solved Practicing behavior analysts can be confronted with existing laws or
Practicing behavior analysts can be confronted with existing laws or institutional policies that need to change. There may be federal or state regulations that do not adequately protect certain individuals, or there could be institution policies and procedures that violate ethical codes of the profession.
In order to get these laws or policies updated, behavior analysts must become active and advocate for these changes. Taking on these additional tasks requires developing a strong understanding of the current policy and its existing impact, as well as careful navigation through the groups and organizations that develop and update these laws and policies.
For this Module Assignment, you will explore advocacy for change. You will examine a zero-tolerance policy at a school or school district near you. You will also analyze the impact of these types of policies on students with disabilities, and you will explain how you could act as an agent of social change to influence the school to update their policies.
To prepare:
Consider the following scenario:
You are a behavior analyst in an elementary school, and one of your students has brought a butter knife to school from home in his lunchbox. During lunch period, your student is reported to the office and called in to see the assistant principal. The assistant principal has notified you that the student has been put on notice and the school will be contacting the student’s parents regarding suspension from school.
Search your local community for a local district’s/school’s policy on zero tolerance (e.g., aggression, weapons) and consider the impact of this policy on your future clients (i.e., students with disabilities), similar to the case in the scenario.