CODE OF ETHICS

I. General
  

GISA Member schools are committed to maintaining the highest moral and ethical standards in every aspect of their operations. Each school was founded on strong convictions concerning one’s duties to the community and the ordering of society for the common good. Each school seeks to operate in harmony with an understanding of these duties.

II. Specific
  

The GISA suggests the following specific guidelines for its member schools:

A. Academic

(1) Admissions – a school will state clearly, in writing, its qualifications for admission, its full schedule of tuition and fees, its program of study, and its requirements for graduation.

(2) Scholarship and Financial Aid – a school will adopt a standard procedure for the awarding of scholarships and financial aid. This process will be in writing, available to the public, and explained in full to each applicant for admission. No scholarship or financial aid will ever be granted for the purpose of athletic or literary competition.

(3) Transfer students – a school will have obtained all records from any schools previously attended before final acceptance of a student who seeks transfer.

(4) Retention of students – no student will be retained in any grade for the purpose of extending eligibility for athletic or literary competition.

B. Athletic and other activities:

(1) Each member school will observe both in letter and spirit the rules of the athletic association to which it belongs.

(2) Each member school will observe both in letter and spirit the rules of any state or national activity in which it participates – i.e., N.H.S., Thespians, etc.

(3) Each school will state clearly in writing, the qualifications for student membership in and/or selections for awards of any group or activity – i.e., athletic letters, cheerleader selection, debate team, etc.

(4) No member of the school community (administrator, coach, booster club, alumni organization, etc.) will knowingly initiate attempts to enroll or bring about the transfer of a student for the purpose of athletic or literary competition.

C. Faculty Relations

(1) Recruitment – All member schools recognize the rights of individual faculty members to explore the possibilities of employment in other schools. No member school, however, will initiate contact with a member of any other member school’s faculty without first obtaining permission from that school’s chief administrator.

(2) Contracts – Teachers will be offered contracts as early as possible prior to a new academic year. These shall be based on a published minimum salary and a fair negotiation between administrators(s) and individual faculty members.

D. Ethics Committee

(1) The President of GISA shall appoint an Ethics Committee consisting of five members who will serve two year terms

(2) Before the Ethics Committee can act, a complaint against a member school must be specific, in writing, and presented to the President of GISA who may refer it to the Ethics Committee:

(3) The Ethics Committee shall have the right to:

(a) Investigate an alleged violation of the Code of Ethics.

(b) Make recommendations for dismissal of the complaint or for action (reprimand, probation, dismissal from the association, etc.) against the offending institution at a regular meeting of the Association.

(4) The GISA will act against an offending school upon two-thirds vote of the members present at a regular meeting.