Student Interaction Scenarios

A student tells you they are feeling hopeless but asks you not to tell anyone. What do you do?

• Keep the student’s confidence and encourage them to talk to you more.

• Inform their parents immediately without telling the student.

• Conduct a risk assessment, then consult with a supervisor and notify parents as required.

• Ignore the comment since they didn’t explicitly say they would act on it.

A student tells you their parent hits them when they misbehave. What do you do?

• Report the situation to CPS as mandated by law.

• Talk to the student’s parent to get their side of the story.

• Ignore it unless you see physical bruises.

• Tell the student to behave better at home to avoid punishment.

A student you work with invites you to their birthday party. How should you respond?

• Accept and attend to support their emotional growth.

• Decline and explain that professional boundaries must be maintained.

• Accept but only stay for a little while.

• Send a gift to show you care but don’t attend.

A former student sends you a friend request on Facebook. What do you do?

• Accept to maintain the relationship.

• Accept but never interact with their posts.

• Decline and explain that maintaining boundaries is important.

• Accept only if they’re over 18.

A 16-year-old student tells you they are questioning their gender identity but don’t want their parents to know. The parent later asks what the student talked about. How do you respond?

• Disclose everything to the parent since they have a right to know.

• Refuse to share any information because of confidentiality.

• Give a vague summary to avoid conflict.

• Let the student handle the conversation with their parent alone.

A teacher frequently refers Black students for disciplinary action but rarely reports White students for similar behavior. What should you do?

• Report the teacher to the principal for racial discrimination.

• Discuss the issue with the teacher and suggest bias training.

• Ignore it since it’s not your job to evaluate teachers.

• Advise students to be extra careful to avoid referrals.

Your cousin’s child starts attending the school where you work. The family requests you as their social worker. What do you do?

• Accept since you already know the family.

• Refer the student to another social worker.

• Keep it a secret and provide services anyway.

• Set boundaries but continue seeing the student.

A 17-year-old student tells you they are pregnant and don’t want their parents to know. What do you do?

• Tell the parents immediately since they have a right to know.

• Support the student and provide resources while respecting confidentiality.

• Tell the school nurse but not the parents.

• Advise the student to handle it on their own.

A teacher refuses to implement a student’s IEP accommodations, saying the student "doesn’t need extra help." What do you do?

• Ignore it since the student is still performing well.

• Report the teacher to the principal immediately.

• Advocate for the student by reminding the teacher of their legal obligation under IDEA.

• Tell the parents so they can handle it.

What should schools do to support students with disabilities according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

• Provide accommodations

• Ignore the student's needs

• Punish students for their disabilities

• Remove students from regular classes