State of Tennessee Steals NEA Code of Ethics and Makes It Impossible for Teachers to Live By It

 Below is the NEA Code of Ethics: 

Preamble
The National Education Association believes that the education profession consists of one education workforce serving the needs of all students and that the term ‘educator’ includes education support professionals.

The educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of the democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal educational opportunity for all. The educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

The educator recognizes the magnitude of the responsibility inherent in the teaching process. The desire for the respect and confidence of one's colleagues, of students, of parents, and of the members of the community provides the incentive to attain and maintain the highest possible degree of ethical conduct. The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession indicates the aspiration of all educators and provides standards by which to judge conduct.

The remedies specified by the NEA and/or its affiliates for the violation of any provision of this Code shall be exclusive and no such provision shall be enforceable in any form other than the one specifically designated by the NEA or its affiliates.

PRINCIPLE I
Commitment to the Student
The educator strives to help each student realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society. The educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals.
In fulfillment of the obligation to the student, the educator--
1. Shall not unreasonably restrain the student from independent action in the pursuit of learning.
2. Shall not unreasonably deny the student's access to varying points of view.
3. Shall not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress.
4. Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety.
5. Shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement.
6. Shall not on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, marital status, political or religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background, or sexual orientation, unfairly--

1.  Exclude any student from participation in any program

1.  Deny benefits to any student

1.  Grant any advantage to any student

7. Shall not use professional relationships with students for private advantage.
8. Shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.

PRINCIPLE II
Commitment to the Profession
The education profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professional service.

In the belief that the quality of the services of the education profession directly influences the nation and its citizens, the educator shall exert every effort to raise professional standards, to promote a climate that encourages the exercise of professional judgment, to achieve conditions that attract persons worthy of the trust to careers in education, and to assist in preventing the practice of the profession by unqualified persons.

In fulfillment of the obligation to the profession, the educator--
1. Shall not in an application for a professional position deliberately make a false statement or fail to disclose a material fact related to competency and qualifications.
2. Shall not misrepresent his/her professional qualifications.
3. Shall not assist any entry into the profession of a person known to be unqualified in respect to character, education, or other relevant attribute.
4.    Shall not knowingly make a false statement concerning the qualifications of a candidate for a professional position.
5. Shall not assist a noneducator in the unauthorized practice of teaching.
6. Shall not disclose information about colleagues obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.
7. Shall not knowingly make false or malicious statements about a colleague.
8. Shall not accept any gratuity, gift, or favor that might impair or appear to influence professional decisions or action.
Adopted by the NEA 1975 Representative Assembly

Now the Capitol Hillbillies making law down there in Nashville have taken it upon themselves to remove any signs of original ownership for the NEA Code of Ethics and have passed it into state law as their own, that looks like this:

Tennessee Teacher Code of Ethics49-5-1001. Short title. —This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Teacher Code of Ethics.”
[Acts 2010, ch. 916, § 1.]
49-5-1002. Legislative findings. —The general assembly finds and declares that:
(1) An educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the
supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal educational opportunity for all. An educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards; and
(2) An educator recognizes the magnitude of the responsibility inherent in the teaching process. The desire for the respect and confidence of one's colleagues, of students, of parents and of the members of the community provides the incentive to attain and maintain the highest possible degree of ethical conduct.
[Acts 2010, ch. 916, § 1.]
49-5-1003. Educator's obligations to students. —(a) An educator shall strive to help each student realize the student's potential as a worthy and effective member of society. An educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals.
(b) In fulfillment of this obligation to the student, an educator shall:
(1) Not unreasonably restrain the student from independent action in the pursuit of learning;
(2) Not unreasonably deny the student access to varying points of view;
(3) Not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress;
(4) Make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to
health and safety;
(5) Not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement;
(6) Not on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, marital status, political or
religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background or sexual orientation unfairly:
(A) Exclude any student from participation in any program;
(B) Deny benefits to any student; or
(C) Grant any advantage to any student;
(7) Not use professional relationships with students for private advantage; and
(8) Not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service,
unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.
[Acts 2010, ch. 916, § 1.]
49-5-1004. Educator's obligations to the education profession. —(a) The education profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professional service. In the belief that the quality of the services of the
education profession directly influences the nation and its citizens, the educator shall exert every effort to raise professional standards, to promote a climate that encourages the exercise of professional judgment, to achieve conditions which attract persons worthy of the trust to careers in education, and to assist in preventing the practice of the profession by unqualified persons.
(b) In fulfillment of this obligation to the profession, an educator shall not:
(1) Deliberately make a false statement or fail to disclose a material fact related to
competency and qualifications in an application for a professional position;
(2) Misrepresent the educator's professional qualifications;
(3) Assist entry into the profession of a person known to be unqualified in respect to
character, education, or other relevant attribute;
(4) Knowingly make a false statement concerning the qualifications of a candidate for a
professional position;
(5) Assist a non-educator in the unauthorized practice of teaching;
(6) Disclose information about colleagues obtained in the course of professional service
unless the disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law;
(7) Knowingly make false or malicious statements about a colleague; and
(8) Accept any gratuity, gift, or favor that might impair or appear to influence professional
decisions or actions.
[Acts 2010, ch. 916, § 1.]

Makes you wonder how many of the ALEC-owned TN legislators would be aghast if they only knew they had voted to accept the the socialistic NEA Code of Ethics.  

Sady, though, when we look at the specific points of the stolen Code of Ethics, we find that state policies and laws that make it impossible for teachers in Tennessee to uphold 49-5-1004. Educator's obligations to the education profession.  With the new mandates on pay for test scores, year-round testing, testing of all subjects, segregation of poor schools and students into a separate state-run system of remedial chain gangs, unending stress and pressure to pass tests, how many teachers can live up to the stolen Code? 

As for 49-5-1004. Educator's obligations to the education profession, the Commissioner and State Board have made most of these points irrelevant by actively recruiting unprepared Teach for America missionaries to take charge in those schools in most need of qualified teachers.  

And how about (8)?  Like many other states, Tennessee must depend upon the generosity of corporate foundations or federal grants to maintain state services (no income tax and the one of the regressive sales taxes ever devised).  For accepting the gifts and favors of hundreds of millions from ED and the oligarchs, "professional decisions or actions" are now made by the Gates, Broad, and Walton teams of functionaries.