Using the NAEYC Code of EthicsLinks to an external site. (Appendix A in your text) and the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators Download Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators to support your ideas, discuss the ethical way to solve the tough problem described below.

It happens anywhere you find toddlers. Inevitably, you will have to tell a parent that her child has been bitten by another child. This time, it's on the face. It broke the skin, and it's the fourth time this week! The parent is furious. She demands to know if it is the same child who has bitten each time and exactly who is doing the biting. Your center's policy is not to discuss a child's behavior and development with other children's parents. The parent thinks that's ridiculous, and, besides, she thinks she already knows who did it.

Parents' viewpoint: The parents are very concerned about their child's safety and emotional well-being. They are especially upset because they see no improvement in the situation. They believe that the other child's parents should control him or her betteror leave the center. "Why should the well-behaved children suffer?" they ask. It is not easy to believe, they feel, that the director really respects parents' rights, from the way everyone handled this serious safety matter.

Teacher's viewpoint: The teacher is frustrated. For weeks now he has been working with the biter's parents and with other teachers to control the biting. There is no easy answer, but everyone seems to turn to him to solve this problem. He feels blamed, belittled, and unappreciated. And, to make matters worse, he isn't 100% certain that the complaining parents are wrong.

Director's viewpoint: The director understands how upsetting biting is for everyonethe biter, the bitten, and their families. She firmly believes that the center is responsible for managing behavior in the group. However, it is also important to partner with all parents. While there is no totally satisfactory solution, teachers and both sets of parents must work as a team if there is to be any progress. The director believes that her job is to uphold the policy of child and family privacy, while promoting home-center partnerships. (This excerpt is taken from Using NAEYC's Code of Ethics in Young Children, January, 1997, p. 54.)