Questions and Answers: A Professional Ethical Breach

1. Locate an example in the news of a professional ethical breach in your field or in a closely related field. Summarize what happened. Where did the person or group of people go wrong? Do you have any empathy for the person or group of people? Why or why not?

A teacher, Erin Cougill, allegedly showed up to the middle school where she taught under the influence of alcohol and her blood tests show she was well above the limit with a .08. She was observed stumbling down the hallways and slurring her speech then she had a conversation with her assistant principle that then turned right around and called the school’s resource officer to report Ms. Cougill. When the officer went to her room she was said to be having and professionally inappropriate conversation with her class. The assistant principle also reported that Cougill locked herself in a bathroom stall with a plastic cup then when she came out the bathroom smelled like alcohol and the cup was empty. Although Cougill denies drinking the day of the incidents but she does admit to drinking plenty the night before and claims she has a medical condition that doesn’t allow her body to process alcohol well. As reported in http://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-teacher-accused-drunk-school-fights-job/story?id=22329913.

First of all Cougill should not have been heavily drinking the night before school if she knew her body did not process alcohol well that was irresponsible on her part but her to think she was okay to go into school the next day was clearly unethical. Cougill should have called in sick for the day and she could have avoided both incidents. Because she showed up to work under the influence of alcohol that made her have an inappropriate conversation with her students that was ...

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...eld. It’s not like abuse, alcohol, or drugs which can be easily caught in the field.

4. What is an area (or multiple areas) of ethics in your field you would like to learn more about to prepare for as you enter the field?

I would like to learn more about Standard 6 Remunerative Conduct because I want to become a coach and it seems easy to break this standard as a coach. For example if a vendor gives the team something and I use it for my own personal use and enjoyment then I would be breaking that standard. So I really need to understand that standard in detail so I won’t do anything unethical while I’m coaching. Also I want to understand Standard 1 Conduct with Students because I want to make sure I punish my students in a fair but not cruel way. So I need to really understand this standard in depth so I won’t punish any student cruelly in the eyes of the law.