Has APS abandoned Character Counts! ? ??

In 1994 and by unanimous resolution, the APS Board of Education adopted the Pillars of Character Counts!, link, as the APS Student Standards of Conduct.

According to the APS Student Behavior Handbook, the Pillars of Character Counts! are still the standards of conduct that the leadership of the APS establish and enforce upon students. School Board Policy, a la the Student Behavior Handbook, reads;

Students are expected to model and promote
the Pillars of Character Counts!.

It looks very much that the leadership of the APS is renouncing the Pillars of Character Counts! as the student standards of conduct, and by logical extension, as their own standards of conduct; according to their obligations as role models.

My request of APS Director of Communications, Rigo Chavez, that he gather and surrender anything that speaks to the executive and administrative commitment to teaching and enforcing Character Counts!, produced nothing. There is nothing that he can or will show to stakeholders.

And I think, nothing describes their commitment precisely.

I have just received a letter from an APS middle school teacher. We both believe that the recently documented, culture of retribution and retaliation still exists. Accordingly, I will paraphrase.

The school year began with three days of professional development. Within the training, new methods of building character in students, were presented. They were defended as "research based", although the writer found them "offbeat".

In response to the new direction, one teacher asked several times about the Character Counts! program. A teacher apparently finally asked flat out; if the new methods were supposed to replace Character Counts!.

(It was a fair question since the normal beginning of the year activities included the distribution of Character Counts! related materials, and this year did not.)

It is reported that the question was ignored by the administration.

In response to a legitimate question, the administration chose to not respond candidly, forthrightly, and honestly, according to their obligations as role models of a student standard of conduct that specifically and explicitly prohibits stonewalling in response to legitimate questions.

There is no doubt what so ever, that every aspect of teaching and learning would benefit if students and staff were accountable to the higher standard of conduct that the Pillars represent.

There would be less disruption, less bullying, less truancy,
higher test scores, and higher graduation rates. No one in
the leadership of the APS has ever, or ever will dispute even
one of those claims.

So if Character Counts! (or any higher standard of conduct),
is so great, why not implement it?

The answer is as simple as; the leadership of the APS does not want to tell the truth. They are comfortable with a standard of conduct which only prohibits lying, and enables and encourages abuse of legal loopholes, technicalities and legal weaselry.

The leadership of the APS are the respondents in a long standing grievance. They want desperately not to settle an old debt. They want desperately to not admit to ethical and criminal misconduct by APS senior administrators and board members.

There are only two reasons for the leadership of the APS to refuse to hold themselves accountable to a nationally recognized, accepted, and respected code of ethics;

1. the lack of character, and/or,
2. the lack of courage.

Characterlessness or cowardice; if there is another reason, I cannot imagine it, and nobody, and I mean nobody, in the leadership of the APS can imagine it either.

The simple truth is that they bought in without understanding what they had bought into, and now they are scrambling for a way out.

The most disturbing part is that they intend to do it secretly.

Board Policy cannot be changed in secret; it is in fact, a
violation of the lowest acceptable standard of conduct of all;
the law.




photo Mark Bralley