Empowering Parents, Protecting Students

The safety of Florida’s public school students is of the utmost importance. The Department of Education is committed to working closely with local school districts to ensure that Florida public schools and classrooms are safe and healthy environments for our children. Students are not only protected by their teachers, school staff, principals, and resource officers, but also by district personnel, state officials and law enforcement officers.

While teachers are highly valued professionals and members of our communities, we must all work together to hold Florida teachers to a high standard of ethics and principles. Unfortunately, teacher misconduct occurs and is a serious concern for communities, schools, school districts and states across the country. If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is threatened with harm by a licensed teacher, contact the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF) toll-free at 1-800-96-ABUSE. Further information about reporting abuse may be found on the DCF Web site at www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse. You may also contact your local school district because each district has its own process for handling allegations of teacher misconduct.

Below are resources that will help empower you as a parent to better understand the processes used by your local school district and the state to protect our students.

View the hearing notices of the Education Practices Commission

***Reporting abuse and misconduct link:  http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/poster.asp

What is the Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practices Services and what does this office do?

The Florida Department of Education Office of Professional Practice Services administers a state-level grievance process and plays an integral part in ensuring that appropriate disciplinary actions are taken against the certificate of an educator certified to teach in Florida. The Office of Professional Practices Services (PPS) investigates alleged misconduct by teachers in Florida who hold a teaching certificate and pursues disciplinary actions against the certificates of teachers found to have committed acts of misconduct. The PPS investigates when there is cause to believe the educator has broken the law or violated State Board of Education Rule, which includes the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct. These laws and rules outline the standards of conduct expected of certified educators in Florida.

Ethical codes serve as a guidepost to the profession, and represent the highest standards and ideals of the education profession. A code of ethics for educators represents what we as members of the profession and the community can and should expect out of educators. It serves as a reminder to the educator, that there are obligations and expectations that are associated with the profession. Not all incidents of misconduct that may appear to violate the code of ethics would or should warrant discipline against a certificate. Sometimes, the conduct is solely an employment matter that is most appropriately handled by the employer.