Leah D.

Aubert
Ethics and Issues in Education
EDUW 695
Framework Reflection
March 30, 2014

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My decisions that I have made in the past were due to what I thought was best

for each of my students. Sometimes I followed the rules, but sometimes that was not
what was best for my students.

I would use my previous experiences as a guide.

At

times I would discuss my thoughts with my colleagues and ask for their opinions as
well.
The first major decision as an educator that I made recently was about a specific
learning disabilities student and his parents; they wanted him to stay in elementary
school another year. My first initial thought was absolutely not. I discussed it over with
the cognitive disabilities teacher (with whom he is cross programmed) and we agreed
that the most positive change for this student was to move him on to middle school.
We also conferred with the principal and the school psychologist for their opinions.
There was quite a bit of time given to discuss the positives of holding him back and the
negatives. The parents came and were able to express their opinions as well. Given
the the information we had, the school staff was in favor of not holding him back a year.
After completing the case analysis, my decision was still the same.

However, it did

force me to examine the positives and weigh them more into my decision than I
originally did. See below for the case analysis process on this student.
Facts:
5th grade student with an IEP (individualized education plan)
identified as OHI (other health impairment with a medical diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)
medical diagnosis does not impact academic abilities
medical diagnosis mainly impacts motor and adaptive behavior (i.e. self help)
due to his OHI, writing is very laborious and difficult, wears finger prosthetics
student wears large braces on legs daily to assist with his medical diagnosis
also identified as with a SLD (specific learning disability in written expression and math calculation)
academically functions about a 3rd grade level and is making progress on his IEP
parents want student to be held back from middle school due to academic and movement concerns

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Ethical Issue:
Should the school hold JL back per parent request or move him on to middle school?

Arguments:
YES

NO

students gap from peers continues to widen as

make age group peers make significant gains

student is making progress on IEP

middle school requires more movement between

classes and floors

student is losing a peer group he has made

significant connections with

student progress and gains are limited and not as

large as age group peers

IEP team will use the years JL is 18-21 to help

him get on track for job and school in the
community

peers in middle school are more likely to tease

and exclude JL

special education directors policy is that any

student with an IEP is not held unless making
NO progress on an IEP

another 5th grade year will give JL more academic

and motor progress and the gap will not be as
wide to peers at grade level

recent studies have proven that holding students

back in older grades does not help the student
make significant gains

Decision and Why?

I would not allow the parents to hold JL back, because despite his gap compared to his same age peers,
he will have a few extra years in high school to receive preparation for work and life in the community.
As teachers we are looking at students futures and I believe he would benefit more from his extra
schooling and job training right before he enters the community, versus spending another school year on
academics that may or may not service him in the future. This decision is based on the consequentialists
point of view. I was thinking of the impact on this student, schooling, life preparation and potentially JLs
success in the community, which is the principle of benefit maximization. I felt that had JL been held
back, the consequences on him and his schooling later on out weighed his academic achievement level.

A second major decision I have made as an education is about an Autistic child

who needed to change schools, but was going to move at some point. It was in his
best interest to find him a program that could offer him more.

However, two major

transitions would cause this child with behavior difficulties even more anxiety and
stress; as a result the behaviors would escalate. In the end, the decision was taken out
of my hands and was made at the district level.

Additionally, we did not know this

family was moving until a few days after this child changed schools. Looking back, I
immediately wondered if that was the right decision for this student. I was even a bit
angered that the parents did not speak up. I discussed this with colleagues who have
decades of special education experience, the principal, regular education teachers, and
people at the district level as well. My principal stated that she did not think she would
do anything different.
child.

Whereas I was second guessing what had happened to this

After completing the case analysis process, it really helped me realize that I

would have leaned towards not having the student change schools. In the long run I
felt that would have been what was best for him.

See below for the case analysis

process on this student.

Facts:
FS has Autism with significant behavior needs
mother wanted to use collaborative problem solving method for explosive children
IEP team constantly met to adjust the schedule and give FS the appropriate sensory input to help
him be successful
some behaviors were reactive
some behaviors were revenge seeking
FS often reacted when expectations placed on him
at home FS was allowed to finish his desired activity first
transitions difficult
FS always wanted to kick at kickball
began to run away off of school grounds
called police liason several times to talk to student
students was suspended when FS found on side of highway
IEP attempted to get on same page as parents and met several times
IEP met weekly
when upset, student reacted with running, kicking, biting, peeing, throwing things in the classroom,
taking things off walls and books shelves (essentially destructive)
current programming could not offer time in classroom and teaching time to deal with frustrations
and emotional outbursts
many outbursts were anxiety driven
mornings were great and afternoons tough
had heard family was eventually moving, did not know where
FS required 1:1 support
FS did not want to look different, but his behaviors made him look different

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Ethical Issue:
Should FS have been moved to a new school when after about 5 weeks the family was moving states?

Arguments:
YES

NO

new school had an EBD program to better deal

with significant behaviors

transitions caused major anxiety; a new school,

then a new house and another school would be
too much

smaller caseload and allowed more time with

students

gender differences not same across the board

program had TA

would lose 1:1 support

FS was preventing learning with students with

IEPs and in with his classroom peers

had great relationships with student; he was a

very cool student

YES

NO

FS was getting into a pattern of running and

revenge seeking behaviors such as peeing and
kicking/hitting=break the pattern

case manager was receiving continuing

education and support with behaviors and
Autism

used incentives and positive behavior

interventions as well

case manager and other team members were

very invested in seeing FS be successful=did not
want to give up on student

most forms of punishment (deterrence,

rehabilitation, and incarceration) were used to
help student learn

expectations for task completion at home and

school were different

Decision and Why?

This was a very tough case for me. It was becoming difficult to maintain the amount of work FS was
giving me and I was feeling quite unsupported at times. At times I also felt like I was not given the
correct tools to help this student. I loved this student and I was very emotionally invested in this him
and the decision ultimately was not mine to make. He was moved to an EBD program that had a smaller
caseload and he was able to get more 1:1 instruction with his behavior. However, the parents did not
speak up at the meeting and say that they were moving relatively soon either. My decision would have
been no, not to move him. The reason why I would not move FS is because his Autism and of his anxiety
and inability to deal with transitions. Two major transitions with in a couple of months of each other
would be too much for this student to handle. This was a hard too because I am not sure if I would have
been able to handle the continued difficulty and time this student would pose had he stayed. I am not
sure what point of view I used. I used the consequentialist point of view on this decision; I only thought
about the impact on FS, how he would struggle, and how his struggle would affect those who dealt with
him. However, using the non-consequentialist universal rule of human conduct, if I were FS I would want
someone to think about the potential number of transitions. If I had Autism and transitions were that
hard for me, I would want someone to minimize for me as well.

The case analysis process will definitely make me a better decision maker. While
I will be able to continue to make decisions that I think are the best for the students, it
forces the me to take out the emotional elements and rely on the facts. The process
also helps me balance positives and negatives to make in informed and equal decisions.
It allows me to look at the consequentialist (how many people are hurt or affected in
the long run) and the non-consequentialist (the rule is the rule) points of view and
decide what the impact will be. Using the case analysis process will also let me get to
the point and make sure that filters are only helpful and not a hinderance to the
process. It will allow me to examine all ideas and all sides of an issue. In the long run,
the case analysis process takes my desire to do what is best for the students and
examine the issue a bit more carefully. Doing the best for my students is truly what
teaching is all about.