The following topics were discussed during the Georgia Professional Standards Commission’s (GaPSC) monthly meetings March 9-10, 2022:
Ethics Division
Laurin Vonada, director of the Ethics Division, announced that the GaPSC is back to pre-pandemic levels of ethics cases. In addition to the General Complaint Form for alleged ethics violations, the GaPSC created an LUA Complaint Form for use by local units of administration. The Commission recommended a reprimand for an educator who lost their Georgia peace officer certification for allegedly falsifying a police report and conduct unbecoming of an officer. The Commission recommended a suspension of 10 days for an educator who allegedly brought a bottle of wine to campus. The wine, which was allegedly intended as a gift for someone else, was allegedly found in a gift bag at the back of a closet by another staff member. An educator allegedly broke a teaching contract for the upcoming school year with a private school on or around June 21. A couple of the commissioners pointed out that the alleged breach was nearly two months before the beginning of the new school year, arguably providing the school with ample notice to find a suitable replacement. Others pointed out that the alleged breach was after June 15, the date which the GaPSC has established it will not sanction an educator’s certificate for breaking a contract for the upcoming school year. After some discussion, the GaPSC recommended a suspension of 90 days for the educator.
Educator Preparation Division
The Commission granted Developmental Approval for the Teacher Leader Endorsement at Oconee RESA. The Commission also granted Developmental Approval for the Computer Science Endorsement at the University of North Georgia.
April GaPSC Meeting The next meetings will be April 13-14, 2022.