All staff members are expected to adhere to the highest standards of personal, professional, and business ethics and to always use common sense and good judgment in the way they conduct themselves when on duty or representing Living Faith Academy. Honesty, respect, and care in working with parents/guardians, in performing their duties, and in dealing with others on the job and visitors should be the standard benchmarks of their behavior. It is important to remember that they are always role-modeling positive behavior while on duty and are expected to conduct themselves accordingly.

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Ethical Responsibility of Staff

• Staff shall uphold and advance the values, ethics, knowledge, and mission of their respective areas of work and their profession.  Staff from all disciplines shall work cooperatively to ensure quality care.

• Staff shall work to improve the policies and procedures of LFA and the efficiency and effectiveness of services.  Such activity shall be carried out through approved organizational channels and follow the chain of supervision.

• Staff shall work to eliminate and prevent any unlawful discrimination of any kind, against any person or group.

• All school personnel administrators shall receive training on the code of ethics during their orientation period (within 30 days of hire) and annually after that.

• Staff shall make a 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.

• Our primary concern is the student and the development of the student's potential. Staff will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity.

• Staff shall consider student needs and continuity of care when transfers or withdrawals are planned or anticipated.

• Staff shall not use their position with The Living Faith Academy to impose their personal beliefs on others.

• Staff shall take action through appropriate channels against unethical conduct by any other staff members and misconduct will be disclosed as required by law.

• Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law.

• Be aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of colleagues, students, parents, and the community. The staff of our school must display the highest degree of ethical conduct. This commitment requires that our employees:

  • Shall not based on 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 a 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.

 

Unethical Conduct of Staff

• Engaging in abusive or unacceptable behavior.

• Disclosing or misusing confidential or proprietary information.

• Engaging in business conduct that is damaging to clients or Living Faith Academy.

• Representing or discussing Living Faith Academy affairs with the media without proper authorization.

• Undermining business decisions.

• Having a relationship with a student's parent.

• Engaging in illegal activity including the use/abuse of drugs or narcotics.

• Using Living Faith Academy confidential information, facilities, and supplies or merchandise for personal gain.

 

 Concern for the student requires that our instructional personnel:

• 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 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 based on 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 a reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.

 

Engaging in unethical conduct may result in corrective action up to and including termination of employment. Abusive behavior of parents/ guardians will result in a report to the abuse hotline and in legal consequences, which will be pursued by Living Faith Academy to the fullest extent of the law.

 

Duty to Report

All staff must report alleged misconduct by any individual including other consumers, Living Faith Academy staff, and other instructional personnel which may affect the health, safety, or welfare of a student.  Complaints of professional misconduct should be made verbally or in writing to Administration. If your complaint is against a member of Administration, then it should be reported to a member of the School Board.

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• Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment, or Neglect - All staff and agents have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Call 1-800- 96-ABUSE or report online at: http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/.

• 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 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 the 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.

 

Reporting Procedure

All employees, educational support employees, and administrators must report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators, which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student. 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 of staff should be made to Dr. Sharlene Barhoo (386) 258-1258. Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to Tony Barhoo (386) 258-1258. 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 that affect the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted in the main office and multi-purpose room.

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Liability Protections

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 because of such action. (F.S. 39.203)

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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)

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Rights and Prerogatives of Students

1. When staff must act on behalf of a student, the interests and the rights of that student shall be safeguarded.

2. When another individual has been legally authorized, according to Chapter 393 of Florida Statutes, to act on behalf of a student, staff shall deal with that person with the student’s best interest in mind.

3. Staff shall not engage in any action that violates or diminishes the civil or legal rights of students.

 

Confidentiality and Privacy

1. Confidentiality is the protection and privacy rendered to students by law.  Staff shall respect the privacy of students and hold in confidence all information obtained in the course of services.

2. It is the policy of Living Faith Academy that all information concerning students is confidential.  This includes the fact that a person has or has not received services from Living Faith Academy.

3. Living Faith Academy’s staff must use reasonable safeguards to prevent incidental disclosure of students’ Health Information or confidential information. Living Faith Academy’s staff must keep student files in locked cabinets; avoid using names and identifying information in public areas or hallways and use computer security measures.