UPDATE, 9 a.m., Friday: This story has been updated to correct a reference to who is eligible to file an ethics complaint against an educator. Students are not eligible to file a complaint, per Idaho law.

A new initiative from state superintendent Debbie Critchfield and the Department of Education is shining a light on professional standards for educators amid a statewide uptick in ethics complaints filed with the state.

The number of ethical misconduct allegations against educators increased 56% in 2022 compared to the average from the three prior years, according to data provided by the Department of Education, which licenses school teachers, administrators and staff. Ethics complaints increased another 10% in 2023.

Less than one-third of the 338 misconduct allegations filed with the state over the last five years led to disciplinary action. And the number of educators disciplined in a given year represents a small percentage of those teaching in Idaho. Last year, for instance, 25 educators faced penalties from the state for misconduct, which is just 0.1% of Idaho’s 22,333 licensed educators.

Still, Critchfield told Idaho Education News that she’s frustrated by the upward trend in complaints, and she’s hoping to raise awareness about ethical obligations — among educators as well as the public.

To that end, the Department of Education has restarted its practice of printing hard copies of the Code of Ethics for Idaho Professional Educators. Printing the ethics code went by the wayside when the 11-page document was posted online, but the department plans to issue booklets to new hires who come from out-of-state or otherwise didn’t take a course on Idaho’s rules during their certification program.

Additionally, the department is urging local school districts to have more robust discussions about misconduct with teachers and administrators. The agency recently issued guidance on avoiding contract breaches, and more guidance on other topics is forthcoming.

For now, the call for additional training is just a “nudge” that’s meant to remind educators of the rules that they agreed to, Critchfield said. But it could lead to mandates for professional development if the surge in complaints doesn’t abate.

“I don’t know how thoroughly our educators look at the code of ethics,” she said. “We’re hoping that the process of reviewing this and talking about it in a serious way and in a more public way can reduce some of the things that happen in our buildings.”

Awareness campaign focuses on non-traditional hires, teacher retention

Every licensed educator in Idaho is required to complete an application that includes an acknowledgement of the state’s code of ethics. The applicant must testify that they’ve read the code and will abide by it.

Department officials say their awareness campaign is focusing on educators who are less likely to have undergone ethics training.

Educators who were certified in Idaho, prior to receiving their teaching license, likely had a course on the state’s ethics code embedded in their training program, said Cina Lackey, the Department of Education’s director of certification and professional standards.

But non-traditional hires — those from another state or those who didn’t complete formal teacher preparation — may not have had the same training.

Lackey said she doesn’t know whether non-traditional hires are more likely to violate the ethics code. The department is currently analyzing demographic data on educators who have been disciplined. But the awareness campaign is focusing on that group of educators because it’s not a given that they’ve had ethics training.

“I would like to make sure that non-traditionally prepared candidates have the same opportunity for an understanding that our traditionally prepared teachers have,” Lackey said.

While the primary goal of the initiative is to keep students safe, department officials said, it’s also aimed at retaining teachers by helping them avoid mistakes.

“It absolutely is a retention strategy,” Lackey said. “There’s what we call a slippery slope where one poor decision can lead to another poor decision that leads to another poor decision…that can lead to some kind of disciplinary action against certificate.”

Annette Schwab, ethics coordinator at the Department of Education, noted that the vast majority of educators are ethical and follow the code. But they walk a fine line. While they’re asked to have close relationships with students, to “go the extra mile to help them,” Schwab said, “sometimes educators get into these precarious places without even meaning to. That’s part of what we’re really hoping to avoid.”

Critchfield said she hopes the campaign will spur discussions about appropriate behavior in scenarios teachers may need to negotiate. For instance, what do you do if a student texts you after school hours asking for help with an assignment? The ethics code doesn’t mention texting, but such a pattern of communicating can lead to something that’s out of bounds, Critchfield said.

“I would love to see more districts take this topic of professional ethics and do district-wide training and present it in real-life situations,” she said. “If we can do something on the front end to help educators be successful in their professions, we’re all over it.”