Kentucky Administrative Regulations › Title 16 - EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BOARD › Chapter 1 - General Administration › Section 16 KAR 1:020 - Professional code of ethics for Kentucky school certified personnel

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
				KRS
				161.028,
				161.040,
				161.120
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
				KRS
				161.028 requires that the Education
				Professional Standards Board develop a professional code of ethics. This
				administrative regulation establishes the code of ethics for Kentucky school
				certified personnel and establishes that violation of the code of ethics may be
				grounds for revocation or suspension of Kentucky certification for professional
				school personnel by the Education Professional Standards Board.
Section 1. Certified personnel in the
			 Commonwealth:
(1) Shall strive toward
			 excellence, recognize the importance of the pursuit of truth, nurture
			 democratic citizenship, and safeguard the freedom to learn and to
			 teach;
(2) Shall believe in the
			 worth and dignity of each human being and in educational opportunities for
			 all;
(3) Shall strive to uphold the
			 responsibilities of the education profession, including the following
			 obligations to students, to parents, and to the education profession:
(a) To students:
1. Shall provide students with professional
			 education services in a nondiscriminatory manner and in consonance with
			 accepted best practice known to the educator;
2. Shall respect the constitutional rights of
			 all students;
3. Shall take
			 reasonable measures to protect the health, safety, and emotional well-being of
			 students;
4. Shall not use
			 professional relationships or authority with students for personal
			 advantage;
5. Shall keep in
			 confidence information about students which has been obtained in the course of
			 professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is
			 required by law;
6. Shall not
			 knowingly make false or malicious statements about students or
			 colleagues;
7. Shall refrain from
			 subjecting students to embarrassment or disparagement; and
8. Shall not engage in any sexually related
			 behavior with a student with or without consent, but shall maintain a
			 professional approach with students. Sexually related behavior shall include
			 such behaviors as sexual jokes; sexual remarks; sexual kidding or teasing;
			 sexual innuendo; pressure for dates or sexual favors; inappropriate physical
			 touching, kissing, or grabbing; rape; threats of physical harm; and sexual
			 assault.
(b) To parents:
1. Shall make reasonable effort to
			 communicate to parents information which should be revealed in the interest of
			 the student;
2. Shall endeavor to
			 understand community cultures and diverse home environments of
			 students;
3. Shall not knowingly
			 distort or misrepresent facts concerning educational issues;
4. Shall distinguish between personal views
			 and the views of the employing educational agency;
5. Shall not interfere in the exercise of
			 political and citizenship rights and responsibilities of others;
6. Shall not use institutional privileges for
			 private gain, for the promotion of political candidates, or for partisan
			 political activities; and
7. Shall
			 not accept gratuities, gifts, or favors that might impair or appear to impair
			 professional judgment, and shall not offer any of these to obtain special
			 advantage.
(c) To the
			 education profession:
1. Shall exemplify
			 behaviors which maintain the dignity and integrity of the profession;
2. Shall accord just and equitable treatment
			 to all members of the profession in the exercise of their professional rights
			 and responsibilities;
3. Shall keep
			 in confidence information acquired about colleagues in the course of
			 employment, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by
			 law;
4. Shall not use coercive
			 means or give special treatment in order to influence professional
			 decisions;
5. Shall apply for,
			 accept, offer, or assign a position or responsibility only on the basis of
			 professional preparation and legal qualifications; and
6. Shall not knowingly falsify or
			 misrepresent records of facts relating to the educator's own qualifications or
			 those of other professionals.