EOCS 6990 Group Assignment 1
Cristy Lambert-Smith | Kevin Trobaugh | Harold Culbreth
- What do you think the legislature was trying to prevent when it passed O.C.G.A. 45-10-1?
- O.C.G.A. 45-10-1 exists to establish professional behavior by preventing the abuse of power, unethical decision making, and to promote accountability among government workers. All too often, government workers have access to personal and confidential information that could be potentially profitable either personally or professionally. The code of ethics for government service specifically states that the individuals in these positions should not use this information for personal or professional gain or to promote or restrict any particular group of individuals. By providing a code of ethics, the government clearly outlines unethical activities in hopes of squashing any temptation to use obtainable information or one’s position in a way that would be less than favorable.
- What are the potential consequences for a government employee in Georgia who violates a provision of the Code of Ethics for Government Service?
- Any employee who violates a provision of the Code of Ethics is subject to removal of office or employment, a civil fine up to $10,000 and restitution to the state for any monies due to the violation. .
- What should be the proper reaction of a school principal who discovers that the most effective teacher in the sixth grade has regularly been skipping required professional development sessions? The principal knows that the teacher has been very effective at helping the school’s lowest-achieving students make substantial improvements in their standardized test scores since before the principal even entered the field of education. The principal further knows the teacher in question has a notoriously low tolerance for officialdom, and if pressed on this issue, may transfer to a school district located near the teacher’s new house in the country.
- The proper reaction of the school principal would be to remind the teacher of his/her responsibilities and duties as a teacher, to include attending required meetings. The principal should let the teacher know that he/she is obligated to hold all teachers and staff accountable and allowing her/him to miss meetings, even though it may seem a waste of time, is not an option. This should serve as a verbal warning for the teacher. If this behavior continues, first the teacher should receive a written reprimand to be placed in their file and if the behavior continues, the lack of compliance should be reported to the county human resources department for appropriate action. In most cases, this would involve a professional development plan for the teacher to follow as a form of “remediation”. When the administrator approaches the teacher, he may want to consider pointing out that his/her behavior could be viewed as a violation of standard 10 of the code of ethics for educators since the teacher is not “functioning professionally” by choosing to avoid meetings that are considered mandatory. As a result, he/she could face disciplinary action by the professional standards commission if they were to be notified. The principal should be supported in his efforts to “raise the bar” since abiding by the code of ethics is an all-or-nothing decision for an administrator; consistency is necessary. If the principal were to allow this teacher to avoid meetings, he would have no grounds to punish others who made a similar decision. In addition, if the teacher’s behavior were viewed as a violation of standard 10 of the code of ethics, allowing the behavior to continue would mean that the administrator is violating standard 9 by failing to report the actions of the teacher to the professional standards commission. .