Image: Scales of Justice” by Jason Luper is licensed under Creative Commons via Flickr

Overview

This module covers legal and ethical issues in education.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Summarize the components of key laws and court decisions that directly affect schools.

• Identify whether or not particular school-related information is confidential.

• Describe situations in which advocacy for a student or group of students is an important part of an educator's role.

• Evaluate particular school-based situations regarding legal and ethical issues involved to determine appropriate courses of action.

Learning Activities

1. Hypothesis.is Discussion 2: Top legal hurdles facing schools in 2024-25

2. Weekly Journal: Self-Care for Future Educators: Make Taking Care of Ourselves a Priority

3. After-Class Reflection

Learning Activities 

Hypothesis.is ( Tool) Discussion 5: Top legal hurdles facing schools in 2024-25

Goal: This discussion aims to help us understand how legal and policy issues impact the everyday realities of teaching and learning. These challenges are not abstract; they affect how educators work, how students learn, and how schools serve communities.

As you read the article, use Hypothesis to annotate and respond to key ideas. Your goal is to engage with the text, make connections to your experiences or prior learning, and consider the impact of legal issues on day-to-day school life.

Instructions

While reading, make at least three insightful annotations:

• Highlight a key issue identified as a major legal challenge and explain why you believe it is significant for educators.

• Connect something from the article to your own experiences in school or work (as a student, employee, parent, etc.).

Ask a question or offer a critique about an idea in the article. Consider things like:

• What is unclear or surprising?

• What might this mean for teachers, paraeducators, or school leaders?

• Who is most impacted by this issue?

After annotating, reply to at least one classmate’s annotation. Add to their thinking, share another example, or respectfully disagree with their reasoning.

Assignment 9: Practicing Advocacy

Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to recognize the legal protections and support programs available to students and that advocacy is an integral part of supporting students. In this assignment, students can practice writing a letter to advocate for a student in their class. 

Instructions:

• You need to write a letter advocating on behalf of a student. Your letter should be addressed to either your principal, counselor, or supervising teacher so that someone with authority can take action on the situation, even if it is simply to meet with you and provide advice accordingly. 

• In this week's Instructional Materials, you will see examples and sample advocacy letters of legal protections for  IDEIA, ADA, FERPA, Lau v. Nichols, Plyler v. Doe, and  Mandatory Reporting. When crafting your letter, incorporate one of the mentioned legal protections and apply your understanding of the legal protections available to this student.

• The letter needs to be a minimum of 3-4 paragraphs and include the following: 

  • Describe your role working with the student

  • Describe the challenges the student faces and why you feel this situation needs attention

  • Articulate why you think this legal protection is so important

  • Address the importance of a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment for all students

  • Make recommendations for accessing support services or support personnel to assist this student. (You are welcome to research programs that may be available to this student and/or the student’s family.

Please Note: Educators should focus on a student's specific challenges in their classroom (inability to focus, trouble reading in English). Educators are not authorized to diagnose students with any disability or recommend medication; however, they are permitted to implement accommodations upon receiving specific recommendations from medical personnel. So, if you are referring to such a disability, medical personnel should have already provided a medical diagnosis.   Here is an example of a letter of advocacy. 

Weekly Journal Self-Care for Future Educators: Make Taking Care of Ourselves a Priority

Teaching is deeply meaningful work, but it can also be emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding. One of the most important professional habits you can build now, as a future educator, is the ability to care for yourself with intention. Sustainable teaching begins with sustainable you.

Why Self-Care Matters in Education

As teachers, we support students through academic challenges, emotional stress, life transitions, and moments of growth. To do this well, we need to nurture and protect our own well-being. Self-care is not indulgent; it’s an essential part of ethical and responsible teaching. When you care for yourself, you:

• Strengthen your resilience and emotional regulation

• Model healthy habits for your students

• Improve your creativity, patience, and decision-making

• Build longevity in the profession
  
  

Your Self-Care Journal 

Throughout the module, you are invited to keep a simple Self-Care Journal. Make a copy of this Google Document and download the copy. Your journal’s purpose is to record one activity that you are doing to take care of yourself each week. We need to develop habits of self-care so that it can become part of our practice. The suggested prompts are provided to help you get started. If you are doing something else than the suggested activity, then add it to your journal. In your After-Class Reflection, report what you are doing each week as a self-care practice. 

Week 9 –After Class Reflections

Goal: The goal of this activity is to gather feedback on your understanding of concepts each week and address any questions you may have related to the content and instructions. This is considered a form of formative assessment. 

Instructions: Please complete the survey.