The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) met virtually June 12 and 13. GaPSC Executive Secretary Matt Arthur updated commission members on the agency’s slate of summer presentations, including a literacy-focused session on implementation of HB 538 at the Georgia Association of School Personnel Administrators annual conference. Arthur also highlighted Code of Ethics videos on the GaPSC’s website.
Ethics
Lauren Vonada, director of educator ethics at GaPSC, explained two ethics rules recommended for repeal:
505-6-.03, Change of Address, which requires an educator who is the subject of investigation to provide any change of address information to GaPSC.
505-6-.09, Investigation Instituted by Self-Referral, which triggers an automatic investigation of an educator who admits on an application to committing a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
Both rules are suggested for repeal as they restate existing law and do not add information beyond what is listed in state code.
Educator Preparation and Certification
Penney McRoy, director of educator preparation at GaPSC, provided information on two educator preparation rule changes. At its July meeting, the commission will vote on initiating the rulemaking process for these changes.
An amendment to Rule 505-3-.02, Educator Preparation Provider Annual Reporting and Evaluation, updates educator preparation reporting and evaluation requirements in response to the commission’s approval of a provisional certification of speech-language associates at a previous meeting. These individuals will focus on communication disorders while under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist.
Rule 505-3-.08, Innovative and Experimental Programs, is being repealed as the rule is no longer needed and is incompatible with GaPSC’s data collection and reporting system.
 | Next MeetingThe next committee meetings are July 10. The next commission meeting is July 11. |