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Guidelines for Professional Conduct During Clinical Field Experiences

As a representative of the University of Delaware you are expected to practice sound professional ethics and to conduct yourself in a professional, responsible, and reliable manner at all times. Remember that you are a guest in your cooperating school and are expected to maintain high professional standards.

The following are some general guidelines for professional conduct during your placement:

1. BEFORE REPORTING TO YOUR CLINICAL SITE

   1. To participate in a clinical experience, you must have a valid negative Tuberculin test on file at Student Health Services. The test should be good for three years and must be valid throughout your stay in the schools/centers. Please be aware that some schools/districts will acknowledge test results for only one year.
   2. Some child care centers/preschools will require a criminal background check before you can begin your placement. Check with your center/preschool director to see if a background check is required. Criminal background checks can be processed by Delaware State Police personnel at Troop #2, State Road, New Castle; Headquarters Complex, Route 13, Dover; or Troop #4, Route 13, Georgetown. Appointments may be made by calling 739-2528 or 1-800-464-4357 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, excluding holidays. A fee of $69.00 is required.
   3. Arrange for reliable transportation since you are responsible for your own transportation to the clinical sites.
   4. If no specific orientation date has been established, call your cooperating teacher to arrange a time for your first visit on a mutually agreed upon date.
   5. Students are expected to dress appropriately at all times, specifically:
      1. Professional attire (the to wear list) includes : dresses, skirts (no more than 3” above the knee), blouses, polo shirts, sweaters, jackets, pant suits, suits, blazers, dress slacks/khakis, shirt and tie, leather or suede shoes or dress sandals.
      2. Unprofessional attire (the not to wear list) includes such items as : leggings; stretch pants; stirrup pants; spandex pants; denim jeans of any color; athletic wear such as sweat pants or sweat shirts; shorts; tank tops; t-shirts; bare midriffs; halter-tops; short skirts; clothes with holes; clothing that depicts images or texts; leisure sandals (such as flip-flops and thongs); sneakers; clothing that reveals one’s stomach, private areas, or underwear –either when standing or kneeling/bending over or stretching; and see-through shirts or skirts.
      3. Schools and centers reserve the right to ask candidates to remove jewelry, particularly pierced body jewelry.
      4. Physical education teachers are an exception and may wear sweats suits and sneakers.
   6. Be sure that you are well groomed.

2. AT THE CLINICAL SITE

   1. Report to your school/center on the day(s) scheduled. Be prompt and arrive early enough to begin work on time. Fulfill completely the commitment made to the class/group/pupil.
   2. Notify your University supervisor and your cooperating teacher before the beginning of the school day if you are going to be late or absent. An absence or lateness should occur only in cases of illness or an emergency. Having a test the next period is not considered as an illness or emergency. Personal commitments or academic deadlines are not acceptable reasons for your lateness or absence.
   3. Friends should not accompany you to the clinical site.
   4. Learn and carry out the school/center policies and procedures that have been established for pupils.
   5. Abide by the regulations and rules established for school/center personnel.
   6. Hold all information in confidence concerning pupils or others as directed.
   7. Do your own work. It is appropriate to share ideas and adapt resources, but do not plagiarize someone else's work.
   8. Take responsibility for acquiring pertinent information about pupils for whom you are responsible, and for becoming thoroughly acquainted with these pupils.
   9. Be fully prepared for your teaching/tutoring assignment(s); this includes materials and/or supplies. If equipment or materials are necessary from the assigned school (and the school or cooperating teacher has willingly offered), request them ahead of time and not on the day of the lesson. Return the equipment and materials to the appropriate place promptly.
   10. Be discreet about your personal life. Your school is not the place to discuss your social life or your personal experiences with drugs or alcohol (no matter how educational they may seem to you).
   11. Be sensitive when taking notes during a placement. Never record anything that you would be uncomfortable sharing with your cooperating teacher.
   12. Keep your professor and University supervisor informed of progress made and problems encountered.
   13. Beepers and cell phones are never appropriate in the classroom.

3. JUDICIAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

   1. Read and familiarize yourself with the Code of Conduct from the University of Delaware Student Guide to University Policies. This Code of Conduct extends to your off-campus clinical experiences. Any acts of misconduct during your field placement(s) shall be subject to action within the Undergraduate or Graduate Student Judicial System. The Code of Conduct can be found at http://www.udel.edu/stuguide/07-08/code.html
   2. Persons applying for a teaching position in Delaware and a number of other states must undergo a criminal background check. Please be certain that you make good decisions and use good judgment at all times. Failure to do so could jeopardize your teaching career by making you ineligible for employment in many districts.
   3. A person seeking employment with a public school in Delaware may be disqualified from employment for any of the following reasons:
      1. Conviction or manufacture, delivery or possession, or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, or a counterfeit controlled substance;
      2. Conviction of any felony in this state or any other jurisdiction in the last five years; or
      3. Conviction of any crime against a child in this State or in any other jurisdiction.
   4. Individual school districts make the determination regarding what makes a person ineligible for employment. Generally, a felony arrest, a serious offense, or any crime against a child would make one ineligible for employment; however, a pattern of misconduct (e.g., DUI, underage drinking, petty theft, reckless driving, etc.) could also make one ineligible for employment. Since different districts view various offenses differently, something one district might perceive as not very serious might be seen as quite serious by another district. Be aware that even petty problems, viewed collectively, could render you ineligible for employment. It is in your best interest to keep your record clean.

4. UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
   Candidates in a teacher education program are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Candidates may not engage in acts of behavior which are professionally inappropriate for teachers or which are unlawful for any citizen. In addition to this general expectation, several acts are specifically prohibited:

   1. Candidates may not date pupils, parents of pupils enrolled in the school, or school or University personnel during the clinical experience. If you feel you are under any pressure to engage in inappropriate social activity, contact your professor, University supervisor, center coordinator, or Director of Clinical Studies.
   2. Candidates may not socialize with school pupils except in an official capacity at officially sponsored school events.
   3. Candidates may not drink, be under the influence of alcoholic beverages, or use illegal drugs on school property, nor with or in the presence of any school pupil(s).
   4. Candidates may not use obscene, profane, or abusive language on school premises or at school sponsored events; nor may they suggest or encourage access to inappropriate material (e.g., on the Internet).
   5. Candidates may not take pupils off school property unless accompanied by the cooperating teacher or another full-time employee assigned by the principal.

   Failure to abide by these regulations may result in judicial action by the University of Delaware, legal action and/or failure of the course.

5. GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL FROM PLACEMENT

   1. If at any time your conduct causes the cooperating teacher, the principal, or the University supervisor to determine that your presence in the classroom has become detrimental to the educational program of the pupils in the class, you may be asked to leave the school and your placement could be terminated by the University.
   2. Should you be asked to leave the school based upon your behavior or your failure to perform at a satisfactory level, the University of Delaware is not obligated to reassign you to another school.
   3. Please remember that you are a guest in the building and in the classroom in which you are working. We encourage you to have your work reflect your BEST EFFORT in terms of the instructional program for the pupils with whom you are working. We are confident that your clinical experiences will be successful and rewarding.

6. APPEAL PROCESS
   Candidates in teacher education programs may appeal decisions to the University Council on Teacher Education.

7. TEACHER EDUCATION WEB PAGE
   Additional information regarding teacher education at the University of Delaware can be found on the teacher education web page located at http://www.udel.edu/teachered/.