ETHICS IN EDUCATION

All Fireflies Academy  instructional personnel, educational support employees, and administrators are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.  All Fireflies Academy instructional personnel will have three or more years of public and/or private school teaching experience; will hold a Baccalaureate degree or higher; and/or have special skills, knowledge, or expertise that qualifies them to provide instruction in subjects taught.

The State Board of Education has adopted a Code of Ethics for the education profession, which expresses the state’s expectations for the ethical conduct of educators:  

• Fireflies Academy values the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, acquisition of knowledge, and the nurture of democratic citizenship. Essential to the achievement of these standards are the freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal opportunity for all.  

• Fireflies Academy’s primary professional concern will always be for the student and for the development of the student’s potential. Employees will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity.  

• Concern for the student requires that our instructional personnel: 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; Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning; Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view; Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter relevant to a student's academic program; Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement; Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student's legal rights; 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; Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage; Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law. 

• Aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of one’s colleagues, of students, of parents, and of other members of the community, the educator strives to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct. This commitment requires that our employees: Shall maintain honesty in all professional dealings; Shall not on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition if otherwise qualified, or social and family background deny to a colleague professional benefits or advantages or participation in any professional organization; Shall not interfere with a colleague's exercise of political or civil rights and responsibilities; Shall not engage in harassment or discriminatory conduct which unreasonably interferes with an individual's performance of professional or work responsibilities or with the orderly processes of education or which creates a hostile, intimidating, abusive, offensive, or oppressive environment; and, further, shall make reasonable effort to assure that each individual is protected from such harassment or discrimination; Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.  

Each person who seeks employment at Fireflies Academy must be fingerprinted and undergo a state and national criminal history background screening in accordance with the Florida Department of Education (DOE) requirements. 

All Fireflies Academy employees and volunteers have been fully screened and background checked pursuant to state law.

Before employing instructional personnel or school administrators in any position that requires direct contact with students, school districts, charter schools, and private schools participating in an educational choice scholarship program must:  

• Conduct an employment history check of the personnel’s or administrators’ previous employer. If unable to contact a previous employer, efforts to contact the employer must be documented 
• Screen the personnel or administrators through use of DOE’s Professional Practices’ Database of Disciplinary Actions Against Educators and Teacher Certification Database  
• Document the findings. 

Instructional personnel and school administrators are ineligible for employment in any position that requires direct contact with students in a district school system, charter school, or private school participating in an educational choice scholarship program, if convicted of any:  

• Felony offense prohibited in 46 criminal statutes, which relate to a range of crimes (e.g., murder, sexual battery, prostitution, arson, robbery, child abuse)
• Felony offense relating to drug abuse prevention and control, if the offense was a felony of the second degree or greater severity
• Misdemeanor offense prohibited in two criminal statutes, which relate to battery (if the victim was a minor) and luring or enticing a child
• Delinquent act qualifying an individual for inclusion on the Registered Juvenile Sex Offender  List.

These disqualifications from employment apply to delinquent and criminal acts committed in Florida or in another state.  In addition, any person is ineligible for educator certification in Florida if convicted of any of these criminal or delinquent acts.   Instructional and non-instructional personnel of any district school system, university lab school, charter school, or alternative school operating under contract with a district school system are ineligible for any position that requires direct contact with students if convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude as defined by state board rule. 

All Fireflies Academy instructional personnel, educational support employees, and school administrators have an obligation to report the alleged misconduct by instructional personnel, educational  support employees and school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a  student.  Failure to report the alleged misconduct will result in immediate termination of employment at Fireflies Academy.  Examples of misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging  comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical  aggression, and accepting or offering favors. 

• Reports of misconduct by employees should be reported immediately to the Executive Director, Lisa Stathoulopoulos (727) 999-4914 or Lisa@FirefliesAcademy.us 
• Reports of misconduct by administrators should be reported immediately to Lead Teacher, Ms. Rachel Mersch, (727) 999-4914 or Rachel@FirefliesAcademy.us
• Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the Office of Professional Practices Services. Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional personnel or school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted in our school office facing the Therapy Gym and on our website at www.FirefliesAcademy.us 

All Fireflies Academy employees have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.  All employees who know or have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is abused or neglected must report the information to the Executive Director, Lisa Stathoulopoulos, or to the Department of Children and Families' central abuse registry and tracking system (1-800-96Abuse or online at:  http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/).   Failure to report suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect will result in immediate termination of employment at Fireflies Academy. 

• Signs of Physical Abuse: The child may have unexplained bruises, welts, cuts, or other injuries; broken bones; or burns. A child experiencing physical abuse may seem withdrawn or depressed, seem afraid to go home or may run away, shy away from physical contact, be aggressive, or wear inappropriate clothing to hide injuries.  
• Signs of Sexual Abuse: The child may have torn, stained or bloody underwear, trouble walking or sitting, pain or itching in genital area, or a sexually transmitted disease. A child experiencing sexual abuse may have unusual knowledge of sex or act seductively, fear a particular person, seem withdrawn or depressed, gain or lose weight suddenly, shy away from physical contact, or run away from home.  
• Signs of Neglect: The child may have unattended medical needs, little or no supervision at home, poor hygiene, or appear underweight. A child experiencing neglect may be frequently tired or hungry, steal food, or appear overly needy for adult attention.  
• Patterns of Abuse: Serious abuse usually involves a combination of factors. While a single sign may not be significant, a pattern of physical or behavioral signs is a serious indicator and should be reported. 

Fireflies Academy ensures equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and activities to all students and staff on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, disability, age and marital status. Additionally, we strive to ensure that our educational environment is free of bias, stereotyping, discrimination and harassment.

Fireflies Academy has a zero tolerance policy for bullying.  Bullying is defined as systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students or employees that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment; or unreasonably interfere with the individual's school performance or participation. Bullying includes instances of cyberbullying.

• Fireflies Academy prohibits confidentiality agreements that conceal the misconduct of instructional personnel or school administrators who are fired or resign for misconduct; and  Fireflies Academy will refrain from giving an employment reference, for instructional personnel or school administrators who are fired or resign for misconduct, without disclosing the misconduct
• Any person, official, or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or required by law, or reporting in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to the department or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability which might otherwise result by reason of such action. (F.S. 39.203) 
• An employer who discloses information about a former or current employee to a prospective employer of the former or current employee upon request of the prospective employer or of the former or current employee is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that the information disclosed by the former or current employer was knowingly false or violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under F.S. Chapter 760. (F.S. 768.095)