How to Handle Staff Misconduct 2/e

C. Edward Lawrence, president of the Lawrence Educational Consulting Group, has advised many school districts on how to prepare and win unsatisfactory staff member evaluation and misconduct cases. Dr. Lawrence has nearly 30 years of experience in the field of education-he has served as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, author, and professor. For the past twelve years, Dr. Lawrence has inspired future educators as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from West Virginia State University, a master's degree in guidance and counseling from the Marquette University, a certificate in administrative leadership, and a Ph.D. in urban education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before his current position, he was the assistant superintendent for a large urban school district where he had an extensive educational career in public education. He served as a teacher, counselor, team leader, and assistant principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as principal at the elementary and middle school level, as director of alternative programs, and as a community superintendent. In addition, he served as a hearing officer for unsatisfactory teacher evaluations, second-step misconduct, and immediate teacher suspensions. He was an adjunct instructor in the Department of Administrative Leadership teaching courses in clinical supervision and critical issues-including staff misconduct and evaluating the marginal teacher. Dr. Lawrence is first author of the following books: The Marginal Teacher: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fair Procedures for Identification and Dismissal (1993) (2nd edition 2001); How to Handle Staff Misconduct: A Step-by-Step Guide (1995) (2nd edition 2003); and The Incompetent Specialist: How to Evaluate, Document Performance, and Dismiss School Staff (1996).

List of Progressive Discipline Charts A Cautionary Note Preface About the Author Introduction Part I: General Procedures to Handle Misconduct 1. Strategies to Handle Misconduct Just Cause Due Process Progressive Discipline 2. The Misconduct Investigation Victim/Witness Statement Form Diagram of the Human Body Police Records Photographs and Videotaping 3. School-Level Misconduct Meeting Part II: Administrative Misconduct Handled by the Principal 4. Unexcused Absence and Excessive Tardiness 5. Neglect of Duty 6. Abuse, Insulting, or Profane Language 7. Corporal Punishment 8. Insubordination Part III: Serious Misconduct Requiring Immediate Suspension 9. The Immediate Suspension Conference With Hearing Officer 10. The School Board Hearing Part IV: Criminal Misconduct 11. Sexual Misconduct 12. Abuse of Controlled Substances 13. Theft and Fraud 14. Criminal Misconduct Outside the School Setting RESOURCES Resource A: Standards of Acceptable Conduct for Staff Members Resource B: Letter to Schedule an Oral Reprimand Conference Resource C: Major Components of an Oral Warning Resource D: Letter to Schedule a Misconduct Meeting Resource E: First Letter of Reprimand - Major Components Resource F: Second Letter of Reprimand - Major Components Resource G: Allegation of Staff Misconduct Standard Report Form Resource H: Diagram of Human Body Resource I: Misconduct Meeting at the School Level Resource J: Misconduct Meeting With Hearing Officer Resource K: Letter to the Media About Criminal Misconduct References Index

"How to Handle Staff Misconduct has simplified the process with its step-by-step format and has removed a lot of the emotions that have previously gone into addressing staff misconduct issues. I've had occasions to put the steps into play and have found them to be logical and straightforward." -- Anne Hutcheson, Director of Special Education and Pupil Personnel "Lawrence and Vachon did an outstanding job of writing guidelines that deal with the core aspects of supervision and documentation without becoming embroiled in state law issues and differences. I wish that I had this book as a guideline when I became a principal. I would have used it to train new hires on my administrative team." -- Mary A. King, Director of High School Services "Especially valuable is the advice on establishing standards of acceptable conduct for staff members, including the outlines of a progressive disciplinary process to correct unwanted behaviors." -- The School Administrator, December, 2003