Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct

Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession in Florida

Despite there being a clear Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, we have all witnessed a myriad of court cases whereby educators are accused of violating these very same guidelines they are supposed to observe and promote. In this text, I highlight a number of cases where educators have violated the said ethical codes and principles. The court cases I will concern myself with include State of Florida vs. Debra Beasley Lafave, Howard W. Adams and Randy D. Ward, v. State of Florida, Professional Practices Council, and Tomerlin v. Dade County School Board.

State of Florida vs. Debra Beasley Lafave

In this particular case, a female teacher by the name Debra Beasley Lafave was accused of having sex with a student who was way below the age of majority. Lafave was charged with two felony counts after she readily admitted to having had relations of a sexual nature with the said student. At the time of the offense, Lafave was an educator at Angelo L. Greco Middle School (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011). In my opinion, Lafave's conduct as well as behavior violated, not one, but several ethical codes and principles. To begin with, with regard to the principles of professional conduct, she breached her obligation to the student by failing to protect one of her students from conditions deemed injurious or harmful to not only his learning but also his mental health. This is particularly the case given that her advances to the male student were bound to disrupt him from class or schoolwork. Secondly, Lafave also exploited her relationship with the said student for her own personal gain. It is also important to note that with regard to the ethical codes, Lafave's outrageous behavior was not indicative of the high degree of ethical conduct she was expected to not only achieve but also maintain.

Howard W. Adams and Randy D. Ward v. State of Florida, Professional Practices Council

According to Leagle (2013), in this case, "appellants Adam and Ward appeal from appellee State of Florida Professional Practices Council's orders revoking their teaching certificates pursuant to § 231.28, Florida Statutes." As Leagle (2013) further points out, the certificate in question was revoked as a result of the appellants' possession of several plants of marijuana. The appellants passionately argued that possession of the said plant did not in any way contravene any moral standards of the profession they were serving in at the time, i.e. The teaching profession. In seeking to further advance their argument, the appellants according to Leagle (2013) largely relied upon the case of Pearl v. Florida Board of Real Estate where it was ruled that the possession of a substance classified as controlled did not in any way "establish moral turpitude within the purview of Section 475.25(1) (e)." In my opinion, however, the appellants were in direct contravention of the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession. The court also seemed to hold the same view as it affirmed the earlier ruling. One of the provisions of the code of ethics recommends that an educator be "aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of one's colleagues….strives to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct" (Florida Department of Education, 2013). The image the two individuals in this case projected directly contravened the society's expectations with regard to the proper conduct of a self-respecting member of the teaching profession. As Leagle (2013) notes, the fact that the two were found in possession of marijuana seriously impaired their ability to remain in a respected profession like teaching.

Tomerlin v. Dade County School Board

Similar to the case above, this case involved an elementary school teacher, Tomerlin, who was dismissed by his county's school board for immoral or inappropriate behavior with his young step-daughter. According to Leagle (2013), Tomerlin was accused of habitually performing canallingus on the said minor after school hours. At the time, she was only nine. The dismissal of Tomerlin for immorality was in my view appropriate. Any individual of sound mind and strong morals could easily tell that Tomerin's behavior was largely immoral. Although it did not interfere with his job per se, it was not reconcilable with the code of ethics' requirement that educators maintain a high degree of ethical conduct.

The Relevance of an Ethical Code