APS’ Everitt, the Subject of an Ethics Complaint

On July 2oth, 2006, a complaint was filed with the State of New Mexico, Department of Education, Educator Ethics Bureau. The complaint alleges that APS’ Everitt breached the Standards of Professional Conduct for Educators.

The complaint alleges that Everitt has breached the Standards by:
1. maintaining two standards of conduct; one for adults and one for students, the students being held to a higher standard. It was alleged that this violates her responsibility to lead by example; and is diametrically opposite to the requirements of the CODE OF ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDUCATION PROFESSION. One cannot claim to model accountability by refusing to accept it.
2. failing to provide honest accountability for ethical misconduct by administrators.
3. failing to provide a consistent and justifiable personal example. Her refusal to hold herself honestly accountable to the student standard of conduct is a manifest failure to provide a personal example.
4. betraying the public trust. The public trust was betrayed by the removal from the employee standards of conduct, the expectation and the phrase, …in no case shall the standard for adults be lower than the standard for children.

There are two questions; does Everitt refuse to be held accountable to the same code of ethics that binds students, and, is it unethical to refuse to be held honestly accountable to a code of ethics?

On the first, Everitt has repeatedly refused such accountability at open meetings of the school board, on the record, substantiated by a video tape record.

As for the second question, the answer is self evident.

The allegation is simple, the evidence is clear. The Ethics Bureau is yet to respond to the complaint. They have yet to acknowledge its receipt, despite the fact that such acknowledgement is required the rules of the Bureau.

Is the Superintendent exempt from the process?

Does the Superintendent of APS enjoy some exception to the rules that bind her subordinates?

If so, perhaps she will defend that exception, on the record.