Situation Analysis: Mr. Mason

Mark Mason is a guidance counselor in a middle school. He has over twenty years experience in guidance counseling and works with a variety of programs including Drop-Out Prevention, suspended students, and exceptional education. He has been married for many years. For two school years he was overheard using profanity around students, making inappropriate sexual comments to the students, and using offensive slang words to describe body parts and sexual acts. He added stories of his own personal sex life and then began to berate the female students for alleged sexual promiscuity, accused them of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and told them they got what they "deserved." Ultimately, he described a parent’s appearance in inappropriate sexual terms.

The school district investigated complaints from parents about Mr. Mason’s language. Over twenty-five individuals stated that they had heard such language. Based on the findings, the school board issued a letter of reprimand, suspended him without pay, and planned to terminate from the district.

A complaint was filed with the Office of Professional Practices Services which then investigated the case. The local newspaper printed the story and reported that he denied the charges. Mr. Mason said that people were trying "to get" him, that the administrators had a "vendetta" against him, and that they had made up the allegations.

1. Which principles were possibly violated?

2. What should the Education Practices Commission (EPC) do?

EPC Case Decision: Mr. Mason

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