Code of ethics in education
In this assignment, you will research and become familiar with codes of ethics that guide your work as an educator. To complete the assignment, you will determine the appropriate and legal courses of action in response to three case studies.
Directions:
1. To begin this assignment, read the codes of ethics for the following (NSU b.6.2.a/FPEC 6.1, 6.2/InTASC 9f.p, 9j.k, 9o.d):
a. National – National Education Association
NEA: Code of Ethics of the Education Profession (http://www.nea.org/aboutnea/code.html)
b. State (Locate your state’s code of ethics. Examples are provided below.)
Florida – Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct
http://www.firn.edu/doe/dpe/publications/ethics.pdf
Florida – Office of Professional Practices FAQ for Educators – Florida DOE Process for Responding to Disciplinary Action
http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/FAQ.asp
Nevada – Code of Ethical Standards
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-281.html#NRS281Sec481
NRS 281.481 (General requirements; exceptions, http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-281.html#NRS281Sec481) – NRS 281.551 (Commission authorized to impose civil penalties…) http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-281.html#NRS281Sec551)
c. Professional Code of Ethics (Locate the code of ethics for your professional content area. Examples are provided below.)
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Computer Science Education) http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html
Code of Ethics of the American Library Association (Educational Media) http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.htm
Summarize the main legal and ethical components from the national, state, and professional codes of ethics in a brief, but informative narrative that includes a discussion of the following focal questions: (NSU b.6.2.a/FPEC 6.2/InTASC 9f.p, 9j.k, 9o.d):
• Who or what is the educator’s primary concern?
• How can the educator strive to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct?
• What are the types of behaviors (e.g., bullying, child abuse, etc.) that the educator should report to administration?
• What are the reasons for suspension of a professional?
2. Review and respond to the following case studies within the context of the codes of ethics:
a. Case Study 1: You are a new fourth grade teacher in an elementary school and notice that one of your ASD students consistently comes to school in the morning with dirty clothes, body odor, and suspicious bruises on his arms. According to the ethics codes and district faculty policies, what should be your plan of action for addressing this issue (NSU b.6.2.b/FPEC 6.1, 6.3/InTASC 9f.p, 9j.k, 9o.d)?
Use the Web sites below, or review your state and district policies as a basis for developing your plan of action, noting references to state and/or district policies as appropriate.
Florida Department of Education, Office of Professional Practices Reporting Misconduct and Abuse
http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/poster.asp
The 2012 Florida Statutes
K-20 Education Code, Chapter 1006 , Support For Learning
1006.061 Child abuse, abandonment, and neglect policy.
§ 1006.061, Florida Statutes – Child abuse, abandonment, and neglect policy
The 2012 Florida Statutes
Chapter 39, Proceedings Relating to Children
39.201 Mandatory reports of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect; mandatory reports of death; central abuse hotline (Mandated Reporters of child abuse as defined by Florida Statute 39.201)
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0039/Sections/0039.201.html
b. Case Study 2: All teachers in your school have a laptop to use in their classrooms and for instructional planning at home. When the computer was delivered, you briefly reviewed the district policies during a departmental meeting; however, during the past six months, several teachers have been questioned about their Internet and e-mail use with these laptops. You realize that you must use school property appropriately. Based on the ethics codes and district faculty policies, what should be your plan of action for using the laptop (NSU b.6.2.c/FPEC 6.1, 6.5/InTASC 9f.p, 9j.k, 9o.d)?
Use the Web sites below or review your state and district policies as a basis for developing your plan of action.
Broward County, Florida
Policy 5306 – School and Technology Usage
http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/sbbcpolicies/docs/P5306,000.pdf
Miami Dade County, Florida
Policy 7540.01 – Technology Privacy
http://www.neola.com/miamidade-fl/search/policies/po7540.01.htm
Palm Beach County, Florida
Policy 3.29 – Acceptable Use of Technology by Employees
http://www.schoolboardpolicies.com/p/3.29
c. Case Study 3: As a new high school teacher, you are assigned to teach a reading class for students with ASD in which three students are consistently not showing progress. After reviewing the students’ records (e.g., academic achievement progress in other courses, attendance and disciplinary records, intervention plans and other test scores, and state standardized test scores) you develop highly effective instructional strategies for meeting these students’ learning needs. Since your instructional approach has proven to be so successful, several teachers approached you with sharing the students’ background information, as well as your instructional strategies. You are concerned about infringing on the students’ privacy rights; consequently, you develop a plan of action to address the teachers’ requests, but also address student records concerns (NSU b.6.2.d/FPEC 6.1, 6.5/InTASC 9f.p, 9j.k, 9o.d).
Use the Web sites below or review your state and district policies as a basis for developing your plan of action.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Florida Department of Health and Human Resources)
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/school/privacy/Ferpa.pdf
Broward County, Florida
http://www.browardschools.com/schoolboard/pdf/FERPA_eng.pdf
Student Records: Confidentiality and Family Educational Rights http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/sbbcpolicies/docs/P5100.1.000.pdf
Miami Dade 2416 – Student Privacy and Parental Access to Information
http://www.neola.com/miamidade-fl/search/policies/po2416.htm
Palm Beach County,
Florida Policy 5.50 – Student Records
http://www.schoolboardpolicies.com/p/5.50.htm
3. Reflect on the application of case study #3 to your school responsibilities. What must you do to avoid this type of professional and ethical conflict in the future (NSU b.6.2.e/InTASC 9e.p, 9i.k, 9m.d)?
4. Identify and describe three additional resources for use by those in your profession who wish to avoid professional and ethical conflicts Ethics (NSU b.6.2.f/InTASC 9e.p, 9i.k, 9m.d).
Examples of additional resources on ethics for Florida educators include the following:
o Discipline against Educator Licenses http://www.myfloridateacher.com/discipline/summary.aspx
o Education Practices Commission Notices http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/Education_Practices.asp
o Investigative Resources http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/investigate.asp
o Office of Professional Practices http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/resources_for_teachers.asp
o Office of Professional Standards http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/
5. Based on your analysis of the information found on your state’s DOE website for Policy on Ethical Conduct (Example: Florida’s Policy on Ethical Conduct of Instructional Personnel and School Administrators/http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/pdfs/SamplePolicy.pdf), describe the consequences of the teachers’ unethical practices in the selected case studies (#1-3) (FEAP b.6.2.g/FPEC 6.2/InTASC 9o.d).
