Before consulting with teachers about a Tier 3 intervention, what is the ethical obligation to parents?

Before consulting with teachers about a Tier 3 intervention, what is the ethical obligation to parents?

• A. Inform parents after the consultation but not before.
• B. Obtain written parental consent prior to consulting with teachers.
• C. Obtain consent from the school board before consulting.
• D. There is no ethical obligation because parental consent is not required prior to consulting with teachers as long as parents are informed about the consultation after it is complete.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that consent is tied to actions that affect the child and involve data collection or direct services. Simply consulting with teachers about a potential Tier 3 intervention is a professional planning step and does not, by itself, involve evaluating the child or delivering services. Because of that, there isn’t a mandatory requirement to obtain parental consent just to have that internal discussion. The ethical obligation is to keep parents informed about what is being considered and to obtain parental consent before actually delivering any intervention or conducting evaluations that would impact their child. So the notion here is that you can proceed with the consultation without prior parental consent, provided parents are informed about the consultation and the planned intervention, and you would obtain consent before implementing any direct services.

The key idea is that consent is tied to actions that affect the child and involve data collection or direct services. Simply consulting with teachers about a potential Tier 3 intervention is a professional planning step and does not, by itself, involve evaluating the child or delivering services. Because of that, there isn’t a mandatory requirement to obtain parental consent just to have that internal discussion. The ethical obligation is to keep parents informed about what is being considered and to obtain parental consent before actually delivering any intervention or conducting evaluations that would impact their child. So the notion here is that you can proceed with the consultation without prior parental consent, provided parents are informed about the consultation and the planned intervention, and you would obtain consent before implementing any direct services.