Tulsa Public Schools Policy 4411: Standards of Performance and Conduct for Teachers
PURPOSE: To establish performance standards and conduct for teachers.
Teachers are expected to behave in a professional manner that supports a quality learning environment.
Commitment to Students
In fulfillment of their obligation to the students, teachers:
- Shall not unreasonably restrain the student from independent action in the pursuit of learning.
- Shall not unreasonably deny the student access to varying points of view.
- Shall not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress.
- Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety.
- Shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement.
- Shall not on the basis of race, creed, gender, gender expression, gender identity, national origin, marital status, political or religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background, sexual orientation, or disability unfairly:
a. Exclude any student from participation in any program.
b. Deny benefits to any student.
c. Grant any advantage to any student. - Shall not use professional relationships with students for private advantage.
- Shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose and is permitted by law or is required by law.
Commitment to the Profession
In order to ensure the quality of services to the teaching profession meets the expectations of the state and its citizens, the teacher shall exert every effort to raise professional standards, fulfill professional responsibilities with honor and integrity, promote a climate encouraging the exercise of professional judgment, achieve conditions attracting persons worthy of the trust to careers in education, and assist in preventing the practice of the profession by unqualified persons.
In fulfillment of their obligation to the profession, teachers shall not:
- Make false statements or fail to disclose a material fact related to competency and qualifications, in an application for a professional position.
- Misrepresent their professional qualifications.
- Assist any entry into the profession of a person known to be unqualified in respect to character, education, or other relevant attributes.
- Knowingly make a false statement concerning the qualifications of a candidate for the professional position.
- Assist an unqualified person in the unauthorized practice of the profession.
- Disclose information about colleagues obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.
- Knowingly make false or malicious statements about a colleague.
- Accept any gratuity, gift or favor that might impair or appear to influence professional decisions or actions.
Teacher Due Process Act of 1990
Subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act, a probationary teacher may be dismissed or not reemployed for cause.
Subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act, a career teacher may be dismissed or not reemployed for:
- Willful neglect of duty.
- Repeated negligence in performance of duty.
- Mental or physical abuse to a child.
- Incompetence.
- Instructional ineffectiveness.
- Unsatisfactory teaching performance.
- Any reason involving moral turpitude.
A teacher convicted of a felony shall be dismissed or not reemployed, unless a presidential or gubernatorial pardon has been issued.
A teacher may be dismissed, refused employment or reemployment after a finding that such person has engaged in criminal sexual activity or sexual misconduct impeding the effectiveness of the individual’s performance of school duties.
As used in this policy:
Criminal sexual activity means the commission of an act as defined in Section 886 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma statutes, which is the act of sodomy.
Sexual misconduct means the soliciting or imposing of criminal sexual activity.