
Question 7: A SAC counselor discovers that a colleague is providing alcohol to students after school. The counselor's ethical obligation is to:
- Confront the student directly and warn them not to accept alcohol
- Report the behavior to a supervisor or appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Ignore the matter if no students have complained
- Address the issue only if the colleague's licensure is at risk
Correct answer: Report the behavior to a supervisor or appropriate authority
Ethical codes require counselors to report colleagues who violate ethical or legal standards that harm or endanger clients or others.
SAC Ethical & Legal Standards 2
A student discloses to a SAC counselor that she was sexually abused by a family member last year.
The SAC counselor's FIRST obligation is to: