To the Editor
School District and Ethics:
As former students, educators, and community members of the Cottonwood School District, we are bewildered by the comments and questions circulating through the community regarding the proceedings taking place within the school.  Perhaps bewildered is not the correct term…rather…SHOCK and DISBELIEF would be better descriptors.  We may not be current community members; however, the majority of our family still resides within the area so we keep abreast of the current affairs.  We have always held the Cottonwood School District in high regards, but if what we are hearing has any merit to it at all, then our opinion, as should the communities, will change drastically and not for the better.
We have been hearing disturbing information regarding the drug testing policy, coaching strategies, lack of teacher evaluations, hiring practices, miss-use of funds, loss of grant monies, and nepotism, just to mention a few.  We are not going to discuss each individual issue and our thoughts on them, but we are going to discuss the issue of Ethics and Ethical Behavior.  
Ethics is the branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, or morality.  Ethics is concerned with distinguishing between good, between right and wrong, and between virtuous and non-virtuous characteristics of people.  We bring this up because we believe that the community has the right to know that the School Administration has a code of ethics created by the Idaho State Department of Education and the Idaho Professional Standards Commission that they are bound by.  Likewise, the School Board is also held to a code of ethics created by the Idaho School Board Association.  
The code of ethics for Idaho Professional Educators can be located on the Professional Standards Commission website at www.sde.idaho.gov/site/psc/ .  The code of ethics for School Board Members can be located on the Idaho School Boards Association (ISBA) website at www.idsba.org.  We would also like to bring your attention to another document, ‘Idaho Ethics in Government Manual’ created by the Office of the Attorney General.
According to Lawrence Wasden, Idaho State Attorney General, “all of us who accept public office, whether elected or appointed, also accept an ethical duty to serve honestly and in the public’s interest. Responsible and ethical public officials hold themselves to an even higher standard than mere compliance” (Idaho Ethics in Government Manual, August 2008).
We present this information to the community because the school board and school administration work for YOU!!!!   
We leave you with these two comments:
“You can’t run a society or cope with its problems if people are not held accountable for what they do.”  John Leo in the U.S. News and World Report.
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."  Abraham Lincoln
Joann (Enneking) Storey
Eileen (Enneking) Holden

Home

Classified Ads