Teaching Profession

Ethics-Code Issue Irritant in Alabama

By The Associated Press — February 09, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Alabama lawmakers have overturned Gov. Bob Riley’s veto and blocked a teacher code of ethics approved by the state board of education from being placed into the state code.

After legislators last month approved a resolution blocking the move, the Republican governor vetoed the resolution. But the state Senate voted 22-10 later in the month to override the governor’s veto, and the House followed suit on Feb. 2 by a vote of 53-25.

Supporters of the ethics code argued it was backed by many teachers and had been in effect for several years without any enforcement provision. But it was opposed by the Alabama Education Association, which argued it would subject teachers to dismissal or other disciplinary procedures for violating vaguely worded items.

“We haven’t had a code in law ever, and we’ve had public schools in Alabama since 1856,” said Paul Hubbert, the executive secretary of the association, which is affiliated with the National Education Association.

The legislative arguments fell mostly along partisan lines, with Democrats opposing the plan and Republicans supporting it.

Democratic Sen. Tom Butler said that people were overlooking wording in the proposed code that he called “vague and ambiguous.” He said he would like to see a code of ethics, but with precise do’s and don’ts.

Some Republican legislators said that by blocking the ethics code, lawmakers would make it harder to fire bad teachers.

Republican Sen. Del Marsh, who is married to a former teacher, said: “It’s very simple. Either you support a code of ethics for teachers or you don’t.”

Provisions in the code defined unethical conduct as harassing colleagues, misusing tests, using inappropriate language at school, and failing to provide appropriate supervision of students. It also said educators “should refrain from the use of alcohol and/or tobacco during the course of professional practice and should never use illegal or unauthorized drugs.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 10, 2010 edition of Education Week as Ethics-Code Issue Irritant in Alabama

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Quiz Teachers, How Does Your Morale Compare to Others in Your State? Take This Quiz
Take the quiz to calculate your Teacher Morale Index score and see how it compares to your state’s average.
Collaged image of teachers gauging their morale
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Teaching in 2025: ‘Every Day Is a Crazy Day. It’s Fine.’
The profession is changing, and it's more challenging than ever. Resilient teachers are adapting. But at what cost?
Clayton Hubert is an art teacher who wears many hats as an educator, including driving the school bus each morning, as seen here on Jan. 16, 2025, in Lamberton, Minn.
Clayton Hubert, an art teacher, wears many hats as an educator, including driving the school bus some mornings, as seen here on Jan. 16, 2025, in Lamberton, Minn. Many teachers say the expectations of the role have grown far beyond classroom instruction.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Data What Teacher Morale Looks Like in Every State
See how teacher morale compares across the states—and where it's highest and lowest.
4 min read
Collaged image of teachers and data
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Data Teachers Say These 5 Factors Could Boost Their Morale
Short of a pay raise, here are the things that could improve teachers' morale.
8 min read
Photo collaged illustration of teachers ad data
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva