Ethics Standards at Kentwood Preparatory School

1. Confidentiality

A. Discussion of students, parents, etc., outside of school or in school, within the hearing of other students or parents is a breach of professional ethics.
B. Employee may not engage in any private service for any parent or student, including but not limited to tutoring, house sitting, babysitting etc.
C. Parent's addresses or telephone numbers are not to be given out or used for personal gain or for a staff member's own tutoring service, private practice, or any other services of kind. No information about particular students and/or actions of the school or students is to be divulged to outside sources or another parent without prior approval from the administration.
D. Receiving gifts or services (other than at holiday time or year-end) from parents without disclosing and receiving permission from administration is a violation of this contract.
E. Visiting homes, socializing or engaging in any activity with students or parents outside of school (without obtaining permission in writing from the school administrator prior to such activity) is not allowed.

2. There is to be no discussion with students or parents concerning your own personal life, problems, etc.

3. Visiting of student's homes, contacting students and parents after school hours (unless calling parents for scheduled communication feedback), fraternizing with the students, or taking the students on outings is not allowed without clearance from the administration in advance.

Dress Code for Staff Members

Staff members are professionals and they are expected to dress professionally.

The minimum accepted dress code for men includes: polo shirts, long dress pants, belts, shoes and socks. Preferable dress would be a button-down shirt, tie, long dress pants, shoes, and socks. Men may not wear earrings or athletic footwear (sneakers).

The mandated dress code for women includes: dresses, skirts, pants suits, color coordinated pants and blouses. Extremely short dresses and skirts, shorts, halter-tops, tank tops and athletic footwear are not allowed.

Sandals (flip flops and thongs) and jeans are not considered appropriate dress.

There will be certain field trips during the year when the dress code for staff will be relaxed. These occasions will be announced in advance.

Conduct

a. Staff members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times and in accordance with. school rules, policies, 811d directives. This means modeling for the students - appropriate dress, speech, manners, interpersonal relations, and organization.

b. Selling items to students or purchasing items from students is not allowed without written permission from the corporate office.

Smoking, Use of Alcohol, and Drugs

Smoking is not permitted on school grounds or during school functions and field trips. The use of alcohol or any other recreational use of drugs on campus or during a school outing by staff members are grounds for immediate dismissal.

Guests

Staff may not have guests visiting the school without prior authorization from the site director. In addition, staff may not have guests visit the school and stay for the day (or part thereof)

Additional Standards of Ethics and Conduct regarding child abuse, abandonment, neglect etc.

(1)(a) Any person, offici8.4 or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or required by this chapter, 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.

(b) Except as provided in this chapter, nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to grant immunity, civil or criminal, to any person suspected of having abused, abandoned, or neglected a child, or committed any illegal act upon or against a child.

(2)(a) No resident or employee of a facility serving children may be subjected to reprisal or discharge because of his or her actions in reporting abuse, abandonment, or neglect pursuant to the requirements of this section.

(b) Any person making a report under this section shall have a civil cause of action for appropriate compensatory and punitive damages against any person who causes detrimental changes in the employment status of such reporting party by reason of his or her making such report. Any detrimental change made in the residency or employment status of such person, including, but not limited to, discharge, termination, demotion, transfer, or reduction in pay or benefits or work privileges, or negative evaluations within a prescribed period of time shall establish a rebuttable presumption that such action was retaliatory. 768.095 Employer immunity from liability; disclosure of information regarding former or current employees. -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 employ.er was knowingly false or violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under chapter 760.

Standards of Ethical Conduct

(adapted from the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida and Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida)

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.
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 judgment and integrity.
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 student's 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 relevant 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, sexual 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.
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 conduct 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; 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 Requirement

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 by Instructional Personnel and Administrators

All employees, educational support employees, and administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel 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.

Report of misconduct of employees should be made to:
Robin Lent
(561) 649-6178
RLent@Kentwoodprepschool.com

Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to:
Gary Fein
(561) 694-6141
GFein@Kentwoodprepschool.com

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 affects the health, safety, or welfare of student are posted in the staff break room.

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 1-80096-ABUSE or report online at: http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/.

Signs of Physical Abuse

The child may have unexplained bruises, welts, cuts, or other injuries; broken bones; or burns. A child experiencing physical abuse may seem withdrawn or depressed, seem afraid to go home or may run away, shy away from physical contact, be aggressive, or wear inappropriate clothing to hide injuries.

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Signs of Neglect

The child may have unattended medical needs, little or no supervision at home, poor hygiene, or appear underweight. A child experiencing neglect may be frequently tired or hungry, steal food, or appear overly needy for adult attention.

Pattern of Abuse

Serious abuse usually involves a combination of factors. While a single sign may not be significant, a pattern of physical or behavioral signs is serious indicator and should be reported.

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 employee who disclose 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)

Discrimination

Kentwood encourages all school and employee applications, and our program and policies treat everyone equally. We are committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, and veteran status.