Standards of Ethical Conduct

1. Our school values the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, acquisition of knowledge, and the nurture of democratic citizenship. Essential to the achievement of these standards are the freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal opportunity for all.
2. Our primary concern is the student and the development of the student's potential. Employees will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity.
3. Concern for the student requires that our instructional personnel:

• Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning and/or to the student's mental and/or physical health and/or safety.
• Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of learning.
• Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view.
• Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter relevant to a student's academic program.
• Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.
• Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student’s legal rights.
• Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable efforts to assure that each student is protected from harassment or discrimination.
• Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage.
• Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law.

4. Aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of colleagues, of students, of parents, and of the community, employees of our school must display the highest degree of ethical conduct. This commitment requires that our employees:

• Shall maintain honesty in all professional dealings.
• Shall not, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national, or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapped condition if otherwise qualified, or social and family background, deny to a colleague professional benefits or advantages or participation in any professional organization.
• Shall not interfere with a colleague’s exercise of political or civil rights and responsibilities.
• Shall not engage in harassment or discriminatory conduct which unreasonably interferes with an individual’s performance of professional or work responsibilities or with the orderly processes of education or which creates a hostile, intimidating, abusive, offensive, or oppressive environment; and, further, shall make reasonable efforts to assure that each individual is protected from such harassment or discrimination.
• Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.

Training Requirement: All instructional personnel, educational support employees, and administrators are required as a condition of employment to complete training on these standards of ethical conduct.

Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel, Educational Support Personnel and Administrators: All employees, educational support employees, and administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student. Examples of misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors.

Reports of misconduct of employees should be made to

School Principal: 
Mrs. Carissa Karakaedos
ckarakaedos@sjpii.net 
561-314-2140 

Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to
School President: 
Mr. Edward Bernot 
ebernot@sjpii.net 

or 

Superintendent of Catholic Schools
Katie Kervi
kkervi@diocesepb.org

Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the Office of Professional Practices Services. Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional personnel, educational support personnel or school administrators which affects the health, safety or welfare of a student are posted in the Guidance Suite, and all Faculty/ Staff break rooms at 4001 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33431 and on our Website at www.sjpii.net https://www.sjpii.net/about/state-scholarship-compliance.cfm

Reporting Child Abuse, Abandonment or Neglect: All employees and agents have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment or neglect. Call 1-800-96-ABUSE or report online at https://www.myflfamilies.com/abuse/report/

Signs of Physical Abuse: The child may have unexplained bruises, welts, cuts, or other injuries; broken bones or burns. A child experiencing physical abuse may seem withdrawn or depressed, seem afraid to go home or may run away from physical contact, be aggressive, or wear inappropriate clothing to hide injuries.

Signs of Sexual Abuse: The child may have torn, stained, or bloody underwear, trouble walking or sitting, pain or itching in the genital area, or a sexually transmitted disease. A child experiencing sexual abuse may have unusual knowledge of sex or act seductively, fear a particular person, seem withdrawn or depressed, gain or lose weight suddenly, shy away from physical contact, or run away from home.

Signs of Neglect: The child may have unattended medical needs, little or no supervision at home, poor hygiene, or appear underweight. A child experiencing neglect may be frequently tired or hungry, steal food, or appear overly needy for adult attention.

Patterns of Abuse: Serious abuse usually involves a combination of factors. While a single sign ay not be significant, a pattern of physical or behavioral signs is a serious indicator and should be reported. 

Liability Protection: Any person, official, or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or required by law, by reporting in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to the department or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability which might otherwise result in reason of such action. (F.S 39.203)

An employer who discloses information about a former or current employee to a prospective employer of the former or current employee upon request of the prospective employer or of the former or current employee is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that the information disclosed by the former or current employer was knowingly false or violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under F.S. Chapter 760. (F.S. 768.095)

Harassment and Discrimination

The school is committed to providing an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.  In keeping with this commitment, the school will not tolerate harassment or discrimination on the basis of a person’s protected status, such as gender, color, race, ancestry, national origin, age, physical disability, mental condition, marital status, veteran status, citizenship status.  All employees, faculty members and students are protected under this policy.  In addition, this policy applies to all conduct occurring on school grounds, at assignments outside the school, or at school-sponsored events.  All students are responsible for helping to ensure that any harassment or discrimination is reported.  If a student witnesses or learns of any conduct that violates this policy, the student must immediately report the incident to his/her principal.  If, however, the principal is the individual who is believed to have engaged in the inappropriate conduct, the student should notify the Superintendent of Schools of the Diocese of Palm Beach.  If an investigation reveals that inappropriate conduct has occurred, the school will take corrective action based on the circumstances.

NON-DISCRIMINATORY NOTICE

It is the policy of the Saint John Paul II Academy to admit students of any race, disability, color, sex, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, disability, color, sex, national and ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.