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St. Gerard High School
Standard of Ethical Conduct Policy
Standards of Ethical Conduct
1. Our school values the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence,
acquisition of knowledge, and the nurture of democratic citizenship. Essential to the achievement of these
standards are the freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal opportunity for all.
2. Our primary concern is the student and the development of the student’s potential. Employees will
therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgement and
integrity.
3. Concern for the student requires that our instructional personnel:
a. Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning and /or to
the students’ mental and/or physical health and/or safety.
b. Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning.
c. Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view.
d. Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter to a student’s academic program.
e. Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.
f. Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student’s legal rights.
g. Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age,
national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sextual
orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each
student is protected from harassment or discrimination.
h. Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage.
i. Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional
service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law.
4. Aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of colleagues, of students, of parents
and of the community, employees of our school must display the highest degree of ethical conduct. This
commitment requires that our employees:
a. Shall maintain honesty in all professional dealings.
b. Shall not on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs,
marital status, handicapping condition if otherwise qualified, or social and family background deny
to a colleague professional benefits or advantages or participation in any professional organization.
c. Shall not interfere with a colleague’s exercise of political or civil rights and responsibilities
d. Shall not engage in harassment or discriminatory conduit which unreasonably interferes with an
individual’s performance of professional or work responsibilities or with the orderly processes of
education or which creates a hostile, intimidating, abusive, offensive, or oppressive environment;
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and further, shall make reasonable effort to assure that each individual is protected from such
harassment or discrimination.
e. Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.
Training Requirements All instructional personnel, educational support employees, and administrators
are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.
Reporting Misconduct All instructional personnel, educational support employees, and school
administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel, educational support
employees and school administrators which affects the health, safety or welfare of a student. Examples of
misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging comments, prejudice or bigotry,
sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors.
Reports of misconduct by employees should be made to Academic Director Leonora Hughes email
education@stgerardcampus.org or 904-829-5516. Reports of misconduct committed by administrators
should be made to executive Director Brittany Glisson email director@stgerardcampus.org or 904-829-
5516.
Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the Office of
Professional Practices Services. Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional
personnel or school administrators which affect the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted in the
staff cafeteria and on our website www.stgerardcampsu.org.
Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment or Neglect All employees and agents have an affirmative duty to
report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Call 1-800-96-ABUSE or
report online at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/.
Liability Protections Any person, official, or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or
required by law or reporting in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to the
department or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability which might
otherwise result by reason of such action. (F.S. 39.203)
An employer who discloses information about a former or current employee to a prospective employer of
the former or current employee upon request of the prospective employer or of the former or current
employee is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences unless it is shown by clear
and convincing evidence that the information disclosed by the former or current employer was knowingly
false or violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under F.S. Chapter 760. (F.S.
768.095)