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The Perspective of an Aspiring Secondary Principal 

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The Perspective of an Aspiring Secondary Principal 

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Upon completing my Master of Education in Educational Administration, I hope to be employed as a principal at the secondary level, preferably, a high school principal.

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Legal and Ethical Issues According to a Professional:  Top 5 Things Learned 

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Legal and Ethical Issues According to a Professional:  Top 5 Things Learned 

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I visited with the current principal at Lubbock-Cooper High School, Angie Inklebarger, to find out how current legal and ethical issues impact her role as a principal.

1.  Special Education Laws are always a critical aspect.  Failure to strictly adhere to these laws can get educators, administrators, and school districts in the most trouble.  Parents of Special Education students are passionate about advocating for their children; however, there are instances when the parents have been misinformed by outside sources, leading to a potential source of conflict.  It is imperative administrators pay close attention to such laws, maintain written documentation, and ensure teachers are aware of, educated on, and strictly follow laws and documentation students in the Special Education population.

2.  As the world continues to change, student populations will see a more diverse set of beliefs, customs, and social norms.  The increase in diversity makes it necessary to take steps and precautions to protect students.  Such protections may include having a designated bathroom in the nurse's office for any student who desires more privacy as schools see more transgender students in their student populations.  Having a designated bathroom for these students helps protect both the transgender students and other students.  It is important that such protective measures be taken, and that they align as well as possible with the desires of both the district superintendent and school board while making the protection of students' beliefs and rights a priority.

3.  High school principals must stay current on laws governing graduation requirements.  The most recent change occurred when the State of Texas switched from the 4x4 plan to House Bill 5.  Principals must be aware of how such changes and laws affect members of both the general education student population and the Special Education student population.

4.  School principals should stay current on all laws regarding education - Special Education, graduation requirements, finances, and many more.  Principals in the State of Texas can go a law conference each summer right before the TASSP conference to get updates regarding laws effecting educators.  Principals should also read literature they receive from professional associations to stay current on laws and ethical issues and stay in constant communication with the administrative staff in the district's central office.

5.  Taking care of kids generally keeps parents happy.  Keeping parents happy generally keeps schools out of trouble - legally and ethically.  Many times parents will come to a meeting loaded.  They are upset, and they want someone to know.  In these cases, the principal must know when to sit and let the parents say their piece.  Once the parents have had time to be heard, the principal can then approach what they can do to take care of the student.  In many cases, this resolves any potential conflict because the parent feels the principal is taking care of both the student and the parent.

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Administration - Campuses - Lubbock-Cooper ISD

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Lubbock-Cooper ISD is a public school serving pk-12th grade students in Lubbock County, Texas.

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Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) Legal and Ethical Issues  

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Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) Legal and Ethical Issues  

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When exploring the TASSP website, I found two lists of several House Bills and Senate Bills to watch during the 2019 86th Texas Legislative Session.

HB 116 aims to improve professional development for primary and secondary educators, enabling them to more effectively serve all student populations, with particular regard to students with disabilities.

SB 213 relates to the use of individual graduation committees and other alternative methods to satisfy graduation requirements for students who have not performed satisfactorily on an end of course exam at least three times. Students who are enrolled in a college preparatory course in math and English and receives a score of proficient on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) test can satisfy the Algebra I or English II end-of-course assessment requirement. Students who are unable to satisfy graduation requirements in this manner can be deemed able to graduate by individual graduation committees. This bill requires districts to track longitudinal data regarding post-secondary pursuits for students who graduate by committee.

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The mission of TASSP is to serve the students and principals in Texas by supporting a sound student and principal-based program. Throughout the 85th legislative session, TASSP will be working collaboratively with other educational associations to promote activities that positively impact teacher recruitment and retention.

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National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Legal and Ethical Issues 

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National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Legal and Ethical Issues 

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Using the NASSP website, I reviewed some of their position statements regarding legal and ethical issues in schools.

NASSP resolves that all students deserves an excellent and equitable education, including undocumented students.  The association maintains schools should be a safe haven for all students and provides several suggestions for school leaders regarding the protection of undocumented students' rights.

NASSP also provides several suggestions to ensure the protection transgender students' rights. One of the most interesting recommendations I reviewed involved staff using the student's preferred name as a sign of respect to the student at school; however, unless otherwise documented, staff should use the student's legal name when communicating with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) in an effort to respect the student's privacy and not create an unsafe home environment for the student.

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NASSP and its board take various positions on education issues that concern principals and students. A position statement reflects NASSP's values in relation to a particular education issue and translates those values into specific recommendations for school leaders and policymakers at various levels.

View our position statements and policies to learn more about how NASSP is working to promote school improvement.

NASSP Position Statements

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NASSP and its board take various positions on education issues that concern principals and students. A position statement reflects NASSP's values in relation to a particular education issue and translates those values into specific recommendations for school leaders and policymakers at various levels.

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Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students

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Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students

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Title IX is enforced in all schools that receive federal money and prevents sex discrimination, including the discrimination of transgender students. As the world changes and a more diverse population of students are found within public schools, I feel it is important to have a basic understanding of the laws protecting the rights of transgender students.

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Researching Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students 

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Researching Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students 

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While exploring the Internet, I came across a PDF put out by the National Education Association in June of 2016 which outlines the best practices for schools to use in protecting the rights of the transgender student population. The legal guidance also provides a full explanation of the rights protected by the best practices offered and examples of how those rights can be protected in different situations.

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Researching Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students 

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Researching Title IX and the Rights of Transgender High School Students 

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When searching articles within the Angelo State University Library system, I found an article entitled, "The Battle Over Bathrooms: Schools, Courts, and Transgender Rights." In this article, Rosemary Phillips follows the case of Gavin Grimm, a transgender teen from Virgina whose lawsuit challenging his school's bathroom policy went to the Supreme Court.

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Title IX, FERPA, and the Rights of Transgender High School Students:  What I Learned to Help Protect My School and Students In the Future

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Title IX, FERPA, and the Rights of Transgender High School Students:  What I Learned to Help Protect My School and Students In the Future

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Public school districts receive federal funding and are, therefore, required to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  Title IX makes discrimination based on sex unconstitutional.  How Title IX protects transgender students is emerging and somewhat ambiguous; however, it is generally accepted that Title IX requires public schools to create a safe, nondiscriminatory environment for transgender students (National Education Association, 2016).

According to current interpretation of Title IX, transgender students must have access to facilities and locker rooms for the gender with which they identify.  Requiring Title IX students to use separate designated facilities is a violation of this law.  In instances where such requirement has occurred, transgender students have reported physical and mental health impacts which have in turn impacted their school performance due to absenteeism (Philips, 2017).

Not only are transgender students to be granted access to facilities and locker rooms for the gender with which they identify, students must be allowed to dress in a manner consistent with their gender identity and be referred to by their preferred name and pronoun without changing permanent school records.  However, should a student wish to change their name and gender marker on their educational records, they may do so under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  According to FERPA, transgender students may change such information on their educational records prior to or even after graduation so that post-secondary institutions receive transcripts with the correct information, and thereby, does not infringe upon the students' privacy rights (National Education Association, 2016).

As a secondary school principal, I will be charged with ensuring a safe school environment in which all students are able to thrive. As the world around us continues to change, the population of students in my care will become more diversified. It is entirely possible that such diversity will include transgender students. Although the laws protecting such a student population are murky right now, they will continue to emerge and evolve. It will be imperative I have an understanding of the laws in place to protect such students so that I am able to enact policies within my schools that align with the law and protect all student populations.

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National Association of Secondary School Principals. (n.d.). NASSP position statements. Retrieved from NASSP: https://www.nassp.org/policy-advocacy-center/nassp-position-statements/

National Education Asssociation. (2016, June). Legal guidance on transgender students' rights. Retrieved from National Education Association: https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/20184_Transgender%20Guide_v4.pdf

Philips, R. R. (2017). The battle over bathrooms: Schools, courts, and transgender rights. Theory in Action, 100-117.

Texas Association of Secondary School Principals. (n.d.). Legislative update. Retrieved from TASSP: https://www.tassp.org/legislative-updates