Ethics Case Library

The following ethics cases, written by middle school and high school students, can be used in classrooms and other ethics forums.

Any middle school or high school student from anywhere in the world can help build the library by submitting a case. For more information, see the Case Writing Project page.

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Are Private Schools Inherently Unethical?

Melina Mickelson, age 14
Cleveland STEM High School, Seattle, Washington

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Artists and Their Political Views

Aliya Muhametzanova, age 14
Gymnasium No. 175, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

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Assessing the Ethics of Group Projects

Seryeong Jo, Kate Allison, Klair Allision, ages 17
TMI Episcopal School, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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Balancing Safety and Privacy: Parental Access to Children’s Social Media Accounts

Madison Shen, age 14
Harvard-Westlake School, San Marino, California

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Data Collection Ethics

Shawn Zhu, age 16,
Downingtown STEM Academy, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, USA

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“Dear Grandma”

Katherine MacKay, age 14
Kent Place School, New Jersey, USA

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Defacing Art as a Form of Protest

Claire Cherrill, age 15
Kent Place School, Summit, New Jersey

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Evaluating Historical Figures Through a Contemporary Lens

Joonyoung Heo, age 16
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire

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Honesty v. Loyalty Among Friends

Sophia Galova, age 18
Langley High School, Langley, Virginia

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Is it beneficial for teachers to be armed in school?

Tovah Leathersich, age 15
Uwharrie Charter School, Asheboro, North Carolina

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How public is public land?

Bella Welch, age 18
Ingraham High School, Seattle, Washington, USA

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Is Euthanasia Ethical?

Mason Cheng, age 17
American Heritage Broward, Plantation, Florida

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Informed Consent in Survey Research

Daliya Rizvi, age 18
Langley High School, Langley, Virginia

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Is Note-Sharing In Class Unethical?

Crichton Rockwell, age 14
The Harker School, Los Gatos, California

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Is Social Media a Good or Bad Thing?

Yu-Ming Liu, age 16
Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, California

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Relying on Civilian Intelligence in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Zachary Lin, age 17
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Respect for the Dead: Displaying Human Remains in a Museum

AKW, age 16
Ballard High School, Seattle, Washington

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Revenge in Major League Baseball: Should MLB Issue Harsh Penalties for Beaning Batters?

Niall Rubin, age 12
Woodstock Union Middle School/High School, Woodstock, Vermont, USA

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Should Artists’ Ethics Affect Our Artistic Judgments?

Nikki Gao, age 16
Academy at Palumbo, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Should Judges Be Active on Social Media?

Diana Valiullina, age 16
Gymnasium No. 175, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

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Should Science Media Have Political Stances?

Emma Zhang, age 17
Branham High School, San Jose, California, USA

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Should the Military Recruit in Schools?

AKW, age 16
Ballard High School, Seattle, Washington

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Should We Watch True Crime Dramas?

Claire Cherrill, age 15
Kent Place School, Summit, New Jersey

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The Benefits and Harms of Gene Editing

Prudence Frein, age 16
Haverford High School, Havertown, Pennsylvania

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The Ethics of a Cashless Society

Sammy Lou, age 17
Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park, Florida, USA

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The Ethics of Favoring Donor Families in College Admissions

Sehwan Park, age 17
Saint Paul Preparatory, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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The Ethics of Private College Advisors

Chloe Archibald, age 15
Ramaz Upper School, New York, New York, USA

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The Ethics of Tipping

Mason Cheng, age 17
American Heritage, Plantation, Florida

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The Ethics of Using Facial Recognition Technology

Jennifer Tang, age 15
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Using AI in the Classroom

Avi Skuben, age 13
Astra Nova School

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Web Proxies in Schools

Julien Bryzek, age 15
Bergen County Technical High School Teterboro, New Jersey

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