“APS has had great success with Character Counts!”

Interim APS Superintendent Linda Sink said;
according to an APS press release. (link)

Her statement is either substantially true,
or substantially untrue.

She is either modeling honesty and trustworthiness,
or she is modeling deliberately deceiving stakeholders
with equivocal and ambiguous language.



The record is;

• In 1994, the APS Board of Education unanimously adopted Character Counts! as the model for character education in the APS.
• Students were required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!
• The leadership of the APS was bound by a code of conduct which read; in no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult be lower than the standard of conduct for a student.
• The leadership of the APS was required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!

Since then, the leadership of the APS has;

• stricken In no case shall the standard for an adult be lower than the standard for students from their own code of conduct.
• stricken the word ethical from all standards of conduct to which their hold themselves accountable.
• written their own "code of ethics" which does not use the word again, and is, by their own admission, completely unenforceable.
  
• denied whistle blower protection to employees who expose ethical misconduct.
• lowered the student standard of conduct. Students are no longer required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts.
• steadfastly refused to explain, defend, or even acknowledge their abdication as role models, and their renunciation of the principles of Character Counts.
• continued to employ the school board presidents law firm to litigate exception for the leadership of the APS, even to the law.
• continued to hide their record from stakeholders.

Does this record represent "great success" with Character Counts? Is Linda Sink, the senior administrative role model for 99,000 of our sons and daughters, modeling honesty and trustworthiness?

By the end of the day, Jessica Ellis and Michael Josephson will know the truth.


Which they will then share with stakeholders;
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly; as required;


... or they will not.