The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) held its monthly meetings March 10-11, 2021.
Ethics Division
A suspension of two years was recommended for a teacher accused of administering corporal punishment to students over multiple years. Corporal punishment is approved by the district; however, according to policy, it can only be administered by the principal, assistant principal, or a teacher designated by the principal. While the educator claimed she had permission from one parent, she was not designated by the principal to administer corporal punishment. An educator accused of having at least one unopened bottle of vodka in her bag at school agreed to accept a reprimand from the GaPSC. A substitute teacher allegedly found the vodka in the educator’s bag while the educator was away from campus. There was a chain-of-custody issue regarding the vodka, as it is unclear if the educator or someone else allegedly placed it in the bag.
Educator Preparation Division The Commission granted Developmental Approval of the Teacher Support and Coaching Endorsement and the K-5 Mathematics Endorsement at Forsyth County Schools. The Commission also granted Developmental Approval of the Dyslexia Endorsement at North Georgia RESA.
April GaPSC Meeting The next meetings will be April 7-8, 2021.