Q&A of the Day – Political bias in Florida’s schools – Part 1
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry...
School pledge: How about a pledge from teachers to teach without political bias?
Bottom Line:After the most recent incident in Palm Beach County, requiring middle school students to answer that President Trump is an idiot - in order to provide a “correct” answer – I agree with your sentiment. But here’s the thing, they already have taken that pledge by virtue of accepting employment. According to the Florida Department of Education – these are the principals and code of ethics agreed to by all educators in Florida’s public education system under the heading Obligation to the student requires that the individual:
1. 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.
2. Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning.
3. Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view.
4. Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter relevant to a student’s academic program.
5. Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.
6. Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student’s legal rights.
7. Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.
8. Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage.
9. Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law.
Given that violations of code are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, what’s the real issue educators who go rouge in the classroom? Lack of accountability. I’ll pick up on that point in the second part of today’s Q&A.