EAD-533 Ethics Quiz

Multiple Choice

1. Who is required to follow the mandatory reporting rules related to unprofessional

conduct?
a. Teachers
b. Administrators
c. Parents
d. All certificated school employees
e. All school employees

2. What is a possible consequence for failing to investigate a report of unprofessional

conduct by a school employee?
a. Warning by the human resources department
b. No consequences
c. Loss of administrative credential
d. An angry parent

3. Which of the following is NOT an example of a violation of professional ethics?

a. Sharing student grade information with another student
b. Coming to a school activity after participating in happy hour with colleagues
c. Breaking a contract and leaving your job before the end of the year without
board approval
d. Working at the same school as your spouse
e. Sharing your password to your school computer with someone else

4. If an administrator receives a report of suspected child abuse from a student, who must
they notify?
a. The district human resources administrator
b. The local police department
c. The student’s parents
d. The State Board of Education
e. All of the above
f. a, b, c
g. a, b, d

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 5. An administrator is required to report unprofessional conduct to the State Board of
Education within _____ days.
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7
d. 10

Short Answer
In 50 – 100 words, respond to the following statements. Be sure to use appropriate sentence
mechanics.

1. How would you define the term “professional ethics”?

Professional ethics are the moral principles by which a person conducts themselves in
their profession and guide all decisions and actions the person makes. These guidelines
help a person carry out their professional duties with integrity, accountability, and
respect and help to shape their professional image by establishing trust and credibility
with the people they work.

2. Provide an example of how a professional educator would promote the profession

within the school community.
An educational leader can promote the profession within the school community by
prioritizing and organizing professional development workshops or other opportunities
for professional growth. Promoting continuous learning and growth demonstrates a
commitment to excellence in education and can inspire others in the community to
reflect on and develop their strategies and skills. This contributes to the advancement
and recognition of the teaching profession.

3. Why would it be important for a building principal to report unprofessional conduct

by a staff member to the central office/district leadership?
It is important for a building principal to report any unprofessional conduct in order to
comply with local, state, and federal laws and regulations as well as to hold all staff
members accountable for their actions and maintain the image and credibility of their
school. Reporting misconduct will also maintain a safe and healthy environment focused
on learning.

4. School administrators must pay attention to their own professional ethics and the
ethics of the employees they supervise. Describe how an administrator can best
model the highest level of ethics for their staff?
An administrator should lead by example and uphold professional, ethical behavior in all
of their actions and decisions. They should clearly communicate the professional ethical
behavior they expect to see from their staff and how each of their decisions aligns with

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 these expectations. They should also model frequent open communication and
reflection about their ethical practices.

5. What steps should be completed, regarding a background check for a potential

employee, prior to hiring that person? As it relates to background checks, is there a
difference between hiring a certified versus a non-certified employee?
When conducting a background check, an administrator must have written consent
from the candidate. They must also verify their identify with government-issued
documents such as their driver’s license or passport. Both employees would to have
their employment history and education verified as well as a criminal history check.
However, only the certified employee would need to have their license verified.

Scenarios
Respond to each of the following scenarios in a well-crafted paragraph of 150-200 words using
appropriate sentence mechanics.

1. A principal is planning a professional learning session on data privacy for the faculty.
What components must be included? Why? How is this issue connected to
professional ethics?
When planning a professional learning session on data privacy, a principal must first
include information on current data privacy laws and regulations at the school, district,
state, and federal level to ensure all educators are aware and knowledgeable of how to
protect their information and the information of their students. They would also need to
provide some examples of best practices concerning data security as well as training on
the various technology used within a school. Doing this will allow them to better
understand how these tools and platforms might collect, store, or share data. Finally,
they could offer examples of data privacy concerns or ethical dilemmas to give them
real world examples. It should also be stressed how this issue relates to the professional
ethical standards expected of them as it is part of their job to protect their students.

2. A parent approaches the school principal and reveals that a teacher at the school and
another parent are having an affair. What should the principal do next?
I would thank the parent for being the issue to my attention and tell them that I will
investigate thoroughly. I would discreetly gather information to see if the claim was
credible and what type of impact it may have on the district and the school. If the claim
was credible and might have a severe impact, I would seek the guidance of district level
leadership before proceeding. As the teacher is an employee of my school and district,
the situation would be a matter of professional conduct and therefore need to be
handled within the district policy guidelines. If the matter was causing a disruption to
the community and school environment, it would be necessary to communicate with all
stakeholders that the matter is being handled appropriately.

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 3. Educators have a responsibility to maintain sound mental, physical, and emotional
health and to take appropriate measures when personal or health-related issues may
interfere with work-related duties. Describe three examples of what those measures
might include.
An example of maintaining physical health might include a hobby such as yoga, running,
or lifting weights. Exercise can help maintain your health while also alleviating stress.
Non-exercise related hobbies that would also help improve your mood and alleviate
stress could be things such as gardening, cooking, reading, or painting.
An example of maintaining mental and emotional health might include talking with a
counselor or therapist about work-life balance, coping strategies, or whatever other
difficulties an educator might experience.
Another example of maintaining mental and emotional health might include establishing
a work-life balance. This could be a plan to leave work every day by a certain time, not
taking work or your computer home with you, etc.

4. An assistant principal has persistent concerns about the relationship among a new
teacher and a small group of students who spend a lot of time with the teacher
outside of class. The assistant principal is preparing for a conversation with the
principal about this issue. What questions should the assistant principal anticipate
from the principal? What guidance would you offer the assistant principal in getting
ready for the conversation? How is this conversation related to professional ethics?
To prepare for this conversation, the assistant principal should document all of their
observations of the teacher in question with these students. They should also have
referenced school and district policies and be able to pinpoint which policies they
believe the relationship violates.
Some questions that a principal may ask would be:
What specific actions or behaviors of the teacher have you observed that have you
concern?
Have you spoken with the teacher about your concerns?
Might there be an appropriate or positive reason for their close relationship? What
evidence do you have that it might be inappropriate?
This conversation is crucial to professional ethics as it holds teachers accountable for
their conduct to ensure they are following policy as well as keeping the students safe in
their learning environment.

5. You are addressing the group of first-year teachers at your school on their first day of
employment. Some of these teachers graduated from a traditional teacher
preparation program, while others did not. What would you tell them about ethics, as
it applies to their job as a teacher, so that all levels of experience and professional
backgrounds are considered?
While addressing first year teachers, I would discuss professional standards such as
integrity, honesty, equity, and respect and talk about what that might look like in our

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 building and within their day to day responsibilities. I would also stress that their
primary responsibility is to ensure that our students are safe, cared for, and supported
in their learning environment. I would discuss their various routes of training and
emphasize the importance of ongoing reflection of their professional ethics and
continued learning and growth of their practices. They also need to constantly monitor
their actions, attitudes, and behaviors to consider the impact they have on the goals and
direction of the school as well as all stakeholders. They must also consider that they
reflect our school image and a role model to our students and therefore must uphold
the highest standard of professional ethics.

6. A governing board member is related to a student in your school. The board member
asks you, as the principal of the school, to change that student’s grade since the
student was only 5 points from an “A”. Why would this be an ethical, as well as legal,
violation?
To change the grade of a student due to the request of a family member, regardless of
their position on the school board, would be unethical. Doing so would go against the
integrity of the grading process and would be unfair to other family members and
students. It is a clear conflict of interest and extremely unethical conduct seeing as the
person is trying to use their power on the school board to sway their student’s grade.
Altering the student’s grade would set a very bad precedent and could harm the
integrity and trust that families have in a school. Administration must uphold
professional ethics and be consistent and fair in their practices.

7. How are school/district policies related to professional ethics? Provide at least two
examples.
Two examples of school or district policies that are related to professional ethics include
a school’s code of conduct or student/staff handbook and policies regarding anti-
discrimination and equity.
Student/Staff Handbook- A handbook or code of conduct outlines clear expectations
and behaviors for all students and staff. Topics typically cover dress code, technology
usage, integrity, respect, confidentially, legal requirements, district policies, etc. Codes
of conduct are crucial for outlining policies that everyone has access to, can understand,
and that hold everyone accountable for the integrity and safe environment of a school.
Anti-discriminatory policies- In a district’s policy manual are policies relating to equity
and diversity. These policies ensure that no one is discriminated against due to factors
like race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sex, disabilities, or socioeconomic status. These
policies uphold professional ethics by ensuring fairness and respect for all. They also
help to create a safe and supportive school environment.

8. A teacher in your school is frequently absent from professional development

experiences offered at your school, without your approval. Why would this be a
violation of professional ethics? What would you do to address this issue?

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 This would be a violation of profession ethics as it is an educator’s responsibility to
engage in continuous professional growth to remain relevant and effective in their
practice. Being present and purposeful in professional development is a part of a
teacher’s job and being absent would mean not showing up for work. It also encourages
a better school culture when teachers actively participate in professional development.
To address this issue, I would engage in a private discussion with the teacher that their
contracted hours include attending professional development. I would clarify my
expectations for professional development with all staff ensuring they understand the
purpose and that it is expected that they be there.

9. As an administrator in a small, rural school located in a small town, you are

considering hiring your uncle’s roofing company to perform some repairs at your
school. What procedures would you follow to ensure that no ethical or procurement
violations occur?
To completely avoid any ethical violations, I would hire another company altogether.
However, if I did continue with my uncle’s roofing company, the first thing that would
be necessary would be to disclose the relationship to necessary stakeholders and be as
transparent as possible. It would also be necessary to prove why hiring my uncle’s
company was necessary and maybe the best choice due to qualifications or cost. I would
also need to put someone else in charge of the project and communications with the
company to keep myself impartial and objective. It might even be necessary to keep
record of every communication and decision. If some stakeholders may have issues with
the decisions, legal advice may be sought to ensure the process is completed correctly
and in an ethical way.

10. What precautions should be taken to ensure that all of the employees at your school
follow policies governing the use of social media in communicating with students and
parents? How do these policies reflect professional ethics?
A school should explicitly follow district policy relating to social media usage. They could
go even further to establish their own social media policies in the code of conduct or
student and staff handbooks. Policies should be outlined in a very clear and direct way
and cover appropriate and inappropriate usage on major platforms. The policies should
cover areas such as privacy, confidentiality, etc. All employees should receive training on
professional conduct concerning social media and it should even be covered with
students and their parents. Social media usage should be monitored regularly by
administration and all issues should be addressed promptly. This issue reflects
professional standards because it keeps our students safe and ensure employees are
conducting themselves in an ethical manner.

11. One of your assistant principals does not get along with one of your teachers. You did
not know this until after the teacher came to you, the principal, to complain about the

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 assistant principal after he conducted a classroom observation and wrote a report
critical of the teacher. How would you address the teacher’s concern?
After listening to the teacher’s concerns, I would then need to speak with the assistant
principal to understand their side of the story as well. I would also need to review the
classroom observation report and maybe observe the teacher’s class myself to
understand whether the report was written objectively. I would set up a meeting with
both the teacher and the assistant principal to encourage an open dialogue and
collaboration to create solutions to any issues. I would clarify professional standards and
my expectations of their behavior in the workplace. If I felt it was necessary after all of
this, I might reassign the teacher to another administrator for future observations.
Finally, follow up with both parties will be crucial to ensure problems do not continue to
arise and affect their work or the work of others.

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