Professional Standards investigates employee misconduct which may arise in various forms and severity, including child abuse to other varying forms of ethics violations, such as falsification, misappropriation of funds or code of civility issues.  Employee misconduct can occur on or off campus, with or without students and/or other employees; employee misconduct may also occur off campus without students or other employees being present

Per Florida law, reporting suspected child abuse is mandatory in the State of Florida and must be reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline (DCF) at 1-800-96-ABUSE or 1-800-962-2873; please also refer to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Website as provided here (DCF Website) for several options to report.  **All OCPS personnel MUST abide by Management Directive A-4 (Management Directive A-4) for reporting suspected Child Abuse, also notifying their administrator that a report has been made to DCF.

If you feel your co-worker has violated Management Directive B-12, the Code of Civility, (Management Directive B-12) and you have spoken with your supervisor regarding the issue, however it’s not been rectified, you may file a written complaint (statement form) and send to email address professionalstandards@ocps.net.  Your complaint will be handled by your Learning Community PS Senior Manager.

Equal Employment Opportunity(EEO) Complaint 
Further, the School Board of Orange County, Florida, does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law.  If you feel you have been discriminated against based on any of the above, a complaint may be filed with Orange County Public Schools Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer Keshara Cowans by completing this form. (EEO Complaint Form).  The number to call the EEO office is 407-317-3411.

OCPS Whistleblower Program 
Lastly, if you would like to file a complaint anonymously, please follow the guidelines below for the whistle-blower process; however, please remember if this is in reference to suspected Child Abuse, please ensure mandatory reporting guidelines are followed per Management Directive A-4. *DCF Website

Our whistle-blower process urges any employee or member of the public to report any known or suspected violation of law or policy, theft, fraud or abuse, or damage to the public's health, safety or welfare. The complaint procedures document can be found here, Whistle-blower Process.

The procedure guarantees that no action will be taken against any employee who makes a good faith complaint. Complaints may be filed anonymously and will be treated as confidential to the maximum extent. The telephone number to file a complaint is (407) 317- 3976.

**A notice to appear (NTA) is also considered an arrest, and at times may be referred to as a criminal traffic citation, even though the person receiving the citation is not actually taken to jail and is served a notice to appear in court in lieu of a physical arrest.  The citation, or notice will state, “NTA,” “Notice to Appear” or “Infraction-Court Appearance Required.”  The date and time are also provided for the court appearance when the NTA is served. A NTA can result from a traffic stop or other situations.

** (Examples of situations that may result in NTA’s include citations for aggressive driving, failing to stop for an officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license; situations that result in NTA’s that are not traffic related include petty theft, possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia.)

Self-reporting Guidelines, per Management Directive A-10

All arrests and convictions, pleas of guilty, pleas of nolo contendere and adjudication being withheld {with the exception of minor traffic offenses}, of all employees shall be self-reported within 48 hours to the district. Such notice shall not be considered an admission of guilt nor shall such notice be admissible for any purpose in any proceeding, civil or criminal, administrative or judicial.  The appropriate authority to self-report arrests and convictions is the Office of Professional Standards.  *A phone message can be left 24 hours a day at (407) 317-3239.  Failure to self-report may result in discipline, up to and including, dismissal

All records must be obtained through the records custodian.  You may visit the records website at Records Management, or obtain using the information below.

Public Records Custodian Contact information:

District Records Custodian

Records and Forms Management

Attn: Public Records Request

6501 Magic Way

Orlando, FL 32809

Phone: 407.317.3965

Fax: 407.317.3703

E-mail: records@ocps.net

A Grievance may be filed when a dispute arises involving an alleged violation, misinterpretation or misapplication of a provision of the contract.  Please refer to Article III of your respective contract for the correct procedures on how to file a Grievance.