Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
SCENARIO 1: Immediately after she graduated college, Coach Parnell began coaching volleyball, track, and soccer and
teaching Algebra I and II at Deer Springs High School. She has been there for almost 3 years. In early May, Coach Parnell
joined a dating app that locates singles in the area. Not long after joining, a 19-year-old senior at Deer Springs HS, saw
Coach Parnell’s dating profile and indicated, via the app, that he would be interested in going out on a date with her.
When she saw this, Coach Parnell, sent the student a message stating that, even though he was 19, she could not date
him until after graduation in less than a month. The student responded, letting her know that he couldn’t wait take her
out on a date, and the two decided to set up a time to meet for dinner the day after graduation ceremonies. Coach
Parnell let the student know that there could be no further communication between the two of them until then, and
that he couldn’t tell anyone about the conversation they’d had so far. She let him know that she was excited to be able
to go out with him, but she could not pursue anything further until the date they had set up. This student had never
been in Coach Parnell’s Algebra class, nor had he played any of the sports that she coached. As planned, the day after
graduation, Coach Parnell and the now former Deer Springs High School student went out on a date and continued to
see each other for the next 8 months.
1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were
violated, explain your reasoning.
3. Should Coach Parnell have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code of Ethics, or (if you
feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?
SCENARIO 2: Mr. Shanfeld is a Language Arts teacher at Bayshore Middle School. For the last several years he has been
the director of the annual 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Unhappy with the quality of the different tour companies
that the district has used in the past, Mr. Shanfeld decides to start his own tour company that specializes in school field
trips to Washington D.C. This is something that he will be doing in his spare time, and he has informed HR of this
business venture, so that he is acting in accordance with the district policy regarding second jobs for teachers.
The bids to be the tour company used by the district is often very competitive, but – because he knows several people at
the administration building – he is able to secure the bid without much convincing. There is a formal process for students
applying to the trip, and the criteria for selection is set by the school district and the principal of each middle school. The
trip is often cost prohibitive for some families due to the $700 price tag, though the PTA offers 5 scholarships each year
for students whose families cannot pay. Mr. Shanfeld is still the director for the field trip for Bayshore Middle School,
and now he is also the owner of the tour company the school will be using.
A student who Mr. Shanfeld really hoped would go on the trip missed the deadline for applying, and after speaking to his
parents, Mr. Shanfeld realizes that the reason is due to temporary financial issues. It is too late for the student to apply
for one of the PTA scholarships, but Mr. Shanfeld and the parents work out a deal where they will provide him with free
landscaping services for the next year if he can help them get their son a spot on the trip. Mr. Shanfeld agrees, and since
it is his company, he can and does secure a spot for the student.
1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were
violated, explain your reasoning.
3. Should Mr. Shanfeld have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code of Ethics, or (if you
feel that there was no violation) to avoid his actions being called into question?
SCENARIO 3: Alicia is an 11th grade student at T. H. Berry High School, and is one of the star athletes on the basketball
team. Berry is known for its outstanding athletics, and many of the teams make the playoffs every school year, with over
10 state titles in different sports in the 14 years since the school opened. Alicia struggles academically in English and she
has not been able to bring her average above a 68 by the end of the grading period, as is required by UIL rules. Knowing
that this means that the team will lose one of its star players for much of the season, Coach Mitchell pleads Alicia’s case
to Ms. Johnston, Alicia’s English teacher. Because Ms. Johnston’s daughter is also on the team, Coach Mitchell feels
confident that she will be easily persuaded to ensure Alicia is able to play.
Coach Mitchell explains how important Alicia’s participation is for the team and for the school, and she assures Ms.
Johnston that she will personally guarantee that Alicia attends tutoring before and after school until she is able to
improve her grade for the next grading period, if Ms. Johnston will agree to change her grade to a 70 just this once. The
coach also vaguely implies that Ms. Johnston’s daughter will get more playing time if Alicia’s grade is changed. Ms.
Johnston agrees to change Alicia’s grade to a 70, and to keep their conversation quiet, so that other students and
administrators will not find out.
1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were
violated, explain your reasoning.
3. Should Coach Mitchell and/or Ms. Johnston have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the
Code of Ethics, or (if you feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?
SCENARIO 4: The Life Skills classroom at Hasting High provides Community Based Instruction to its small group of
students with severe disabilities. The district provides some funds for transportation and community outings, but it isn’t
usually enough to keep the students busy throughout the school year. To help with the funds, the principal allows the
students, with the support of the teachers, to sell breakfast items to the school three days a week. This fundraiser
becomes very popular with the rest of the student body because the breakfast items are inexpensive, delivered straight
to their 1st period classes, and they get to feel good about helping the Life Skills classroom in a positive way.
Ever since the Life Skills fundraising began, the Student Council sponsor, Mrs. Sumner, has noticed that support for their
daily candy fundraiser has declined, and she believes it is due to the popularity of the breakfast items being sold. One
day she notices a Life Skills student and one of the teachers, Mr. Moore, out making deliveries and collecting money. The
student is clearly struggling with handling the money, so Mr. Moore helps her by taking some of the money and putting
it into his own pocket. Mrs. Sumner sees only this small interaction and has no other context for the exchange.
Later that day, when speaking to a group of other teachers she mentions seeing Mr. Moore putting some of the
breakfast fundraiser money into his pocket. Over the next several days, this comment makes its way through the faculty,
and when she is questioned by other faculty members, Mrs. Sumner’s response is that she did see Mr. Moore pocket the
money, but she doesn’t know what he did with it after that. In the same conversations, she also casually mentions the
expensive new car Mr. Moore recently started driving.
1. Identify the behaviors (if any) that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning. If you feel that no standards were
violated, explain your reasoning.
3. Should Mr. Moore and/or Mrs. Sumner have handled this situation differently so as not to violate the Code
of Ethics, or (if you feel that there was no violation) to avoid their actions being called into question?