Student Privacy & Social Media
A teacher posts a photo of the whole class on social media without asking parents.
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Public sharing of student images typically requires parental permission.
During a review, a teacher reads aloud the answers to a district-mandated test and lets students write them down.
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Revealing test content violates testing security rules and undermines fairness.
A student confides in a teacher that they are being physically abused at home. The teacher decides to “wait and see.”
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Teachers are mandated reporters; waiting violates the law.
A teacher buys party snacks from their own money for a low-income student’s birthday.
✅Legal & ✅Ethical (but watch district gift policies).
Rationale: Kind personal gesture; ethical support of a student’s inclusion.
A teacher reprimands a student quietly at the desk for chewing gum.
✅ Legal & ✅Ethical.
Rationale: Calm, private redirection is both allowed and ethical classroom practice.
A teacher uses an online poem and posts the full text on the class website without any credit to the writer.
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Posting copyrighted material without permission can breach copyright/Fair Use.
A teacher notices a student’s test score was recorded incorrectly in the gradebook, raising their grade by 10 points. They choose to leave it.
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Maintaining accurate student records is a legal and ethical duty.
A teacher hears another teacher mention that a student said they were being abused, but that teacher doesn’t plan to report it. The first teacher makes the report herself.
✅Legal & ✅Ethical
Rationale: In Texas, every educator is a mandated reporter. Even if the information comes secondhand, the teacher is still legally and ethically required to report suspected abuse. Reporting directly to CPS or authorities fulfills her obligation and protects the student. This teacher acted correctly.
A teacher gives a student a granola bar every morning because they don’t eat breakfast.
✅ Legal | ⚠️ Ethically Complex
Rationale: The teacher’s heart is in the right place, but ethically, it’s best to inform the counselor or admin so the student can get consistent food support. Acting alone could unintentionally hide a deeper issue or violate school food policies. This could also be illegal, as the child might be experiencing food scarcity.
A student’s parent complains about a lost assignment grade. Teacher refuses to change the grade.
✅ Legal | ❌ Unethical
Rationale: While not breaking a law, it’s unfair and unprofessional. Teachers should model accountability and fairness.
A teacher posts a funny but critical rant about the school principal on a public social media account.
✅Legal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Public employee speech can be protected, but it may breach professional conduct expectations.
A student’s parent complains because the teacher lost their child’s homework and gave them a zero. The teacher refuses to change the grade.
✅Legal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Not illegal, but unfair and unprofessional.
A teacher notices bruises on a student but assumes the parents are “strict” and doesn’t report it.
Illegal & Unethical
Rationale: Teachers are mandated reporters. Failing to report suspected abuse puts the student at risk and violates Texas law.
A teacher repeatedly makes jokes about certain students’ backgrounds or abilities during class, and other staff hear about it but do not report it.
❌ Legal (Harassment) | ❌ Unethical
Rationale: Even if the jokes are technically protected as speech, they violate professional conduct expectations and the Texas Educator Code of Ethics. Teachers must create a safe, inclusive environment and model respect.
A teacher allows their favorite students extra time on assignments, while other students must adhere strictly to deadlines.
✅ Legal | ❌ Ethical
Rationale: Differentiation can be legal, but giving preferential treatment without instructional justification violates fairness and equity principles. Teachers should ensure all students have equal opportunity.
A teacher accidentally sends a parent an email that includes another student’s grade.
❌Illegal & ❌Unethical
Rationale: Sharing a student’s grade without consent violates FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Even accidental breaches must be reported. Not informing admin prevents proper documentation and training, which makes it both a legal and ethical issue.
A teacher changes student's grades in the gradebook without documenting the reason.
Illegal & Unethical
Rationale: Maintaining accurate student records is legally required; altering grades without transparency breaches ethics.
A student tells a teacher they feel unsafe because another student keeps threatening them online. The teacher tells them to ignore it instead of reporting.
Illegal & Unethical
Rationale: Educators must address threats to student safety. Ignoring cyberbullying or harassment can escalate risk and violates legal/ethical responsibilities.
A 6th-grade teacher discovers that an expensive personal item from their classroom has been stolen. Later, they find out which student took it and that the student sold it. When the teacher tells the principal, they are instructed not to take further action. The teacher feels this isn’t right and decides to report the theft to the police.
✅Legal | ⚠️ Ethically Complex
Rationale: The teacher has the legal right to report theft of their personal property, especially since it involves sale for profit. However, it becomes ethically complicated because it bypasses administrative authority and may conflict with district policy on student discipline and chain of command. Best practice would be to document the incident, inform the superintendent or HR, and let the district handle it before going to law enforcement. It balances justice, professionalism, and student welfare.
A student consistently forgets to bring materials, so the teacher publicly calls them out in front of the class every day.
✅ Legal | ❌ Ethical
Rationale: Public embarrassment is not illegal, but it breaches ethical practices around respect and maintaining a positive classroom environment. Teachers should use private reminders or interventions.
A teacher livestreams a classroom lesson on YouTube so absent students can watch, without parental consent.
Illegal & Unethical
Rationale: Recording and sharing students without permission violates FERPA and district privacy policies, even if the intent is to help students.
A substitute teacher posts on X/Twitter encouraging ICE to visit their school, referencing students who don’t speak English.
Illegal & Unethical
Rationale: Publicly targeting students based on language or immigration status endangers them and violates district policy, FERPA, and ethical standards. Educators must protect all students, maintain confidentiality, and avoid using social media to threaten or harass students.
An 11‑year‑old special education student repeatedly makes a pretend gun motion and shooting sound at classmates and says, “I want to shoot everyone that makes me mad.” The teacher speaks with the student (no change) and contacts the parent, who dismisses the behavior and says the child has a right to own a gun. Unsure what to do, the teacher calls the non‑emergency police number to ask for help.
✅ Legal & Ethical — the teacher should report and escalate immediately.
Rationale: Threats of violence, even made by younger students or in jest can create a credible safety risk and must be reported and addressed. The teacher acted appropriately by seeking help, but best practice is to immediately notify the campus administrator, school threat assessment team, and the school resource officer (or call 911 if the threat is imminent), complete required incident documentation, and involve counseling/support services. A parent’s assertion about gun ownership does not negate the school’s duty to investigate threats or to protect students. Follow your district’s threat-assessment and safety protocols; document everything and involve law enforcement or child‑welfare authorities as directed by district policy.
A principal pressures a parent to place their child (a 5th grader reading at a kindergarten level) in general education classes. The special education teacher explains the parent’s legal rights under IDEA and ensures the parent makes an informed choice. The principal later accuses the teacher of being insubordinate.
✅ Legal | ✅ Ethical
Rationale: The SPED teacher is following federal law (IDEA) and ethical obligations to advocate for the student’s right to appropriate placement and services. Educators must always prioritize student needs over administrative convenience. Even if it causes tension with superiors.
A teacher frequently says “God bless you” and encourages students to pray and follow her religious beliefs. A student who is Jehovah’s Witness tells the teacher they are uncomfortable with this. The teacher responds, “You need to deal with it and choose God,” and consistently shows favoritism toward students who share her beliefs while disciplining others more harshly for minor infractions.
❌ Legal | ❌ Ethical
Rationale: Teachers are legally prohibited from discriminating based on religion and from promoting their own religious beliefs in class. Favoring students who share the teacher’s beliefs and punishing others violates anti-discrimination laws and ethical standards for educators.