Professional Practices
A Duty to Report
All employees and agencies of St. Michael Academy have an obligation to report professional
misconduct which affects the health, safety, or welfare of students. Please report to William
Summer, Principal, or Deacon Scott Conway, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. All
employees have a duty to report suspected cases of Child Abuse or Neglect - call
800.962.2873.
Reporting of Professional Misconduct
All employees have a duty to report misconduct by instructional personnel and administration
which may affect the health, welfare or safety of a student. Misconduct should be reported to
the administration of the school or to the Superintendent of Catholic Schools at the Diocese of
St. Augustine. All allegations should be documented. Gather evidence if possible.
Specific reporting procedures and information is posted in the teacher’s workroom along with
the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession in
Florida.
All employees must be trained on the standards of professional conduct. All employees are
aware that:
768.095 Employer immunity from liability; disclosure of information regarding former
or current employees An employer who discloses information about a former or
current employee to a prospective employer of the former or current employee upon request
of the prospective employer or of the former or current employee is immune from civil liability
for such disclosure or its consequences unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence
that the information disclosed by the former or current employer was knowingly false or
violated any civil right of the former or current employee protected under chapter 760.
39.203 Immunity from liability in cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
(1)(a) Any person, official, or institution participating in good faith in any act authorized or
required by this chapter, or reporting in good faith any instance of child abuse, abandonment,
or neglect to the department or any law enforcement agency, shall be immune from any civil
or criminal liability which might otherwise result by reason of such action.
(b) Except as provided in this chapter, nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to
grant immunity, civil or criminal, to any person suspected of having abused, abandoned, or
neglected a child, or committed any illegal act upon or against a child. (2)(a) No resident or
employee of a facility serving children may be subjected to reprisal or discharge because of
his or her actions in reporting abuse, abandonment, or neglect pursuant to the requirements
of this section.
(b) Any person making a report under this section shall have a civil cause of action for
appropriate compensatory and punitive damages against any person who causes detrimental
changes in the employment status of such reporting party by reason of his or her making
such report. Any detrimental change made in the residency or employment status of such
person, including, but not limited to, discharge, termination, demotion, transfer, or reduction in
pay or benefits or work privileges, or negative evaluations within a prescribed period of time
shall establish a rebuttable presumption that such action was retaliatory.