As a representative of Children’s Resource Fund (CRF), all staff members must demonstrate and uphold standards of ethical conduct both in and outside of the classroom. As an employee and a role model to students, instructional personnel and school administrators have a duty at all time to:
1. Children’s Resources 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 professional concern will always be for the student and for the development of these students’ potential. All Children’s Resources 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 all 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 deny a student access to diverse points of view.
c. Shall not reasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning.
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 based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political belief, marital status, handicapping conditions, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make responsible 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 during 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 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 or race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition if otherwise qualified 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 or professional 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 everyone is protected from such harassment or discrimination.
e. Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.
f. Shall not use coercive means or promise special treatments to influence professional judgements of colleagues.
g. Shall not misrepresent one’s own professional qualifications.
h. Shall not submit fraudulent information on any document in connection with professional activities.
i. Shall not make any fraudulent statement or fail to disclose a material fact in one’s own or another’s application for a professional position.
j. Shall not withhold information regarding a position from and applicant or misrepresent an assignment or conditions of employment.
k. Shall self-report within forty-eight hours to CRF any arrests/charges involving the abuse of a child or the sale and /or possession of a controlled substance. Such notice shall not be considered an admission of guild nor shall such notice be admissible for any purpose in any proceeding, civil or criminal, administrative or judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory. In addition, shall self-report any conviction, finding or guilt, withholding adjudication, commitment to a pretrial diversion program, or entering a plea of guilt for any criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation within forty-eight hours after the final judgement.
l. Shall seek no reprisal against any individual who has reported any allegations of a violation of the Florida School Code or State Board of Education Rules as defined in Section 1012.795(1), Florida Statutes.
m. Shall not withhold information in regarding a position from an applicant or misrepresent an assignment or conditions of employment.
n. Shall not assist entry into or continuance in the profession of any person known to be unqualified in accordance with these principles of professional conduct for the Education profession in Florida and other applicable Florida Statutes and State Board of Education rules.
o. Shall report within (48) forty-eight hours to appropriate authorities (as determined by district) any arrests/charges involving the abuse of a child or the sale and/or possession of a controlled substance. Such notice shall not be considered an admission of guilt nor shall such notice be admissible for any purpose in any proceeding civil or criminal, administrative or judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory. In addition, shall self-report any conviction, finding of guilt, withholding or adjudication, commitment to a pretrial diversion program, or entering of a plea of guilt or Nolo Contendre for any criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation within forty-eight hours after the final judgement. When handling sealed and expunged records disclosed under this rule, school districts shall comply with the confidentiality provisions of sections 943.0585(4) (c), Florida Statutes.
p. 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.
q. Shall not interfere with a colleague’s exercise of political or civil right and responsibilities.
r. 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.
s. Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.
5. Training Requirements: All instructional personnel and administration are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.
Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment or Neglect.
Abide by all school policies and procedures with steadfast adherence to the following:
All employees and agents have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Immediately call the Florida Department of Children and Families Toll Free Hotline (1-800-96-ABUSE) or report online at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report. Instructional personnel and school administrators may report such information to DCF in unison but reporting to another school employee does not fulfill the legal obligation to report to DCF.
A person who is required by statute to report known or suspected abuse or neglect and fails to do so, is subject to disciplinary action by the employer, by the State Department of Education and/or throughout criminal prosecution.
In section 39.07 (2), Florida Statutes, the term “Abuse” means any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental or sexual injury or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. Abuse of a child includes acts of omissions. Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or legal custodian for disciplinary purposes does not in itself constitute abuse when it does not result in harm to the child.
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: the child may have torn, stained or bloody underwear, trouble walking or sitting, pain or itching in genital area, or a sexually transmitted disease. A child experiencing sexual abuse may have unusual knowledge of sex or act seductively, fear a particular person, seem withdrawn or depressed, gain or lose weight suddenly, shy away from physical contact, or run away from home.
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.
Patterns 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 a serious indicator and should be reported.
In Section 39.01 (47), Florida Statutes, “other person responsible for a child’s welfare” includes the child’s legal guardian or foster parent; an employee of any school, public or private child day care center, residential home, institution, facility, or agency; a law enforcement officer employed in any facility, service, or program for children that is operated or contracted by the Department of Juvenile Justice; or any other person legally responsible for the child’s welfare in a residential setting; and also includes an adult sitter or relative entrusted with a child’s care.
Immediately report to the adequate supervisors any alleged misconduct that affects the health, safety or welfare of a student, by other instructional personnel or school administrator.
In accordance with section 1012.795 (1) (b) Florida Statutes, any instructional personnel or school administrator must report alleged misconduct that affects the health, safety or welfare of a student by instructional personnel or school administrators. If instructional personnel or school administrators have knowledge of a violation of section 1012.795 or the Principles of Professional conduct or the district code of conduct, designated employee shall immediately report the nature of the misconduct to Gigliola Del Valle, Executive Director at Children’s Resource Fund.
Instructional personnel or school administrators who fail to report misconduct of other instructional personnel or school administrators that affect the health, safety or welfare of students shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment and revocation of their Florida Educators Certificate.
Prohibition of Bullying and Harassment
All students and school employees have the right to an educational setting that is safe, secure, and free of harassment and bullying of any kind. Children’s Resources will not tolerate bullying of any kind. Conduct that constitutes bullying and/ or harassment, as defined by district policy and section 1006.147, Florida Statutes, are prohibited.
Liability Protection: In accordance with section 39.203, Florida Statutes any person who reports in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to the Department of Children and families or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability which might otherwise result by reason of such action.
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. (FS 768.095)
Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel and Administrators: All 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 but are not limited to obscene language, drug and alcohol use, despairing comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors. Reports of misconduct of employees should be made to Gigliola Del Valle, Executive Director or Dr. Erika Berger, Clinical Director.
Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to Ms. Peggy Armaly, CEO and Founder.
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 a student are posted in Employee Handbook and Employee information wall and on our website www.crfcenter.org.