EUNIT 1. General Standards for Ethical Conduct
(based upon the Arizona Professional Practices for Certificate Holders – course participants in other states will complete a substitute assignment applicable to their specific state of certification)
a. Complying with Drug, Alcohol, Sexual Abuse, and Mandatory Reporting Laws
b. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
c. Administering Required Examinations in a Compliant Manner
d. Accepting and Resigning from a Certificated Position
RESOURCES
-Arizona Professional Practices for Certificate Holders (Arizona State Board of Education)
https://cms.azed.gov/home/GetDocumentFile?id=57a4d90caadebe130c51857a
-Laws, Policies, and Regulations: Key Terms & Concepts
https://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-fs-laws-policies-regs-terms-2011.pdf
-The Legal Basis for School Board Governance (Arizona Schools Boards Association)
https://www.azsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/School-Board-Legal-Authority.pdf
-Board Policy Introduction (Isaac Elementary School District)
https://www.isaacschools.org/domain/222
-Links to Arizona School Board Policy Manuals
https://policy.azsba.org/asba/Z2Browser2.html?showset=allmanuals
-State of Arizona Reporting Procedures (ADE/AZ SBE)
https://azsbe.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/2016%20Reporting%20Procedures_0.pdf
-Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse (Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center)
https://www.sacacenter.org/mandatory-reporter-training/
-Mandatory Reporting Statutes (Alice Callison, DeConcini McDonald Letwin & Lacy, P.C.)
https://www.coe.arizona.edu/sites/coe/files/Mandatory%20Reporting%20Statutes.pdf
-Achievement Test Pre-Test Training (ADE)
http://www.azed.gov/assessment/test-training/
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is a state statute? A state administrative regulation? A governing board policy? What are the obligations of certificated staff member in an Arizona school/district to follow each of these three types of rules?
2. What are some possible consequences to teachers who violate state statutes and regulations regarding the teaching profession? What are some possible consequences to teachers who violate their local governing board policies in the conduct of their work in a traditional public school district or charter school?
3. Can a certificated staff member be punished for an unlawful act that they commit while not at school, supervising students, or participating in a school/district activity? If so, how so?
4. When is it lawful to possess or consume alcohol or drugs on a school campus or in performance of your duties as a certificated staff member?
5. Is it lawful to consume alcohol or drugs when on a school-sponsored field trip? On a school-sponsored professional development trip?
6a. Under what circumstances is a certificated staff member required to report a possible incident that they have observed of child abuse or neglect or sexual misconduct on the part of an adult?
b. What procedures are they required to follow when reporting this incident?
c. Are there any mandatory timelines that apply to such a case?
d. What if a teacher has reason to believe that a school staff member may be committing the abuse, neglect, or misconduct? What must be done in such a case?
7. Discuss one example of a conflict of interest that a school staff member may have in the course of their duties as a certificated staff member in a public K-12 school/district. How can school staff members avoid conflicts of interest and properly disclose possible conflicts of interest?
8. What are some possible consequences for certificated staff members who do not administer required state examinations (e.g., AzMERIT) according to the rules and guidelines promulgated by the Arizona State Board of Education? What should a certificated staff member do after they observe a possible violation of state regulations for administering a state-mandated examination?
9. Who is legally responsible for hiring and terminating the employment of a certificated staff member in an Arizona public school district or charter school? What procedure must a certificated staff member follow if they wish to leave the employ of an Arizona school district or charter school? What are some possible consequences for teachers who do not follow the legally-required procedures for leaving the employment of an Arizona public/charter school/district?
UNIT 2. Keeping Students Safe from Abuse and Neglect
RESOURCES
-What is Child Abuse and Neglect (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
https://www.hhs.gov/answers/programs-for-families-and-children/what-is-child-abuse/index.html
-State of Arizona Reporting Procedures (ADE/AZ SBE)
https://azsbe.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/2016%20Reporting%20Procedures_0.pdf
-Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse (Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center)
https://www.sacacenter.org/mandatory-reporter-training/
-Mandatory Reporting Statutes (Alice Callison, DeConcini McDonald Letwin & Lacy, P.C.)
https://www.coe.arizona.edu/sites/coe/files/Mandatory%20Reporting%20Statutes.pdf
-How to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Within Your School (Campus Safety Magazine)
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is a mandatory reporter? Are any school staff members considered mandatory reporters? What are the obligations of a mandatory reporter?
2. What is considered child abuse in the state of Arizona? What is considered child neglect in the state of Arizona? What is the difference between abuse and neglect?
1. Discuss some major threats to student’s physical and emotional health and safety from the world wide web and social media usage.
2. What is the policy in your school/district regarding student’s use of the Internet for non-school related purposes?
3. What is the policy in your school/district regarding appropriate electronic communications with students and families?
4. What are some measures that your school/district currently takes to protect your students from dangerous and potentially harmful content, people, and activities on the Internet?
5. What are some ways that either you teach students about Internet safety in your own classroom or that Internet safety topics are systematically taught to students across your grade level or school? What can be done to improve instruction in this area in your classroom and/or school?
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is the Uniform System of Financial Records? What are some general obligations that certificated staff members have related to the Uniform System of Financial Records?
2. How are schools monitored for compliance with the Uniform System of Financial Records? How do schools monitor their own activities to help ensure that everyone is handling district funds and property in ways that comply with the U.S.F.R. and other applicable laws?
3. What are some potential consequences for certificated staff members who violate the U.S.F.R.?
4. Who in your district should you go to for questions about the proper handling of district assets? What should you do if you observe a staff member in your school stealing or misusing district assets?
UNIT 5. Meeting Legal Obligations to Students with Disabilities and Linguistic Differences
RESOURCES
-A Guide to the Individualized Education Program
https://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
-Roles and Responsibilities in the IEP Process
http://www.nwboces.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_308355/File/Roles%20at%20IEP.pdf
-What a Teacher Could Do When an IEP Isn’t Being Followed
I’m a teacher, and I know IEPs aren’t being followed. What do I do?
-A Teacher’s Guide to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
http://secacpg.org/Documents/PGCPS_Policies/Section504/Section504_Teacher%27sGuide_PGCPS.pdf
-OELAS (ADE)
http://www.azed.gov/oelas/
-Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations to English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents (Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice)
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellresources.html
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is an IEP? What legal obligations do certificated staff members have when they are presented with an IEP?
2. What is a 504 plan? What legal obligations do certificated staff members have when they are presented with a 504 plan?
3. What are some potential consequences for certificated staff members and schools if they don’t comply with their legal obligations to educate students with disabilities?
4. What is an ELL student under federal law? What obligations do schools have to take steps to identify ELLs each year? What must a certificated teacher do with regard to ELLs they may encounter?
5. What are some potential consequences for certificated staff members and schools if they don’t comply with their legal obligations to educate students for whom English is not their first language?
UNIT 6. Promoting Safe and Inclusive Schools for Students for All Students
RESOURCES
-Protecting Students Overview (Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice)
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/pro-students/protectingstudents.html
-How to Protect Students from Sexual Harassment: A Primer for Schools (National Women’s Law Center)
https://nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Final%20SH%20Fact%20Sheet-Schools.pdf
-How the Law Protects LGBTQ Youth (Lambda Legal)
https://www.lambdalegal.org/know-your-rights/article/youth-how-the-law-protects
-Safe and Supportive Schools for LGBTQ+ Students (National Association of School Psychologists)
https://www.nasponline.org/research-and-policy/advocacy-tools-and-resources/communications-strategies-and-resources/school-climate%E2%80%94connectthedots/safe-and-supportive-schools-for-lgbtq-students
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What legal obligations do certificated staff members have to prevent sexual harassment in schools?
2. Do certificated staff members have an obligation to protect students from harassment based on their sexual orientation? What are certificated staff members’ legal obligations in this regard?
3. What legal obligations do certificated staff members have to prevent harassment or discrimination of students based on their racial, ethnic, and/or religious background?
4. What are some potential consequences for certificated staff members and their schools if they fail to protect students from harassment based on their ascribed characteristics?
UNIT 7. Protecting Religious and Political Freedom in Schools
RESOURCES
-Religion and Public Schools: Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding (National Education Association)
https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/19228_Religion%20in%20the%20public%20schools3-BGH.pdf
-Know Your Rights: Students’ Free Speech Rights in Public Schools (American Civil Liberties Union)
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/students-free-speech-rights-public-schools
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Do students have the right to pray or organize religious observances in school? Under what circumstances is such behavior lawful?
2. Are certificated staff members lawfully permitted to discuss their political opinions in their classes and/or with their students? Under what circumstances would this be lawful conduct?
3. Can certificated staff members lawfully permitted to discuss their religious views in their classes and/or with their students? Under what circumstances would this be lawful conduct?
4. Under what circumstances can a school disallow a student from expressing their political views?
