All instructional personnel, educational support employees and administrators are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.
Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel and Administrators
All employees and administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators, which affect 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 administrators should be made to Nadia Hionides at nhionides@foundationacademy.com. Reports of misconduct of employees can be reported to Team Leaders and/or Valarie Love at vlove@foundationacademy.com and/or Nadia Hionides.
Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the FDOE office of Professional Practices.
Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional personnel or school administrators which affect the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted in the office of The Foundation Academy and on our website at https://www.foundationacademy.com.
Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment or Neglect
All employees, educational support employees and administrators 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 https://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/report/ or https://myflfamilies.com
Signs of Physical Abuse
The child may have unexplained bruises, welts, burns, other injuries, or broken bones. A child experiencing physical abuse may seem withdrawn or depressed, seem afraid to go home, may run away, shy away from physical contact, be aggressive, or wear inappropriate clothing to hide injuries.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 the genital area, or a sexually transmitted disease. A child experiencing sexual abuse may have mutual knowledge of sex or act seductively, fear a particular person, seem withdrawn or depressed, gain or lose weight suddenly, shy away from physical contact, or run away from home.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 by significant, a pattern of physical or behavioral signs is a serious indicator and should be reported.
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 of 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.O95)
HB 7055 Additional Accountability Measures for
Private Schools Participating in State Scholarship Programs
- Require each owner or operator of the private school to undergo a level 2 background screening as provided under chapter 435. Additional disqualifying offenses (attached).
- Publish on the school’s website, or in a written format, information for parents regarding the school, including, but not limited to, programs, services, and the qualifications of classroom teachers.
- At a minimum, provide the parent of each scholarship student with a written explanation of the student’s progress on a quarterly basis.
- Require that a private school must notify the parent of each scholarship student at least 30 calendar days before a transfer of ownership of a private school.
- An owner or operator of a private school that has been deemed ineligible to participate in a scholarship program pursuant to this chapter may not transfer ownership or management authority of the school to a relative in order to participate in the scholarship program as the same school or a new school. (Term “relative” means father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister).
- If the private school received more than $250,000 in funds from scholarships awarded under this chapter in a state fiscal year, the private school must submit the report (Agreed Upon Procedures or AUP) by September 15 to the scholarship funding organization that awarded the majority of the school’s scholarship funds. A school that received more than $250,000 in scholarship funds only through the McKay Scholarship must submit the annual report to the Department of Education.
