EDL 855 CASE STUDY

EDL 855: Ethics and Professional Norms for Building Administrators

Case Study: "When Ethics & Politics Collide"

Jarrod Taylor

Section 1:

Case Summary

What has happened?

• Richard Inman, Assistant-Principal at Rocket Jr. High, called James to the office to follow up on his third tardy of the week.
• James’s fifth-period teacher immediately called him back stating that she had witnessed James giving something to another student in the hall (just after he had been summoned to the office).
• The teacher believed drugs might have been exchanged
• She said that the other boy, David Ramos, seemed quite nervous.

• Mr. Inman calls both boys into his office, with an officer present, to find out what had taken place.
• After breaking down and refusing to divulge any information, the office searched David and found a pair of brass knuckles.
• James indicates that he gave David the brass knuckles to hold for him, and admitted he threatened aggression if he didn't take them.

What has happened? (Cont.)

• James stood up for David, stating he was going to use them to take care of some personal business after school.
• Although Mr. Inman felt a sense of pride in James' breakthrough in coming forward, the officer placed both boys in handcuffs.
• Both students were taken to jail for felony possession of a prohibited weapon on school property.
• The school's zero-tolerance policy demanded both students should be expelled for no less than 45 days into the district’s disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP).
• Both boys were taken to the youth detention facility
• Mr. Inman contacted both students' mothers.
• James' mother indicated it would be good for him to sit in jail, and that maybe he'd learn a lesson this time.
• David's mother was angry, came to Mr. Inman's office, and left very upset.
• Feeling that he had not acted in the best interest of either boy, Mr. Inman refused to sign detention papers for David.
• The Director of Secondary Education stated he understood Mr. Inman's position but would have to issue an official reprimand if he did not follow through with the zero-tolerance policy.

Section 2:

Legal or Ethical Issues?

Legal Issues

• Threat of assault (James toward David; James' stated intent to commit assault on unknown individual)
• Possession of a prohibited weapon
• Potential breach of contract

Ethical Issues

• Mr. Inman bringing both boys into the office together
• Officer taking David into custody
• James' mother's feelings on keeping her son in jail
• James' actions and attitude toward being suspended
• The manner in which James deals with conflict (aggressive behaviors)
• Mr. Inman's refusal to follow zero-tolerance policy?

Potential Harms

• Harm to David
• Harm to James
• Harm to Mr. Inman's reputation and/or employment
• Potential feelings of not feeling safe at school for others in the school
• The Zero-Tolerance blanket policy?
• The reputation of Senior Administration
• The reputation of the local law enforcement

Section 3:

Single Sentence Synthesis

Mr. Inman is faced with an ethical decision in deciding whether to follow the zero-tolerance policy or suffer the consequences of a reprimand in doing what he feels morally obligated to do.

Section 4:

Synthesize the Facts

The People

Richard Inman

James

Officer

David Ramos

• Present for the questioning of both boys
• Searches David
• Arrests both boys
• Takes them to the juvenile detention center

• 15 year old leader known for being a tough kid with discipline issues

• Has been tardy 3 times this week
• Hands brass knuckles to David
• Threatens David

• First-year Asst. Principal at Rocket Jr. High
• Seems to value building relationships with students

• 13 year old honor student
• Very involved in the band
• Seems to be a kid with no history of discipline issues

Secondary Education Director

David's Mother

James' Mother

• Extremely upset with what has happened
• Was unaware of the Zero-Tolerance policy
• Concerned for David's future

• Feels James sitting in jail would be helpful
• Seems to be "at-wit's end" with James' patterns of behavior

• Understands Mr. Inman's position in refusing to sign for David's suspension
• Will reprimand Mr. Inman for failure to do so.

The Place

• Rocket Junior High School

• Demographics unknown
• Some students are bussed in from the "south-side"
• Location unknown
• Appears to be a suburban school

The Program

• Junior High School
• 900 Students
• Demographics unknown
• Unknown curriculum
• Honors program
• Band program
• Unknown private or public school

Unknowns

• Why did Mr. Inman bring both boys in together?!
• Where is the head principal and where do they stand on this issue?
• Did the officer act appropriately in handling this situation (i.e. interrogation and search of a juvenile w/out parent/guardian)? (kidslegal, n.d.)
• Did the officer state Miranda Rights during the arrest?(Martin, n.d.)
• Will failure to sign for David's expulsion result in a loss of employment (are consequences clearly defined or does the Secondary Education Director have the discretion that Mr. Inman would love to have in this situation)?

Section 5:

Review & Prioritize the Information

Stakeholders

Possible Damage

Loss of employment; Damage to reputation; Loss of Integrity

Mr. Inman

Regression of James' progress; Jail; Permanent expulsion

James

Damage to permanent record; Damage to reputation; Feeings of safety

David Ramos

David's Mother

Loss of faith in school system and admin.

James' Mother

Loss of faith in school and legal system, and her son

Damage to reputation; Reading of rights??

Officer

Lack of trust in Admin. and feelings of resentment

Teachers

Feelings of not being safe; Feel discouraged to come forth

Students

Secondary Ed. Director

Pressures from Board; Resentment from teachers

Damage to reputation; Lack of confidence

Senior Administration/Board

Lack of confidence & support for school; Concerned for student safety

Community

How do you address unethical behavior as it may adversely affect students and adults?

When addressing unethical behavior, it is vital to consider the harm of the unethical behavior to all stakeholders. In addition, one should consider the principles and values important to the school community in applying consequences.

Section 6:

Options & Consequences

Options

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Request time for board review of policy and advocate for case-by-case discretion

Follow Zero-Tolerance Policy

Refuse to follow Zero-Tolerance Policy

Objective 1

What do you do when you recognize when ethics have been breached and what appropriate actions do you take.

When it becomes apparent that ethics have been breached, you should model ethical behavior by standing up for what is right, and advocate for and cultivate ethical behavior in others by working collaboratively on solutions to prevent future ethics violations.

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Section 7:

Evaluate the Options

Options & Analysis

Option 2

Option 1

Option 3

Refuse to follow Zero-Tolerance Policy

Follow Zero-Tolerance Policy

Request time for board review of policy/advocate for more ethical policy

PROS

PROS

• Avoid reprimand
• Permanent record is still flawless
• Following policy

• David is back in school
• Still hope in continuing to mentor James
• Modeling ethical behavior in doing what is best for David

PROS

Objective 1

• Allows more time to make the best, ethical decision
• Policy amendment could prevent this from happening again and cultivate ethical behavior in others.

CONS

CONS

• David is suspended
• David's mother is furious
• Loss of Integrity
• School community perceptions

• Potential breach of contract
• Reprimand on permanent record
• Loss of employment
• Future employment harm

CONS

• Could be viewed as a stall tatic
• Director could still issue reprimand

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Section 8:

The Best Option

Option 3:

Requesting time for board review of policy and advocating for case-by-case discretion will:

• Give administrators the opportunity to carefully and ethicially analyze each situation that arises, and apply consequences that support the success and well-being of each student and adult.
• Help repair the relationship with David's mother
• Hopefully garner support and favor in the school community
• Potentially eliminate the reprimand on Mr. Inman's personal record
• Help cultivate a culture of ethics in standing up for what is best for all in the school community, even if it means potential harm to self.

Section 9:

Decision Implementation

Implementation

Step 05

Step 04

Step 03

Step 02

Step 01

Board of Education

Inform the School Community

Secondary Education Director

Senior Administration

Faculty/Staff/Community

Present suggestions for the amendment of the Zero-Tolerance Policy to the BOE and advocate for more administrative discretion.

Communicate the changes to the Zero-Tolerance Policy to the community.

Meet with Superintendent and other administration over concerns with the Zero-Tolerance Policy and request that steps be taken to amend the current policy to provide administrators more discretion on a case-by-case basis instead of a blanket policy.

Obtain input from members of the learning community in developing revisions/ amendments to the Zero-Tolerance Policy.

Request an extension on filing the paperwork for David's suspension until Mr. Inman is able to meet with Senior Administration and approval is obtained to appear before the BOE in regards to the Zero-Tolerance Policy.

Section 10:

Alternative Plan

Alternative Plan

• Even if the Secondary Education Director issues the reprimand, Mr. Inman should continue to advocate for amending the Zero-Tolerance Policy.
• If senior administration fails to support amending the Zero-Tolerance Policy, Mr. Inman should continue to seek support from the community.
• If these efforts fail, Mr. Inman should think seriously about submitting his resignation.

Additional Questions

• What steps should be taken to ensure that others are acting ethically?

A clearly defined set of professional ethical norms should be collaboratively implemented. Additionally, providing training and professional development opportunities to cultivate and practice ethical behaviors can positively support a culture of ethics.

• How do you promote ethical behavior among faculty, staff, and students?

Building leaders set the ethical agenda in schools. Modeling, practicing, and cultivating ethical behavior in others is essential to achieving a culture of ethics. Additionally, engaging students in ethics education through scenario-based learning is a great way to teach students ethical decision making and reasoning (Price-Mitchell, 2015).

• How do you hold yourself and others accountable for ethical behavior?

There should be clearly defined consequences for unethical behavior pertaining to professional ethical norms (GeeksforGeeks, 2021). A school needs to determine its own framework, considering its vision, ethos and values, against which it makes decisions (Hollands, 2020).

• How do you employ ethical decision-making practices regarding policies?

Policy in schools should reflect what is best for all students and adults in the school community. They should be developed collaboratively with members of this community and reflect the values and principles most important to all.

Reflection

This assignment provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on and apply what I have learned throughout this course in regards to ethics and professional norms. Through this scenario-based learning, I was able to apply what I learned as a future ethical educational leader. As I worked through this case study, I kept coming back to " What if Mr. Inman had decided to question the boys separately"? Would this situation have escalated into this big of an ethical dilemma? Although I cannot be absolutely certain that James' consequences would have changed, I am fairly certain that David's could have. I believe James would have acted ethically in standing up for David whether he was in the room or not. I also believe that after telling David that James admitted to what he did, David would have most likely given up the weapon without a search. Mr. Inman inadvertently created the ethical dilemma. As a result, he is forced to stand up for what he feels is morally right. As a future building leader, I understand that there are decisions that need to be made that, at first, seem to require an immediate response. This scenario brings to light that before making an important decision that could have a negative effect on the success and well-being of those involved, it is critical to take the time to apply an ethical decision making process to the situation. Furthermore, seeking assistance from others could prove beneficial in making the best decision for all involved. This not only cultivates ethical behavior in others, it shows others that you sincerely value, practice, and model ethical behavior. This case also emphasizes the importance of frequent policy review as a building leader. For example, I'm not certain that the need to advocate for a more ethical Zero-Tolerance Policy would have arisen had it not been for this unfortunate situation.

References

GeeksforGeeks. (2021, August 18). Difference between personal and professional ethics. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-personal-and-professional-ethicsHollands, D. (2020, June 25). Ethical decision-making for schoolleaders.Independent School Management Plus. https://www.schoolmanagementplus.com/heads-governors-school-leadership-governance/ethical-decision-making-for-school-leaders/ Kids Legal. (n.d.). School searches and seizure. Retrieved from https://kidslegal.org/school-searches-and-seizureMartin, K. (2013, September 24). Miranda rights for students at school.Retrieved from https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/miranda-rights-students.htmlPrice-Mitchell, M. (2015, June 9). Creating a culture of integrity in theclassroom.https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-pathways-creating-culture-integrity-marilyn-price-mitchell