WEEDING OUT A BAD LEADER?

Carol K. was a full-time teacher in the Maple County School District. Her record of 11 years of service, first as a grade one teacher in the elementary school and then as a kindergarten teacher, was unblemished by any evidence of unsatisfactory performance. Like all the other classroom teachers, she had participated in a countywide "say-no-to-drugs'' program, which was started after the drug-related death of a student. In the training workshops, the teachers had been told that they were role models for students and that their actions "speak loudly'' in the community.

For the last two years, Mrs. K. had been aware that her husband had been using and selling marijuana in their home. Mrs. K. opposed the use of unlawful drugs, and she was upset. She obtained counseling and unsuccessfully urged her husband to do so. However, she did nothing further to curtail his unlawful drug activities because she feared that such action might cause the breakup of their family, which included two young children, or might trigger a violent reaction from her anger-prone husband.

Tipped off to Mr. K.'s activities by neighbours complaints and by an undercover agent, police searched the home, owned jointly by Mr. and Mrs. K. The searching officer found evidence that Mr. K. had been using the home to grow and sell marijuana. Mrs. K. admitted to the officer that she had been aware of her husband's activities and was worried about their possible effect on her job.

After Mrs. K.'s husband was convicted of possession and manufacture of marijuana, the school superintendent moved to terminate Mrs. K. based on the grounds of "neglect of duty'' and "immorality.'' The superintendent asserted neglect of the following three duties: serving as a role model for students and the community; maintaining effective relationships with students, parents, and colleagues; and effectively teaching approved district curriculum, which included the antidrug program. The school board dismissed Mrs. K. by a unanimous vote.

Have students consider the following questions:

1. This is a true story. Do you think that Mrs. K.'s dismissal was fair?
2. What three duties did Mrs. K. neglect? In your opinion, what is the most important duty of the three?
3. Are leaders responsible for keeping their personal actions respectable after they leave work? Why?
4. Why do we expect behaviour grounded in moral values from our teachers, police officers and doctors?

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