W hen I was an elementary school counselor, a group of second-grade boys repeatedly tormented and teased a smaller special-needs child. The group of boys were deliberate and cunning in their bullying and oftentimes calculating. The taunting and subtle cruelty escalated until on one occasion, the leader of the group de-pantsed the special-needs child in front of a group of girls. I was unaware of the bullying until then, but as I became involved with the group, I learned a valuable lesson regarding bullying behavior. I asked the leader why he had de-pantsed his peer. I will never forget his response: "Because I can." What is the ethical responsibility of the school counselor when unacceptable behavior of a child at school is considered acceptable by the family? In some families, bullying behavior is sanctioned. An ethical dilemma arises for school counselors when family beliefs and attitudes that "kids will be kids" conflict with ethical standards that state that every child in school has the right to be treated with respect as a unique individual. School violence and the threat of violence continue to worry educators and public officials throughout the nation. As increased responsibility for violence prevention programs is shouldered by the school counselor, a moral dilemma repeatedly arises for school counselors when working with children and their families surrounding concerns of violence. Bullying, teasing, and harassment, all forms of violence, are commonplace experiences for many students. Bullying, teasing, and harassment are often seen by parents and adults as part of the growing-up process. What makes that perception especially bad is that some children are more likely than others to be victimized and are repeatedly and persistently victimized by peers (Hanish & Guerra, 2000). When parents accept bullying as an unfortunate stage that some children go through, the potential for more severe forms of violence increases. The International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (1998-2000) code of ethics states, in Section I: Client Well-Being, "that members demonstrate a caring, empathic, respectful, fair and active concern for family wellbeing. They promote client safety, security, and place-of
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