What are the differences between negligence, professional misconduct and unprofessional conduct? If you found out that a high school teacher was dating one of his senior students, what would you do? What is your ethical responsibility as a school counselor? What does this have to do with the three concepts of negligence, professional misconduct and unprofessional conduct from the counselor's perspective? The primary job of the school counselor is to advocate for the student's interests at all times. The student may be a senior but still a student and dating a student of any age violates the rule of do no harm because the teacher is an authority figure (Remley, 2010). The teacher dating the student cannot be ignored, it is the ethical responsibility of the counselor to report any violations and unethical behavior. This is an important and appropriate step to prevent further damage of any type. According to the American School Counselor Association (2014) "Counselors must act at all times in the best interests of student clients, acting in good faith and in the absence of malice." Unprofessional conduct is acting in a manner contrary to ethics or violating the ethical standards of counselors Negligence and malpractice differ slightly. Negligence is determined if the conduct or harm caused to a client results in injury or damage due to the failure to exercise reasonable care. and to tort violations. Professional misconduct is the result of conduct. What are the differences between negligence, professional misconduct, and unprofessional conduct? senior year, what would you do? What is your ethical responsibility as a school counselor? What does this have to do with the three concepts of ...... middle of paper ...... cords. There is also a risk of privacy violations if a school sends email communications in error or relies solely on electronic communications. Any school that unintentionally or intentionally violates FERPA by disclosing student information is a serious violation. Students have specific and protected rights regarding the disclosure of records, FERPA requires that all institutions adhere to these guidelines and the school must have adequate knowledge of FERPA before disclosing records (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 2014) Works Cited American School Counselor Association (2014). Retrieved from http://www. schoolcounselor.orgFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.ed.govRemley, TP and Herlihy, B. (2010). Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling (3rd ed.). Upper Sadie River, New Jersey: Merrill.