Do APS students have a right to role models of student standards of conduct?

APS' Board of Education has established student standards of conduct.  If asked to point to them, they will point to the Student Behavior Handbook.  It is a poor excuse for "standards of conduct".  The Handbook does cite actual standards of conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts! link.

Students are "expected to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts; Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness and, Citizenship".

They are the highest standards of conduct mentioned anywhere in APS policies and procedures, regulations, or rules.  They represent a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct.  A central tenet of Character Counts! is the self imposition of honest accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts!  One cannot model honest accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts! except by holding themselves honesty accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts!

At one point, the standards of conduct that apply to school board members and administrators included a role modeling clause;

In no case shall the standards of conduct for an adult,
be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

They removed the clause from their own standards of conduct, unanimously.  They removed the clause rather than be held accountable under it; rather than be held honestly accountable the Pillars of Character Counts!

They believe that because they removed the role modeling clause, they are now accountable only the law; the lowest standards of conduct acceptable among civilized people.  They believe that because they removed the role modeling clause, they can use an unlimited budget and all manner of legal weaselry to except themselves from honest accountability even to the law.

Different standards of conduct for students than for their role models is as unacceptable as it is utterly indefensible.
Higher standards for students than for adult role models is reprehensible.

If standards of conduct include holding one's self honestly accountable to those standards, then it is the responsibility of the "leadership of the APS, executive and administrative role models, to model "honest accountability"; accountability by due process, without the appearance of conflicts of interests and impropriety.

They will not.

Nor will they discuss in public, why they will not.

I have argued for decades, there are two reasons that the leadership of the APS will not step up as honest to God role models of student standards of conduct;

1. lack of courage, and
2. lack of character.

No one, ever, has suggested a third.

I will extend the same invitation I always have; if there is a good and ethical reason that the leadership of the APS will not hold itself honestly accountable to the same standards of conduct it established and enforces upon students, what is it?  Tell us in a comment.

If there is a good and ethical reason to prevent open and honest public discussion of executive, administrative, staff and student standards of conduct and accountability, what is it?

In the glaring absence of a good and ethical reason to avoid any public discussion that might end in school board members and senior administrator having to walk the talk on higher standards of conduct for themselves, it is fitting to conclude;
they will not walk the talk because they cannot summon the character and courage to do so.

They will not hold themselves honestly accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts! because they cannot summon the character and courage they would need to do so.

If we really expect students to grow into adults that embrace character and courage and honor, someone has to show them what it looks like.

One cannot "claim" to be a role model.   One "becomes" a role model through their conspicuous example. There is no such thing as an inconspicuous role model, the entire concept is oxymoronic.   

I would have stakeholders hold Journal Managing Editor Kent Walz personally responsible for the ongoing cover up of the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

Without his unswerving aid and abet, the cover up would have ended long ago.




photo Mark Bralley