Week 5, Part 1Ethical behavior should never be in question for educators. They are the role models for kids of all ages in the Texas Education System. The Educators' Code of Ethics provides a guideline for ethical behavior for educators in the State of Texas.
Standard 1.2 states that the educator shall not knowingly misappropriate, divert, or use monies, personnel, property, or equipment committed to his or her charge for personal gain or advantage.
Example 1: In one Texas school district the superintendent used school tractors, equipment and maintenance personnel to tend his cattle investments. The maintenance folks would be on school time while mowing fields, moving hay bales and would haul cattle from one pasture to the next. This superintendent was investigated by the district and retired from office. The superintendent could have been indicted for misappropriation because of this situation, but charges were never filed because of the disposition of the board. Most folks think it was because he knew “things” about board members.
Another incident of a superintendent violating Standard 1.2 as well as Standard 1.6, the educator shall not falsify records, or direct or coerce others to do so., occurred in a district in North Texas. This district was ultimately closed by TEA in 2004 because of allegations of mismanagement of district resources. (I bet it is the same one Lee wrote about.)
Example 2: The district would hire teachers at a salary of $50K and would skim $10K from their pay checks to put in administrator pockets or contracted businesses in the area. The teacher had to pay the taxes but received higher TRS contributions.
Standard 1.13 states that the educator shall not consume alcoholic beverages on school property or during school activities when students are present.
Example 3/4: My first year as the “Dean of Students” caused me to be part of a situation where one of our employees came in “twice” under the influence of alcohol. He was supposed to be instructing students. Instead, he was going to his car and taking “shots”. I documented him smelling of alcohol, not being in class supervising and being “passed out” while kids ran around causing problems. The superintendent called me into the office along with other administrators to confront the teacher about the situation. He had me read the “write ups” and instructed the teacher to resign or leave with the two deputies waiting outside. (Fun stuff) This to me also violated the Standard 1.4 of the Code of Ethics states that, “the educator shall not use institutional or professional privileges for personal or partisan advantage.” It was coercive.
Example 5: Section 2.2 of the Code of Ethics states that, “the educator shall not harm others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.” The superintendent was walking around the “school” track trying to lose weight and information was mentioned about a school board member’s wife and her daughter. She was employed by the same district. It got back to the employee who threatened to file a grievance if the counselor that was privileged with this information did not get removed or fired. The counselor accepted a position at another school in the district. The employee/school board member’s wife ended up being fired when the information did in fact become public knowledge.
These consequences make it difficult for the educator to continue to effectively do his job or gain employment in another district. Long term consequences for violation of the code of ethics may include disciplinary action by the State Board for Educator Certification, including a restriction, reprimand, suspension, surrender, or revocation of a certificate, as well as termination by the district, and criminal charges for violation of applicable laws. The district must provide training for all educators on the code of ethics. Professional educators must understand that it is their responsibility to uphold a high standard of ethical behavior.
