What MCPS Does Not Have: Code of Ethics for Educators - Here is Model Code from NASDTEC

MCPS administrators and Board of Education (BOE) members love going to conferences. Apparently, this is one organization that doesn't have a conference that MCPS or the BOE attend.  

Montgomery County Public Schools does not have a Code of Ethics for staff. 

Here is a Model Code of Ethics for Educators that is put out by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.  


Read it and then send the Board of Education a copy.  
They have never seen anything like this before. 

Principle I:  Responsibility to the Profession

Principle II:  Responsibility for Professional Competence

Principle III: Responsibility to Students

Principle IV:  Responsibility to the School Community

Principle V:  Responsible and Ethical Use of Technology

Glossary

Rationale for Development of MCEE

Provide a Brief Comment on the MCEE

Provide a full review of the MCEE

Principle III: Responsibility to Students

The professional educator has a primary obligation to treat students with dignity and respect.  The professional educator promotes the health, safety and well being of students by establishing and maintaining appropriate verbal, physical, emotional and social boundaries. 

A. The professional educator respects the rights and dignity of students by:

1. Respecting students by taking into account their age, gender, culture, setting and socioeconomic context;
   
2. Interacting with students with transparency and in appropriate settings;
   
3. Communicating with students in a clear, respectful, and culturally sensitive manner;
   
4. Taking into account how appearance and dress can affect one’s interactions and relationships with students;
   
5. Considering the implication of accepting gifts from or giving gifts to students;
   
6. Engaging in physical contact with students only when there is a clearly defined purpose that benefits the student and continually keeps the safety and well-being of the student in mind;
   
7. Avoiding multiple relationship with students which might impair objectivity and increase the risk of harm to student learning or well-being or decrease educator effectiveness;
   
8. Acknowledging that there are no circumstances that allow for educators to engage in romantic or sexual relationships with students; and
   
9. 
   Considering the ramifications of entering into an adult relationship of any kind with a former student, including but not limited to, any potential harm to the former student, public perception, and the possible impact on the educator’s career. The professional  educator ensures that the adult relationship was not started while the former student was in school.
   

B. The professional educator demonstrates an ethic of care through:

1. Seeking to understand students’ educational, academic, personal and social needs as well as students’ values, beliefs, and cultural background;
   
   
2. Respecting the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual student including, but not limited to, actual and perceived gender, gender expression, gender identity, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and culture; and
   
3. 
   Establishing and maintaining an environment that promotes the emotional, intellectual, physical, and sexual safety of all students. 
   

C.  The professional educator maintains student trust and confidentiality when interacting with students in a developmentally appropriate manner and within appropriate limits by:

1. Respecting the privacy of students and the need to hold in confidence certain forms of student communication, documents, or information obtained in the course of professional practice;
   
   
   
   
2. Upholding parents’/guardians’ legal rights, as well as any legal requirements to reveal information related to legitimate concerns for the well-being of a student; and
   
3. 
   
   
   Protecting the confidentiality of student records and releasing personal data in accordance with prescribed state and federal laws and local policies.