The purpose of this case study is to foster discussion concerning staff disciplinary procedures and actions, at both the site-level and district-level. Much emphasis is placed on interpreting state and federal law during the course of educational administration training and on the importance of clarifying local policies. Disciplinary actions in regard to school faculty, however, are contentious issues and remain difficult to address. In the absence of a law or policy to specifically guide an administrator's actions, decisions concerning these issues must be thoughtful and consistent, with due process being observed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bump,R. E.
(1990). Investigating alleged wrongdoing by employees in the school setting (EA022102). Alexandria, Virginia: National School Boards Association. (ED322598).
2.
Delon, F. G.
(1977). Reasonable cause for dismissal of teachers (EA009619). Topeka, Kansas: Kansas School Attorneys Association. (ED140455).
3.
Dowling-Sendor, B.
(2000). Zero tolerance versus privacy (EA536839). Georgia: American School Board Journal. (EJ601200).
4.
http://www.ztnightmares.com/ [Note: a good web site on zero tolerance policies].
5.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/groups/civilrights/conferences/zero/zt_report2.html. Opportunities suspended: The devastating consequences of zero tolerance and school discipline policies. (2000). Report by the Advancement Project and The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University. June, 2000
6.
Neill, S. B.
, Custis, J. (1978). Staff dismissal: Problems and solutions (EA011849). Arlington, Virginia: American Association of School Administrators. (ED172417).
7.
Skiba, I. R.
& Peterson, R. (1999). “The dark side of zero tolerance: Can punishment lead to safe schools?” Phi Delta Kappan, January 1999, pp. 372-376, 381-382.
8.
Whitaker, T.
(1999). Dealing with difficult teachers. New York: Eye on Education, Inc.
9.
Woodward, J.
(1995). Not fire at will but fire with care: The difficult job of dismissing a staff member. Public Libraries, 34, 5, pp. 280-82.
