| (3) |
Standards
| (a) |
Standard 1: Legal
Compliance - An educator shall abide by federal, state, and local laws
and statutes. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to the commission
or conviction of a felony or of any crime involving moral turpitude; of any
other criminal offense involving the manufacture, distribution, trafficking,
sale, or possession of a controlled substance or marijuana as provided for in
Chapter 13 of Title 16; or of any other sexual offense as provided for in Code
Section 16-6-1 through
16-6-17,
16-6-20,
16-6-22.2, or
16-12-100; or any other laws
applicable to the profession. As used herein, conviction includes a finding or
verdict of guilty, or a plea of nolo contendere, regardless of
whether an appeal of the conviction has been sought; a situation where first
offender treatment without adjudication of guilt pursuant to the charge was
granted; and a situation where an adjudication of guilt or sentence was
otherwise withheld or not entered on the charge or the charge was otherwise
disposed of in a similar manner in any jurisdiction. |
| (b) |
Standard 2: Conduct with
Students - An educator shall always maintain a professional relationship
with all students, both in and outside the classroom. Unethical conduct
includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
committing
any act of child abuse, including physical and verbal abuse; |
| 2. |
committing any act of cruelty to children
or any act of child endangerment; |
| 3. |
committing any sexual act with a student
or soliciting such from a student; |
| 4. |
engaging in or permitting harassment of or
misconduct toward a student that would violate a state or federal
law; |
| 5. |
soliciting, encouraging, or
consummating an inappropriate written, verbal, electronic, or physical
relationship with a student; |
| 6. |
furnishing tobacco, alcohol, or illegal/unauthorized drugs to any student;
or |
| 7. |
failing to prevent the use of
alcohol or illegal or unauthorized drugs by students under the educator's
supervision (including but not limited to at the educator's residence or any
other private setting). |
|
| (c) |
Standard 3: Alcohol or Drugs
- An educator shall refrain from the use of alcohol or illegal or unauthorized
drugs during the course of professional practice. Unethical conduct includes
but is not limited to:
| 1. |
being on school or
Local Unit of Administration (LUA)/school district premises or at a school or a
LUA/school district-related activity while under the influence of, possessing,
using, or consuming illegal or unauthorized drugs; and |
| 2. |
being on school or LUA/school district
premises or at a school-related activity involving students while under the
influence of, possessing, or consuming alcohol. A school-related activity
includes, but is not limited to, any activity sponsored by the school or school
system (booster clubs, parent-teacher organizations, or any activity designed
to enhance the school curriculum i.e. Foreign Language trips, etc).
| (i) |
For the purposes of this standard, an
educator shall be considered "under the influence" if the educator exhibits one
or more of the following indicators, including but not limited to: slurred
speech, enlarged pupils, bloodshot eyes, general personality changes, lack of
physical coordination, poor motor skills, memory problems, concentration
problems, etc. |
|
|
| (d) |
Standard 4: Honesty - An
educator shall exemplify honesty and integrity in the course of professional
practice. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to, falsifying,
misrepresenting, or omitting:
| 1. |
professional
qualifications, criminal history, college or staff development credit and/or
degrees, academic award, and employment history; |
| 2. |
information submitted to federal, state,
local school districts and other governmental agencies; |
| 3. |
information regarding the evaluation of
students and/or personnel; |
| 4. |
reasons for absences or leaves; |
| 5. |
information submitted in the course of an official inquiry/investigation;
and |
| 6. |
information submitted in the
course of professional practice. |
|
| (e) |
Standard 5: Public Funds and
Property - An educator entrusted with public funds and property shall
honor that trust with a high level of honesty, accuracy, and responsibility.
Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
misusing public or school-related
funds; |
| 2. |
failing to account for
funds collected from students or parents; |
| 3. |
submitting fraudulent requests or
documentation for reimbursement of expenses or for pay (including fraudulent or
purchased degrees, documents, or coursework); |
| 4. |
co-mingling public or school-related funds
with personal funds or checking accounts; and |
| 5. |
using school or school district property
without the approval of the local board of education/governing board or
authorized designee. |
|
| (f) |
Standard 6: Remunerative Conduct - An educator shall maintain
integrity with students, colleagues, parents, patrons, or businesses when
accepting gifts, gratuities, favors, and additional compensation. Unethical
conduct includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
soliciting students or parents of students, or school or LUA/school district
personnel, to purchase equipment, supplies, or services from the educator or to
participate in activities that financially benefit the educator unless approved
by the local board of education/governing board or authorized
designee; |
| 2. |
accepting gifts from
vendors or potential vendors for personal use or gain where there may be the
appearance of a conflict of interest; |
| 3. |
tutoring students assigned to the educator
for remuneration unless approved by the local board of education/governing
board or authorized designee; and |
| 4. |
coaching, instructing, promoting athletic
camps, summer leagues, etc. that involves students in an educator's school
system and from whom the educator receives remuneration unless approved by the
local board of education/governing board or authorized designee. These types of
activities must be in compliance with all rules and regulations of the Georgia
High School Association. |
|
| (g) |
Standard 7: Confidential
Information - An educator shall comply with state and federal laws and
state school board policies relating to the confidentiality of student and
personnel records, standardized test material and other information. Unethical
conduct includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
sharing of confidential information concerning student academic and
disciplinary records, health and medical information, family status and/or
income, and assessment/testing results unless disclosure is required or
permitted by law; |
| 2. |
sharing of
confidential information restricted by state or federal law; |
| 3. |
violation of confidentiality agreements
related to standardized testing including copying or teaching identified test
items, publishing or distributing test items or answers, discussing test items,
violating local school system or state directions for the use of tests or test
items, etc.; and |
| 4. |
violation of
other confidentiality agreements required by state or local policy. |
|
| (h) |
Standard 8: Required
Reports - An educator shall file reports of a breach of one or more of
the standards in the Code of Ethics for Educators, child abuse (O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5), or any other required
report. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
failure to report all requested
information on documents required by the Commission when applying for or
renewing any certificate with the Commission; |
| 2. |
failure to make a required report of a
violation of one or more standards of the Code of Ethics for educators of which
they have personal knowledge as soon as possible but no later than ninety (90)
days from the date the educator became aware of an alleged breach unless the
law or local procedures require reporting sooner; and |
| 3. |
failure to make a required report of any
violation of state or federal law soon as possible but no later than ninety
(90) days from the date the educator became aware of an alleged breach unless
the law or local procedures require reporting sooner. These reports include but
are not limited to: murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault,
aggravated battery, kidnapping, any sexual offense, any sexual exploitation of
a minor, any offense involving a controlled substance and any abuse of a child
if an educator has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been
abused. |
|
| (i) |
Standard 9:
Professional Conduct - An educator shall demonstrate conduct that
follows generally recognized professional standards and preserves the dignity
and integrity of the education profession. Unethical conduct includes but is
not limited to a resignation that would equate to a breach of contract; any
conduct that impairs and/or diminishes the certificate holder's ability to
function professionally in his or her employment position; or behavior or
conduct that is detrimental to the health, welfare, discipline, or morals of
students. |
| (j) |
Standard 10:
Testing - An educator shall administer state-mandated assessments
fairly and ethically. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to:
| 1. |
committing any act that breaches Test
Security; and |
| 2. |
compromising the
integrity of the assessment. |
|
|
