New rules for teachers due summer '09

Certified state school employees in Georgia will soon have a new set of ethics guidelines. Among the changes recommended by one union … sanctions against employees who harass their peers.

No one change prompted the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to re-write its ethics guidelines, which were last reviewed in 2005, says Gary Walker, director of the PSC’s Educator Ethics Division. Walker says the revised code simply clarifies existing rules and will have less legal jargon. For example, “Instead of talking about maintaining a professional relationship with students, we have our standard called ‘abuse of students.’ We want the focus to be on maintaining a professional relationship, how do you that and what happens if you violate that.”

Walker says the group may also investigate personal behavior if it conflicts with a teacher's professional responsibilities. The Georgia Association of Educators was one of the advisory groups for the new standards which will go into effect in July of next year. Educators who violate ethics code rules face a range of penalties, including having their licenses revoked.