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Teacher Certification Section - Potential Disciplinary Actions

When the Ethics’s investigation is complete, a recommendation is forwarded to the PSC as to what action, if any, should be taken against the individual’s certificate or application. The PSC is the authority responsible for taking any final action. The following actions are potential decisions that the PSC can make.

Grant the Right to Apply

Should an application package be received by the PSC, and the investigation by Ethics generates a recommendation that no action be taken against the individual, the PSC may grant the right to apply for a Georgia educator certificate. The applicant is issued a certificate, provided he or she meets the certification requirements. No public notification is made of this decision and all flags to the Certification Channel are removed; clearance letters, however, are kept on record in the individual’s permanent certification file.

Clearance

An individual who already holds a Georgia certificate may also be referred to Ethics for investigation; in some cases, there may not be a pending application. Should the investigation by Ethics generate a recommendation that no action be taken against the individual, the PSC may approve clearance. No public notification is made of this decision and all flags to the Certification Channel are removed; clearance letters, however, are kept on record in the individual’s permanent certification file.

Warning

An investigation by Ethics may generate a recommendation for issuance of a warning. If the PSC accepts the recommendation, a letter is sent to the individual expressing its concern that the Code of Ethics was violated but that no action will be taken against the individual’s certificate. The warning further states that any further violations of the rules of the Ethics and the rules of the PSC will be thoroughly investigated and may result in the suspension or revocation of the educator’s certificate. Copies of the warning are sent to Ethics and placed in the individual’s permanent certification file. No public notification is made for a warning.

Reprimand

The next level of PSC action is a reprimand. Should a recommendation by Ethics for a reprimand be accepted, the individual is reprimanded for his or her actions, in writing. The individual is also warned that any further violations of the rules of Ethics and the rules of the PSC will be thoroughly investigated and may result in the suspension or revocation of the educator’s certificate. Copies of the reprimand are sent to Ethics and placed in the individual’s permanent certification file. Notification of the action is also sent to Georgia local school systems, RESAs, and Georgia’s colleges and universities. No national notification is made for a reprimand.

Suspension

Certain violations of the Code of Ethics necessitate a Ethics recommendation for a suspension. Should the Ethics accept the recommendation, all certificate fields held by the individual become inactive for a specified period of time. Standard 12 of the Code of Ethics prohibits employment in a position requiring certification during any period in which the individual’s certificate has been suspended or revoked. When an educator’s certificate is suspended, state and national notification is made; the suspension and reinstatement dates are notated on the PSC Certification Channel.

At the end of the suspension period, the certificate is automatically reinstated, provided it did not expire during the suspension. If the certificate expires during the suspension, the holder must meet certification requirements for reinstatement.

Denial

Should an application package be received by the PSC, and the investigation by Ethics generates a recommendation that no certificate be granted, the PSC may deny the right to apply for a Georgia educator certificate. A denial of a pending application for certification is made on the same grounds for which a certificate may be revoked or suspended. When an individual’s right to apply for a certificate is denied, the denial is considered permanent unless the individual petitions for the right to reapply. The applicant may petition for the right to reapply no sooner than two years from the date of the denial. An investigation generated by this petition must prove that the reasons for the initial denial have ceased to be a factor in the educator’s performance. When an educator’s right to apply for a certificate is denied, state and national notification is made; the denial is also notated on the PSC Certification Channel.

Revocation

An investigation by Ethics may generate a recommendation to revoke an educator’s certificate. A revocation inactivates all certificate fields held by an educator. When an individual’s certificate is revoked, the revocation is considered permanent unless the individual petitions for the right to reapply. The applicant may petition for the right to reapply no sooner than three years from the date of the revocation. An investigation generated by this petition must prove that the reasons for the revocation have ceased to be a factor in the educator’s performance. When an educator’s certificate is revoked, state and national notification is made; the revocation is also notated on the PSC Certification Channel.

Grant/Deny Right to Reapply

When an educator’s right to apply for a Georgia educator certificate has been denied or an educator’s certificate has been revoked, the individual may petition for the right to reapply for a certificate after the prescribed period of time. An investigation is requested of the Ethics; the individual must prove that the reasons for the denial or revocation have ceased to be a factor in his or her performance. The recommendation from Ethics will be to grant the right to reapply or deny the right to reapply for a Georgia educator certificate. If the PSC grants the right to reapply, a new certificate will be issued, provided the applicant meets the current certification requirements. If the PSC denies the right to reapply, the applicant may petition again for the right to reapply no sooner than two years from the date of the previous denial.

Ethics Monitoring

For some educator discipline cases, the PSC orders that an individual be granted the right to apply for Georgia certification (clearance) per Commission guidelines. Due to the recency of the incident associated with the case, however, the PSC may request that the individual’s performance be monitored by Ethics for a period of one year from the date of the adjudication. Typically, monitoring consists of quarterly telephone calls from Ethics to the individual’s school employer. No public notification is made of this decision.