New APS School Board Sees Things Differently

25 years ago, School Board Member standards of conduct had a role modeling clause. It read;

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

Today’s school board’s new standards of conduct do not. Nor will the board consider replacing it.

25 years ago, the APS School Board was concerned about students making bad choices. They passed a resolution that addressed students making better choices in their lives by beginning character education in earnest.

The current school board is concerned about students making bad choice. Their solution is to abandon the still binding resolution and the character education if began.

Though it is still binding, having been neither amended nor rescinded, the current board will not even acknowledge its existence, abandoning character education and their duties and obligations as the senior-most role models in the district.

25 years ago, the board expected their superintendent to be a role model of honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct.

The current board made a deliberate decision to not include the words “role model” among the desirable characteristics of their next superintendent.

What has changed over 25 years?
Except the character and courage of school board members

25 years ago, the board recognized;

• the need to join with other community groups to actively engage in the development and demonstration of ethical behavior among youth, adults, and

• the need to provide learners of all ages the skills and knowledge needed to become successful and productive members of a dynamic society, and

• and that students in our schools are more likely now than in the past to experience family disintegration, homicide, drug use, teen age pregnancy, dishonesty, suicide, and strong messages from media and society that undermine home teaching of ethical values, and

• that no single community institution can instill ethical behavior in youth and adults if it is acting without the support of other institutions and groups, and

• important role played by teachers and other adults in school settings in modeling good character for young people

Their solution 25 years ago was to;

• endorse the Aspen Declaration on Character Education as well as the Character Counts! Program as ways to develop character based on six core ethical values; trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship and to

• enter into community-wide discussions with other institutions and groups to reach agreements about the role of each in promoting ethical behavior among young people, and adults in various aspects of life; and commitment to creating models of ethical behavior among all adults who serve students and schools; and to promise that

• the core curriculum should continue to give explicit attention to character development as an ongoing part of school instruction; and that

• materials, teaching methods, partnerships, and services to support school programs shall be selected, in part, for their capacity to support the development of character among youth and adults; and that

• all schools examine school curriculum and practices to identify and extend opportunities for developing character, especially through the utilization of violence-prevention programs, mediation training, community service programs. fair rules which are fairy enforced, democratic practices in classrooms and organizations, and extracurricular activities which help students learn and model caring and ethical behavior.

What has changed over 25 years?

Except the character and courage of school board members