Morals and Ethics Change Education 1

Morals and Ethics Change Education

Gillian L. Pritchett

Wesleyan College
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Educators have a system composed of the code of ethics, moral turpitude, and other

guidelines that they must follow, in order to best serve as an educator. These rules are in place

for several reasons including to protect the students, to best educate the students, and to protect

the faculty and school board. The code of ethics acts as a moral code that teachers must follow in

order to act in a professional and appropriate manner both inside and outside of the classroom

setting. The code of ethics is comprised of eleven components including legal compliance,

conduct with students, alcohol or drugs, honesty, public funds and property, remunerative

conduct, confidential information, abandonment of contract, required reports, professional

conduct, and testing. According to the Georgia Professional standards commission, any violation

of the code of ethics may result in a complaint, revocation of the state issued license, suspension,

warning, or reprimand (GPSC). Teachers must live by their moral and ethical standards, in order

to best educate the future generations.

First of all, a teacher must comply with all legalities outside of the school system. An

educator should obey all laws. For example, a teacher should not evade their taxes or commit

any other minor or serious crime because that could jeopardize their job status. By this rule, “an

educator must abide by federal, state, and local laws and statutes (GPSC).” This aspect of the

code of ethics includes abiding by the standards set forth within the code of ethics. Any violation

of the law, the code of ethics, or contract could result in a criminal punishment, suspension,
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revocation, etc. (GPSC). In my personal experience, a local educator was prosecuted as a drunk

driver when I was in high school. Consequently, this teacher was suspended for the remainder of

the school year because he was not representing the school system in an appropriate manner and

he was not being a good role model for his students. Teachers are to be held to a higher standard

than most other professional because teachers have the important duty of educating the next

generation. In order to best influence the younger generation, educators must exhibit exemplary

behavior at all times.

In addition, educators must maintain professional conduct with all students at all times,

even when the student and teacher are outside of the classroom setting. Teachers are expected to

be both kind and helpful, but to always act appropriately when around students. By definition, a

student is “any individual enrolled in the state’s public or private schools from preschool through

12th grade or any individual under the age of 18 (GPSC).” Therefore, teachers are not allowed to

act in an inappropriate manner when with any person under the age of 18, even if that person is

not one of the educator’s students. In February of 2017, an Arizona teacher was “indicted on two

counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation

(AZCentral).” This event is a prime example of a breach of the conduct with students aspect of

the code of ethics, as well as legal compliance because this educator is breaking both the code of

ethics and the law. It is of utmost importance that an educator act appropriately and legally when

in contact with any minor, especially students. Teachers can have a tremendous impact on their
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students, but the amount of impact can be stiffened when a teacher is having inappropriate

relations with their students.

The consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs while on school property is prohibited. Not

only does the consumption of illegal drugs while on school property breach the code of alcohol

and drugs, but it also breaks the code of legal compliance because illegal drugs are unlawful to

consume (GPSC). Medications can be consumed on school property and alcohol can also be

consumed when off of school property. However, alcohol use in a public setting is strongly

discouraged among teachers and is prohibited when around students, whether it be inside of the

classroom or outside of the classroom. Also, a teacher is not allowed to provide any medications

to their students (GPSC). There is a procedure set in place that allows students to take their own

prescription drugs with assistance from a nurse. In my experience, teachers at my high school

would keep mints in their drawers to give out to students who had a cough because they were not

allowed to distribute medicine to students. Teachers are allowed to distribute candy to students.

However, any use or distribution of illegal drugs is unlawful, whether on school property or

elsewhere (GPSC).

A common household phrase states that honesty is the best policy. In the realm of

education, teachers are always expected to be honest (GPSC). Whether it be honesty on a job

application or telling the truth about the number of students in a classroom, teachers must be
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very truthful at all times. A good educator will go above and beyond honesty and add to it by

being fair and just in the leadership aspect of the profession. At the same time, I believe that the

teacher should always be honest with her students, especially if the teacher can guide the student

to making a good decision. Teachers must also be honest when dealing with the financial aspect

of being an educator. Another aspect of the code of ethics is the protection of public funds and

property (GPSC). This aspect of the code of ethics ties into the idea of honesty. A teacher must

be honest, especially in regards to funds for events and fundraisers. Teachers also must be

respectful of all school property and also protect the property from destruction by the students

(GPSC). In my high school, whenever I gave money to a teacher for a fundraiser, field trip, or

exam, my teacher would place the money in a sealed envelope and lock it in a drawer. At the end

of the day, the teacher would take the money to the official safe in the office. Because my

teachers followed this procedure when dealing with money, they did not violate the code of

ethics. Overall, a teacher must be truthful in regards to all aspects of the profession.

Furthermore, remunerative conduct requires educators to remain honest and to have good

character when in a situation that involves gifts, money, and any other compensation from

students or their parents (GPSC). An educator must know that they cannot be paid for tutoring

one of their students because they are required to teach them what they need to know inside of

the classroom. While a student may need additional time to understand a topic, the teacher must
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not accept any compensation as payment for extra tutoring hours. According to the Georgia

Professional Standards Commission, remunerative conduct is “maintain[ing] integrity with

students, colleagues, parents, patrons, or businesses when accepting gifts, gratuities, favors, and

additional compensation (GPSC).” Remunerative conduct is a two way street. An educator

cannot sell any objects to the students unless given prior approval by the school board. Likewise,

a parent or vendor cannot give the educator a gift for personal use or gain if there is a conflict of

interest. Remunerative conduct is in place so that an educator does not give any student special

attention as a result of monetary benefits.

One of the most important rules in the code of ethics requires confidentiality. An

educator may only share information about a student with administrators, custodial parents, the

student, or other staff members that are working with the student (GPSC). When I was in high

school, I was told from my Economics teacher that he had heard a lot about me from my

Advanced Placement Literature teacher, which indicated that my teachers were talking about me

with each other. This was not a breach of the code of ethics because both of my teachers dealt

with me on a daily basis. I believe that the rule is great because it allows teachers and

administrators who work with the same student to be able to talk about the student’s needs and

how to meet those needs. It also protects the students from identity theft and the misplacement of

valued, personal information. This rule benefits the student and keeps their safety and well-being

as a main priority. Teachers are also required to fulfill all requirements of their contract.
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Abandonment of contract is a serious breach in the code of ethics that also connects to honesty

(GPSC). Some unforeseen circumstances may be excused such as a birth or death in a family,

but educators are usually held to the set standards agreed upon within the contract that is

renewed at the start of each school year. If an educator is found to have abandoned their

contract, they may be fined or suspended.

Educators are required to report any witnessed breaches of the code of ethics (GPSC).

The staff member must report any violations of the code of ethics within a 90 day period. Failure

to comply within 90 days may result in unforeseen consequences. If the educator suspects that a

child is being abused or endangers, then the teacher must report the incident within 24 hours

(GPSC). These rules are in place in order to put the safety and well-being of the students as a

priority. For example, if a teacher notices bruises and scars on a student, they are required to

report that information within 24 hours of noticing the injuries because the student’s safety is at

risk. If a teacher witnesses another educator violating the code of ethics, then they have a 90 day

period to report the violation (GPSC). Required reporting can be discreet, but necessary, in order

to both put the safety of the students first and to keep the school system functioning properly.

Professional conduct is required of educators at all times. They must act appropriately

when on campus or at any other school events. According to the Georgia Professional Standards

Commission, “unethical conduct includes but is not limited to any conduct that impairs and/or
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diminishes the certificate holder’s ability to function professionally (GPSC).” One of the duties

of a teacher is to uphold the integrity of all standardized tests. This statement means that teachers

are responsible for the accurate application of the law when testing (GPSC). Teachers must not

change any of the students answers, allow students to go over the allotted time limit, or leave the

room when testing. Appropriately administering the test and abiding by all regulations is

required during every standardized testing period. When I took standardized tests, all cellphones

had to be off, and no materials were allowed to be on or around the desk area. The teacher

clearly read out the instructions exactly as the booklet stated the directions. If the teachers has

not read the booklet exactly, then they would be in violation of the code of ethics (GPSC). These

two standards are in place to protect the student and the integrity of the teacher.

Finally, moral turpitude involves breaking the standards of justice, honesty, and morality

within a community (GPSC). An educator must have a strong sense of morality and an ethical

thought process in order to be acceptable within this profession. Wesleyan College’s ideas

within the Conceptual Framework are exceptional because the concepts go above and beyond the

standards that all teachers should abide by. The conceptual framework involves knowledge of

the humanities, instruction for the classroom, and how to build a community within the

classroom area (Wesleyan College). The conceptual framework prepares the future teachers to

be better than what is already expected of them on a professional level.

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Overall, the code of ethics, moral turpitude and the conceptual framework are all

standards set in place in order to best serve the students, faculty, and the surrounding

community. The safety of the students is always a priority. These standards are in place to

continue the tradition of integrity of faculty within a school system, as well. Teachers must be

honest in everything from money to test scores and they must always make the students’ safety

and well-being their main priority. Teaching the future generations is a tough title to hold, but if

educators follow these simple standards, then they can exceed all expectations.
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References

Georgia Professional Standards Commission, Information Technology Division, CIO - Chuck

McCampbell, Web Master - G. Julie Chu, Developer - Deepak Alexander. (n.d.). GaPSC . Retrieved
February 16, 2017, from http://www.gapsc.com/
N. (2017, February 14). Indictment alleges Arizona teacher had sexual relationship with student.
Retrieved February 16, 2017, from
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2017/02/14/indictment-alleges-arizona-teacher-
charles-schubert-relationship-student/97897374/

Wesleyan College (2017). Conceptual Framework. Macon, GA.