Code of Ethics for School Leaders

5 Examples of Unethical Conduct:

1. Standard 1.2:  A superintendent took sole responsibility over the vending machines in the district.  He was the person who emptied the change from the machines.  Eventually the administrative assistant began to notice that there were no deposits being made from the machines.  She asked the business manager about it and soon it was revealed that the superintendent had been keeping the money from the machines for himself.  He was required to pay back the money he had stolen and was dismissed shortly after.
2. Standard 1.3:  An administrative assistant began to notice that checks were missing from her check boxes.  Thinking this was odd, she began to carefully document when a box was opened and how many checks were in the box.  She realized that it was always a few checks off the bottom of the box.  After contacting the school board president, she and the business manager began a thorough investigation.  This resulted in the discovery that the superintendent was taking checks off the bottom of the box and writing them in small increments to himself.  The amounts were small, so he thought they would go unnoticed.  He was found guilty and sent on his way.
3. Standard 1.6: The superintendent was a close friend to the PEIMS clerk who assisted him in changing the enrollment numbers for CTE classes in order to create more funding for the school district.  The business manager recognized that the numbers do not seem to follow the trends of the past few years.  He began asking questions.  It was not long before they discovered what was going on.  The superintendent and PEIMS clerk received formal reprimands and eventually moved on to other positions.
4. Standard 2.7: A superintendent’s administrative assistant suspects that the superintendent is involved in unethical behavior in the area of finance.  She reports the suspicion to the president of the school board who immediately investigates the situation.  During the investigative process, the superintendent begins harsh and negative treatment of the admin asst.  He also retaliates by assigning unpleasant tasks that the admin asst usually does not perform. 
5. Standard 2.1:  An unmarried, junior high teacher requests a conference with the superintendent in which she reveals that she is pregnant.  She states that she understands that this might set a poor example for her students and seeks advice on how to best handle the situation.  She would like to keep the pregnancy confidential until she has determined what to do.  After the meeting, the superintendent tells his office personnel about the conversation.  Soon after, the rumor has spread throughout the district that the teacher is pregnant.  The teacher files a complaint against the superintendent for violating her confidentiality and privacy.

Consequences for 3 actions listed above:

The consequences for actions such as the ones listed above can range from a slap on the hand to criminal charges.  A common theme that emerged from my conversations with superintendents about this matter, was that most of the time, districts will go easy on the consequences if the superintendent will resign.  Although this is a common practice, it is a shame that they do not follow through with more severe consequences that would prevent this from happening in the superintendent’s next district.  If criminal charges are filed the superintendent would have a much more difficult time committing the same offense in the next school.  Perhaps the most cutting effect of these actions is the loss of trust from your community, faculty and students.  A superintendent who loses the respect of his stakeholders, has no chance for success.

#1:  The superintendent who stole from the vending machines: 

 Short term consequences:  Must determine a way to repay all of the money he has stolen from the district.  If unable to pay the full amount, a payment plan will be set up.

Long term consequences:  Should the district decide to file charges with the police about the actions, the long term consequences would be severe.  The superintendent would have a difficult time finding a job in another district and might have to seek a new career path.  Certification could also be revoked or flagged, which is public record.

#3:  The superintendent who falsifies records for the district’s financial gain will suffer severe consequences.  Because he/she has tampered with federal funding, this would instantly become a criminal issue.  The consequences could involve loss of certification, a thorough criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers, and possible jail time.

#5:  The superintendent who violates the confidentiality of an employee, would suffer short term consequences such as the loss of trust of his/her faculty.  Staff members would be less likely to trust him/her.  The long term effects would occur if the teacher decides to file a formal complaint with SBEC.   More than likely there would be a slap on the hand, but it could lead to a flagged certificate which affects future employment possibilities.

Actions taken to avoid such ethical conflicts:

There are several steps superintendents can make to avoid a lapse in ethical judgment.  First, the superintendent needs to spend as much time as possible with students.   Spending time with students reminds us why we do what we do.  You are much less likely to steal from your district, when you have a relationship with the teachers and students you would be stealing from.  Accountability is also crucial.  The auditing system and FIRST system are two ways to keep internal controls in check.  All office staff should be trained in the procedures and should be confident in the fact that all unethical behavior is to be reported immediately.  Training office staff in the protocol for how they should handle a situation in which they believe the superintendent is being unethical is also important.  If you take time to teach them how to report you, they will know that you expect them to report any suspicion even if it involves you.  Finally, the superintendent must handle all unethical behavior in a firm, fair and consistent manner.  Letting the small things slide sends a message that it is okay to bend the rules.  Bending the rules leads to breaking the rules, which leads to nothing but pain and suffering for those involved.  Modeling ethical behavior creates an atmosphere of both accountability and trust.  These two things are critical to the success of any school district.