Ethical Practice and Legal Regulation

August 12, 2026

9:00 - 11:00 AM
Walking the Ethical Tightrope: Balancing Safety and Student Rights
in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM)
Dr. Stephanie Ellis, EdD, NCSP

Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) has become a critical component of school safety and violence prevention efforts. While evidence-based BTAM practices help schools identify, assess, and manage potential threats, practitioners are often faced with complex ethical dilemmas that require balancing student rights, confidentiality, mental health needs, and school safety. These decisions frequently occur in situations where information is incomplete, emotions are heightened, and the stakes are high.

This interactive session will explore the ethical challenges commonly encountered by BTAM teams and school-based mental health professionals. Participants will examine issues related to confidentiality, information sharing, disability considerations, student dignity, due process, social media investigations, documentation practices, and equitable decision-making. Through discussion, case examples, and practical application activities, attendees will strengthen their ability to navigate ethical gray areas while maintaining a prevention-focused, student-centered approach.

Participants will leave with practical strategies and ethical decision-making tools that can be immediately applied to strengthen BTAM practices and promote safe, supportive, and equitable learning environments.

11:30 - 1:30 PM
Access Rights and Managing Student Test Records:
Ethical and Procedural Requirements
Lynn K. Makor, MA/CAGS - NC DPI Psychological Services Consultant

The session will connect policy requirements and ethical practice on the two (often intertwined) areas of destruction of student records, and parent access rights.

2:00 - 4:00 PM
Law, Ethics, and Defensible Practice for North Carolina School Psychologists  
Neubia Harris, JD

Law & Order: School Psychologist Unit: This two-hour continuing education course will provide North Carolina school psychologists with a practical legal framework for daily practice in public school settings. The course will focus on federal and North Carolina special education law, legally defensible evaluations, eligibility team participation, student confidentiality, parent communication, threat and safety issues, discipline, Section 504 intersections, documentation, and professional boundary issues.

While the course is presented by an attorney, it will emphasize practical risk-management tools rather than abstract legal theory. Participants will leave with checklists, scenario-based guidance, and a clearer understanding of how school psychologists can support legally compliant, educationally meaningful decision-making while staying within their professional role.