Ethical Decision Making for Teachers

On Thursday afternoon, she came in a panic to see Janice Waite, the English teacher and part-time guidance counselor. She stated she couldn't come back to school the next day and didn't know what to do. After calming Dian down, Ms. Waite attempted to discover the basis of the problem. Dian replied tearfully that she couldn't go back to her math class again because she was afraid of Mr. Erickson, the math teacher. When pressed, Dian said that Mr. Erickson had been paying a lot of attention to her in the last few weeks and on a couple of occasions had fondled her breasts. This had upset Dian so much that she didn't know what to do. She wanted to talk to someone about it but was afraid to tell her parents. When she told her friends, they laughed at her. They just don't take Mr. Erickson very seriously; they say he does that to all the girls! said Dian. What should the teacher do in this situation? An impulsive person might pick up the phone and call Dian's parents or the police. Although such a decision might be ethically acceptable, the reflective teacher would consider the matter further. What are Ms. Waite's moral and ethical responsibilities to Dian, her parents, the other girls in Mr. Erickson's class, the school in general, and specifically to Mr. Erickson? To whom does she look for guidance?