WEEK FIVE ASSIGNMENT

Part I Reflection: School leaders must be held accountable for their actions and decisions. Within the Education Code we are given several standards to follow. Unfortunately there have been many leaders who chose not to follow the standards.
The standards for professional ethical conduct, practices, and performances are:
(A) Standard 1.1. The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies of the school district, educational institution, educator preparation program, the Texas Education Agency, or the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and its certification process.
(B) Standard 1.2. 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. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, there was a district-level secretary with access to a district credit card and she bought several things for her personal home.)
(C) Standard 1.3. The educator shall not submit fraudulent requests for reimbursement, expenses, or pay.
(D) Standard 1.4. The educator shall not use institutional or professional privileges for personal or partisan advantage.
(E) Standard 1.5. The educator shall neither accept nor offer gratuities, gifts, or favors that impair professional judgment or to obtain special advantage. This standard shall not restrict the acceptance of gifts or tokens offered and accepted openly from students, parents of students, or other persons or organizations in recognition or appreciation of service.
(F) Standard 1.6. The educator shall not falsify records, or direct or coerce others to do so. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, district officials were caught falsifying answer documents on the TAKS test. Their district finances were also in shambles. Things were so bad T.E.A. dissolved the district.
(G) Standard 1.7. The educator shall comply with state regulations, written local school board policies, and other state and federal laws.
(H) Standard 1.8. The educator shall apply for, accept, offer, or assign a position or a responsibility on the basis of professional qualifications.
(I) Standard 1.9. The educator shall not make threats of violence against school district employees, school board members, students, or parents of students.
(J) Standard 1.10. The educator shall be of good moral character and be worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I think we can all think of way too many examples of teachers having inappropriate relations with students.)
(K) Standard 1.11. The educator shall not intentionally or knowingly misrepresent his or her employment history, criminal history, and/or disciplinary record when applying for subsequent employment.
(L) Standard 1.12. The educator shall refrain from the illegal use or distribution of controlled substances and/or abuse of prescription drugs and toxic inhalants.(REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: In a neighboring district, I know of several specific examples where TEACHERS would come to school high, drunk, or hung-over from the night before. Some of these teachers continued to be employed eventhough district officials knew that they were coming to school under the influence. Some of the teachers would claim that it was an addiction and that they needed help. Then the district would become financially liable to try to help that individual with counseling, AA, etc.)
(M) Standard 1.13. The educator shall not consume alcoholic beverages on school property or during school activities when students are present.
The standards for ethical conduct towards professional colleagues are:
(A) Standard 2.1. The educator shall not reveal confidential health or personnel information concerning colleagues unless disclosure serves lawful professional purposes or is required by law.
(B) Standard 2.2. The educator shall not harm others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.
(C) Standard 2.3. The educator shall adhere to written local school board policies and state and federal laws regarding the hiring, evaluation, and dismissal of personnel. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: There are many districts that do not adhere to the nepotism laws regarding hiring. Sometimes upper level administrative positions are given to those who have relatives on the board or elsewhere in the upper administration. In other situations, some are able to keep their job because of whom they are related to when they should have been fired for their actions.)
(D) Standard 2.4. The educator shall not interfere with a colleague's exercise of political, professional, or citizenship rights and responsibilities.
(E) Standard 2.5. The educator shall not discriminate against or coerce a colleague on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, family status, or sexual orientation. (REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I can remember witnessing and hearing about several instances where teachers are mean, disrespectful, racist, etc. Teachers [and some administrators] are just as bad as the kids sometimes.)
(F) Standard 2.6. The educator shall not use coercive means or promise of special treatment in order to influence professional decisions or colleagues.
(G) Standard 2.7. The educator shall not retaliate against any individual who has filed a complaint with the SBEC or who provides information for a disciplinary investigation or proceeding under this chapter.
There have been many examples where a school leader has broken the trust of their community and their district. It is unfortunate that they feel the entitlement or that they can get away with it, but these moments tarnish our entire profession. In the situations listed above a district has the ability (and obligation) to enforce consequences for the educator’s actions. The district’s decision is based upon the circumstances, but it could end someone’s career. Some short-range consequences include: paid leave, suspension from duties, leave without pay, adjusted and reduced duties, a write-up in their file, etc. Some long-range consequences include: termination, SBEC could take their certificate away, criminal charges could be filed, etc. 
In order to prevent some of these situations from occurring, it is a great idea to be proactive. One of the biggest ways to prevent these unethical choices is to lead by example. If the superintendent is seen as a person of outstanding character and he surrounds himself or herself with an ethical leadership team, the teachers have great models of behavior. Another preventative measure is to have a checks and balance system in place for all financial aspects of the district. Any and all monies coming in and going out should have a paper trail to follow. Another preventative measure would be to follow the policies and legal framework with all employees and to ensure proper hiring practices. If the district develops policies and procedures it is equally important to apply them equally to all employees. The final example of a preventative measure that you could take would be to create a position for someone to check and make sure all policies and procedures are being done correctly (i.e., are fundraiser approval forms filled out before the employee starts collecting money, are there at least two people who count all money turned in, is there a paper trail for all money entering and leaving the district, etc.). This position could be an internal auditor that also looks at other aspects of the district and their policies.

Part II Reflection: The self-assessment turned out a little different than I was expecting. Some of my “S”s turned into “C”s. You would think that through more experience and knowledge it would be the other way around. I think I found out that I did not know as much as I thought. Once we got into some of the intricacies of school finance, I saw that I did not have a clue. Now I understand that there is more to learn and more room to grow. 

Part III Reflection: EDLD 5342 has been the most interesting course thus far. I have learned several things for the first time and gained a better understanding on several other topics. The lectures were very beneficial and I really liked gaining knowledge and experiences from successful, former superintendents. The videos were easy to understand and covered most of the topics needed for this course. I also enjoyed learning from Dr. Creel during this portion of the program. It is nice to have some one on one time with a great educational leader. I also gained a great deal of experience from our assignments, including spending some great time and wonderful conversations with our Assistant Superintendent of Business, Ron Smith. He really understands how it all works and has a great handle on funding public schools in Texas. I feel blessed to have him as a resource. One of the biggest blessings has been our small group and the other feedback gained from others in our cohort through our discussion boards. I do not think this experience would be nearly as easy without the individuals that I have been working with – what a great group!