Ethical Issues in the School

Ethical Issues in the School Robert is a disruptive student whose case raises several ethical concerns. The first one is that he does not follow school rules and regulations as a student. He is also disobedient and bullies other students in class. Teachers do not expect their students to behave in such a manner hence the behaviour portrayed by Robert is not ethical.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issues in the School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second ethical issue raised in the case is that Robert has gone to the extent of stealing a phone from the bag of another student. Stealing is not accepted whether the person involved is a teenager or an adult. It is wrong for Robert to involve himself in stealing because this is likely to cause serious consequences. To begin with, it will affect his studies negatively. Secondly, legal action might be taken against him because stealing is prohibited by law. The third ethical issue r aised in the case is that Robert risks being expelled from the school completely although he is capable of changing into a good student and a kind person. Since the case of Robert is a serious ethical issue, it is important to apply certain ethical approaches and theories in order to handle it effectively. The first ethical theory that will guide my action in handling the case is deontological theory. This theory argues that human beings are governed by certain moral rules that cannot be broken. According to deontologists, doing the right thing is considered ethical regardless of whether the outcomes are good or bad. My actions will also be guided by utilitarianism theory. This theory focuses on the outcomes of a certain decision. According to the theory, choices or decisions that benefit a large number of people are considered ethically right. In Robert’s case, the concept of good denotes actions that are acceptable to the school administration and ones that do not disturb o ther people within the school environment. This theoretical approach provides a rational approach for making a decision on the most appropriate thing to do in the case of Robert.Advertising Looking for case study on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this case, there are two options of action that can be used to handle the situation. The first option is to expose Robert as a thief because information about the stolen phone has spread in the school and the girl concerned is distraught. The second option is to summon Robert privately, counsell him and get the phone without informing everybody. Robert should not be exposed to the rest of the school members if he apologises because he has the potential to change and become a good person if the problems he faces at home are solved. In this case, the option I will choose is to report Robert to the school principal for the necessary action to be taken. The first rea son behind this decision is that Robert has been a disruptive student in many occasions. He bullies other students, yells in class, and does not do assignments. It might be assumed that he will change with time but this might not be practical because the principal has warned him many times without any success. He has even gone to an extent of giving Robert a last warning. One of the factors that might prevent me from taking this action is the fact that I have observed Robert for six months and I think he can change into a good and kind student. This might be true but eventually the action will have to be taken because even after several warnings, he has not changed and still behaves unethically. It is unethical to keep him in the school with the hope that he will change yet he does not show signs that he will change. Exposing him might have negative consequences since he will be expelled out of school. However, this is the most appropriate option because according to utilitarianism, it will result in the greatest benefits for the people in the school. Robert will suffer but teachers and students will be free from his disturbance.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issues in the School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Philosophically, the decision to expose Robert as a thief is the most appropriate method of handling the situation. This is because this decision will have the greatest benefits for the majority. In addition, the decision might have short-term negative implications for Robert but eventually, it will prevent him from getting into more trouble. For instance, his behaviour has shifted from causing disturbance to other students and disrupting normal school operations to stealing. If he is allowed to continue stealing, he might continue doing it until he lands in prison. It is therefore philosophically right to expose him as a way of preventing him from getting into bigger tr ouble. The course of action taken in this case is consistent with choices ethically conscientious people make. An individual who is ethically conscious looks at how the majority benefit from certain actions although some individuals might suffer. In the case of Robert, the most appropriate action is to expose his unethical behaviour that disrupts other people. Some people might think that he should not be exposed as a thief but instead should be given a chance to reform and change his behaviour. However, he has been warned several times and he seems not to change. It will be unethical to give him more time to change while he disrupts normal school operations. The decision to expose him is therefore consistent with choices made by conscientious individuals. Deontology and utilitarian theories have been used to analyse the case of Robert. The two theories will assist an individual in everyday decision making. It is important to make decisions based on certain theories since they provi de insights on what is ethically acceptable. Deontological theories argue that it is important to do what is right regardless of the outcomes because human beings have obligations that are not supposed to be broken. This theory will assist individuals in everyday decision making because some situations make it difficult to make the right decision.Advertising Looking for case study on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Utilitarianism is the second theory that will be useful in everyday decision making. According to utilitarian theorists, decisions should be made on the basis of their benefits for the largest majority. This implies that our actions should not favour individuals at the expense of a larger group of people. The theory is therefore important in everyday decision making because it enables individuals to make decisions that benefit the majority.