Ethical Dilemma:

Weapons at School
By: Juliet Duralde, Amber Navarro,
Chris Ordonez & Angela Zuniga
The school you work at has very specific guidelines on rules
regarding students bringing weapons or items that could be
perceived as weapons to school. You are called into the
administrative office because one of the 9th grade students,
George, came to school with a martial arts type weapon. He
is facing suspension, but explains that his mom told him to
bring it to school because he goes through some unsafe
neighborhoods to get to school. What is your response?
What do you do to support this student?
 Agenda
A. Define the problem emotionally and E. Apply the moral principles (Amber)
intellectually (Juliet) a. Autonomy
B. Apply the ASCA and ACA Code of Ethics and b. Nonmaleficence
the law (Juliet) c. Beneficence
C. Consider the chronological and d. Justice
developmental levels (Chris) e. Fidelity
D. Consider the setting, parental rights, and F. Determine the potential courses of action and
minors rights (Chris) their consequences (Angela)
G. Evaluate the selected course of action
(Together-Angela)
H. Consult (Amber)
I. Implement the course of action (Angela)
 A. Define the Problem

Emotionally Intellectually
● School rules broken
● Scary: George’s journey to ● Possession of weapons
school feels life threatening threatens safety of all students
● Pity from the school staff ● George needed to be removed
● Sensitive: respect the mom’s from class to remind him why
advice and family dynamic weapons are not allowed
● Understand that parents care ● George needs a safer path to
most about the immediate school
safety of their own children
B. Apply the ASCA
and ACA Code of
Ethics and the Law
LAW
❏ New Jersey v. T.L..O
(1985) - in loco
parentis
❏ No Child Left Behind
Act (2001)
❏ IDEA
❏ State law: e.g. CA Penal
Code 626.10
Ethics: ASCA
❏ Appropriate Referrals and
Advocacy: A.6.a
❏ Serious and Foreseeable
Harm: A.9
❏ Underserved and At-Risk
Populations: A.10.b.c.d
❏ Responsibilities to Parents: B.1
Ethics: ACA
❏ A.2.a Informed Consent and
B.1.d Explanation of
Limitations
❏ B.2.a Serious and
Foreseeable Harm + legal
 C. Consider the chronological
and developmental levels

● High school Freshman (13-14 years old)

● Regardless of age, always take into consideration

developmental levels in a child.

● Consider cultural factors

 Consider the setting, parental rights and minor rights

● Confidential counseling setting

○ Maintaining a trusting relationship with student
● Parental/minor rights
○ Inform legal guardians, in this case mother, of specific
guidelines/school policy on weapons
○ Family Educational Rights and Family Act (FERPA)
○ Prohibits educational institutions from disclosing “personally
identifiable information in education records” without the written
consent of an eligible student, or if the student is a minor, the
student’s parents (CDC, 2018)
○ It is imperative to keep this information confidential
 E. Apply the Moral Principles
Each of the foundational moral
principles has implications for this ● Fidelity
ethical dilemma ○ Honoring commitments
and loyalty within the
● Justice
therapeutic
○ “Treatment in
relationship
proportion to relevant
● Autonomy
differences.”
○ Supporting clients in
● Beneficence
understanding their
○ “prevention and early
decisions, guidance for
intervention actions
children who may not
that contribute to the
understand the full
betterment of clients”
range of impact
● Nonmaleficence
○ “Above all, do no
harm.” https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner-39-s-guide-to-eth
ical-decision-making.pdf?sfvrsn=10
 F. Determine
the potential
courses of
action and their
consequences
 Pros
● Build trusting
relationship with
student Have meeting with
● Student will feel he student and parents
has a voice and is not
assumed to be defiant to determine if this
is true →
determine whether CONS
to suspend or not ● Parent might take
offense to
questioning whether
student is telling the
truth
● Parent might lie to
protect student
 Pros
● Taking school’s
safety into
consideration Conduct risk assessment
● Making a to determine how much
decision based
on evaluation
of a threat the student
possesses to the school, CONS
determine decision of ● If any students knew about
suspension on his possession of the
weapon, they might think
assessment it’s acceptable to bring
weapons to school
● Student could find
weapons to be acceptable
since there was no
consequence
 Pros
● Student will
like you . . . Assume the
BUT
student is
telling the true, CONS
don’t suspend ● They will think they
can get away with
anything by lying
● Other students will
think weapons are
acceptable
● Aren’t taking school
safety into
consideration
 Pros
● Other students will
take consequences
of bringing Assume the student
weapons to school
seriously is lying and suspend,
● Student won’t bring
weapon anymore
no questions asked
→ zero tolerance CONS
● Student won’t feel they can
of weapons talk to you
● Bad relationship with
counselor
● Parents will question why
you didn’t assess situation
● The problem of walking
home in an unsafe
area is not resolved
G. Evaluate the selected
course of action
Our Selected Course of Action

Consequences/Outcomes
Risk ● Taking the school’s safety into consideration
Assessment, ● Keeping parents involved and making them
aware of school rules
Contact ● Appropriate discipline will be made through
Parents & consulting
Consult with ● Positive relationship with student

Admin
 H. Consult
Parents/Guardians Counselors/School Psych

Notify adult caregivers, gather Consult with colleagues, as you

additional information or review information together a
factors impacting the course of action may become
situation. clear

Administration Teachers
Due to nature of this Check-in with the students
incident school teachers, gather relevant
administration should information or feedback if
be notified. possible
H. Consult cont’d
Collaboration
Collaborative decision making
ensures: is
● Objective decision making key!
● New perspectives
● Consideration of related
professional literature
● Culturally sensitive decision
making
● Guidance prioritizing needs
within the situation
 I. Implement the course of action

● Demonstrate empathy towards the

situation the student is in
● Conduct risk assessment
● Talk to parents
● Consult with Admin
● Provide resources for student (e.g., bus ride)
● Follow up with check-ins and check-outs on
the situation (restorative practices)
 References
● FindLaw (2016, June 16). School Violence and Weapons: Constitutional
Rights of Students. Weapons at School.
https://www.findlaw.com/education/school-safety/weapons-at-school.html
● American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA National Model:
A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Fourth Edition, Alexandria,
VA: Author.
● Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). (2018, September 14).
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/ferpa.html
● ACA Practitioner's Guide to Ethical Decision Making
https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner-39-s-guide
-to-ethical-decision-making.pdf?sfvrsn=10