Ethics Resources
Resources on ethical school leadership and creating a culture of transparency in your school community.
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June 01, 2019
Sermonizing for the AssembledType:Article Topics: EthicsWhat do you do when a local pastor, long an ardent supporter of the public schools, regularly crosses the church-state divide at award assemblies? -
May 01, 2019
Witness for Dubious CharacterType:Article Topics: EthicsHow does the ethics panel view a superintendent whose neighbor asks him to be a character witness before court sentencing on a felony involving a young child? -
April 01, 2019
Advocating Arts or Athletics?Type:Article Topics: District & School Operations, Ethics, Finance & BudgetsThe school board splits its vote on what to cut in a budget shortfall, turning to the superintendent to make the call. -
March 01, 2019
Plagiarizer From Her PastType:Article Topics: EthicsA deputy superintendent is asked as a favor by a former student to remove content from her personal website to save a college student from a possible plagiarism accusation. -
February 01, 2019
Top-Ranked But SuspiciousType:Article Topics: EthicsA meritorious teacher of 30 years is accused by a 4th grader of battery. The superintendent, though distraught, places the teacher on leave but questions himself over his action. -
January 01, 2019
A Ceiling on GradesType:Article Topics: EthicsA scenario involving a high school art teacher who refuses to grant any grade above a 96 to leave “opportunities for improvement.” Our panel targets the fairness. -
December 01, 2018
Mr. M's Shoulder MassageType:Article Topics: EthicsA high school senior shares with her counselor her discomfort over a shoulder rub by her math teacher but does not want it reported. How should educators proceed? -
November 01, 2018
A Witness to DiscriminationType:Article Topics: EthicsThe conflicted loyalties of a superintendent who must testify in a discrimination suit waged by a candidate for a principalship. -
October 01, 2018
The $20 MotivatorType:Article Topics: EthicsA high school English teacher offers financial incentives to the top test scorer and the biggest test improver. Should administrators allow this? -
September 01, 2018
Football FireworksType:Article Topics: EthicsA veteran board member insists on shooting off fireworks at the start of each high school football season, a violation of state law that fellow board members ignore. Should the new superintendent of the small, rural district intervene? -
August 01, 2018
A Hairy BacktrackType:Article Topics: EthicsOur panel tackles the case of a principal’s job offer withdrawn from a primary grades teacher who refused to shave his long beard. -
June 01, 2018
A Confidentiality PledgeType:Article Topics: EthicsOur ethics panel differs on handling alleged plagiarism by a school staff member while completing graduate studies. -
May 01, 2018
Outing a Parent OffenderType:Article Topics: EthicsThe father of a female student has confessed to paying for sex with a teenage prostitute. His name does not appear on the county’s database of sex offenders. Should the principal share any information with the school’s parents? -
April 01, 2018
Punishing the Harasser ... Or Not?Topics: EthicsThe superintendent wants to suspend an alleged perpetrator while the district’s attorney calls only for a stern letter of reprimand. How might you proceed? -
March 01, 2018
Pay Your Way to PlayTopics: EthicsWhat does our ethics panel suggest about a basketball coach who uses his off-season club for his school team’s tryouts? -
February 01, 2018
Vaccination RumorsType:Article Topics: EthicsA district employee learns about parents’ plans to use faked doctors’ forms for their children’s required vaccinations for school admission. Does the employee have a duty to report what he has heard? -
January 01, 2018
The Desperate OutburstType:Article Topics: EthicsAngered over the election of Donald Trump, a teacher lambasts his students who supported the victor for aligning with a “racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic” individual. The district must respond. -
December 01, 2017
A Dubious DonationType:Article Topics: EthicsShould the district accept a large financial gift to renovate art and tech classrooms offered by a businessman with organized crime connections? -
November 01, 2017
The 'Morally Offensive' Magazine CoverTopics: EthicsThe principal cancels a journalism class’s subscription to Time over the image of a breast-feeding mother, and the dispute reaches the superintendent’s desk. -
October 01, 2017
A Threat on RecordType:Article Topics: EthicsWhat to do about a respected principal caught on a surreptitious audio recording threatening a 14-year-old special education student?
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