The following topics were discussed during the Georgia Professional Standards Commission's ("GaPSC") monthly meeting in June:
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Ethics Division
Reporting known or suspected child abuse or neglect to parents or legal guardians is not enough to meet the requirements of Georgia's mandated reporting statute or Standard 9 of the Code of Ethics for Educators. A mandated reporter must also make a report to the proper authorities or designated person in accordance with her employer's written policies. An educator accused of two instances of failing to report suspected child abuse was given a one year suspension by the GaPSC.
Providing false information on an employment application usually results in a suspension for 20 days.
The Commission recommended a suspension of 60 days for an educator accused of striking a non-verbal, special ed student in the face.
The Commission also recommended a suspension of 60 days for an educator who's accused of continually violating his or her system's corporal punishment policy..
While Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is not typically considered a crime involving moral turpitude, the GaPSC may investigate an educator who's accused of a DUI if he's been deemed a "Habitual Violator." One may be declared a "Habitual Violator" by the Court if he has committed three or more serious driving offenses (e.g. DUI) within a period of five years.
A revised version of the Code of Ethics for Educators became effective as of June 15, 2015. The most significant change is that a definition of "child endangerment" was added to the "Definitions" section: "'Child endangerment' occurs when an educator disregards a substantial and/or unjustifiable risk of bodily harm to the student."
The updated Code of Ethics for Educators may be found here.
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Certification and Ed Prep Divisions
A follow-up presentation on the edTPA standard-setting process was provided. edTPA will affect aspiring educators and many educator prep. providers. A passing score on the assessment will be required for any candidate completing clinical practice or student teaching after September 15, 2015. A single, qualifying passing standard for edTPA should be established by the GaPSC in July. PLUs are being phased out. New requirements for certification renewals will be implemented in 2018. The GaPSC will likely introduce new certification fields, including certificates for retired educators who aren't employed but want to keep their certifications current and Computer Science. The Commission granted Continuing Approval to 17 educator prep. programs at Albany State University (including Early Childhood Education, ESOL, School Counseling and Educational Leadership) and the Middle Grades Education and Music Education programs at Truett-McConnell College. It also granted Developmental Approval to the Reading Endorsement program at Clayton State University, the Reading Endorsement and Science Education (6-12) programs at Georgia Gwinnett College, the ESOL program at Georgia Regents University and the Mathematics (K-5) and Science Endorsement (K-5) programs at Valdosta State University.
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