Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools Exceptional Children Services Exceptional Children Parent Advisory Council (ECPAC) CODE OF ETHICS

Purpose: The purpose of the Exceptional Children Parent Advisory Council (ECPAC) is to provide support services and information to parents of children with disabilities, to enhance academic opportunities and the development of community resources to aid students in becoming successful citizens.

The Advisory Council will strive to:

1. Respect the privacy, anonymity and rights of students, parents and school staff.

2. Strive to maintain a membership that is representative of all exceptionalities and population diversities.

3. Establish opportunities for parents to understand and feel a part of the educational process unique to students with disabilities.

4. Develop and distribute information to parents regarding laws and regulations that pertain to exceptional children programs and transitional services.

5. Maintain a high level of integrity and advocate for the rights of all Guilford County Schools students and the educational process. The focus of the Council shall be system wide advocacy. Individual personal advocacy issues should be discussed one-on-one with the Executive Director of Exceptional Children Services.

6. Preserve, protect and promote the well being of the Guilford County School's Exceptional Children's programs.

7. Respect and support the rights of students with disabilities to receive an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

8. Attend a minimum of 75% of the regular scheduled meetings of the Advisory Council. If a member’s attendance becomes a problem, it is his/her responsibility to contact the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson.

9. Only represent the Advisory Council in an official capacity with the acknowledgement and approval of the Chairperson and/or the ECPAC Executive Committee.

10. Uphold and promote the principles of the Code of Ethics and treat information that an individual member discloses at meetings, in a relationship of trust, with the expectation that it will not be divulged to others in ways that are inconsistent with the understanding of the original disclosure without permission.

Signature/Date:______Approved: June 16, 2003 Amended: August 28, 2007