Elementary and Middle Level Counselors' Courtroom Hearing Experiences
             The author recognizes the various roles and duties school counselors and administrators face. Oftentimes, these tasks entail heavy legal and ethical consequences. There is an increasing list of barriers that hinder children to learn fully, and these are poor health and malnutrition, psychological stress, family problems, use of drug and alcohol, depression, suicide, and even pregnancy (Davis, 2002). These social problems may necessitate the school counselor or administrator to participate in legal matters. This study attempted to measure the prevalence of court interaction and the types of cases they might need to encounter.
             Surveys were sent out to 1,000 randomly selected school counselors all over America. Items in the survey inquired about the types of court cases which required the counselor's attendance. The study revealed that 53% of these counselors have testified in court. Most frequently, the hearing was related to child custody cases. The next most common reason for court appearances were sexual abuse and child abuse. Other less common reasons are drug-related cases, homicide, and divorce.
             The article emphasized on the legal responsibilities counselors and administrators have to students and their parents. Counselors must respect client confidentiality. However, all states strictly enforce that counselors should report cases of suspected child and sexual abuse. The author enlists five recommendations to guide schools when addressing all forms of child abuse. These entail counselors to know state laws regarding abuse; to work closely with children; working with teachers by offering inservice programs that may help identify child abuse; to encourage less obvious cases of abuse, and; counselors should also actively participate in organizations that deal with child abuse.
             A counselor has the obligation to protect client-counselo...