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As a school leader, Jeff Taylor is bound by a set of fundamental guiding principles known as the Standards for Educational Leadership in Rhode Island (SELRI). These standards are a guide to the development and implementation of policies and practices at the state and local level that ensure education leaders have the specific skills, knowledge and dispositions to reach their fullest potential. These standards were designed by the State of Rhode Island because it has recognized the value of high quality leadership and the vital role that leaders play in ensuring student learning and effectively and efficiently operating schools. While dispositions alone will not guarantee that leaders will be successful, such dispositions do provide an ethical and moral framework for leaders actions. [1]

Standard 5 reads, “Education leaders ensure the success of each student by modeling personal development, ethical behavior and acting with integrity. School leaders are expected to maintain the ethical and legal standards of the profession.” It was anticipated that Jeff Taylor would demonstrate ethical and legal behavior by behaving in a trustworthy manner, using his influence to serve the best interest of EACH student, enhance education and promote the common good. I submit that Jeff Taylor lacked the disposition to demonstrate such ethical and legal behavior when he failed to alert the proper authorities after he immediately became aware of the child abuse rendered at the hands of Mario Atoyan. It would appear as if Taylor thought it best to contact his superiors first, so as to keep a lid on the scandal. Taylor’s actions clearly show the nexus between his unethical dispositions and disregard for the safety and well-being of ALL children of Warwick schools and its community members. It was the actions of Taylor that paved the way for senior administrators to place Atoyan back in the classroom to potentially harm other students. While Taylor may have made half-hearted attempts to limit Atoyan’s participation in student activities, the fact remains that Atoyan stayed on the job and therefore, ALL students would now be at risk.

Nearly everyone in an organization appreciates that ethics is important, employees focus on doing the right thing, for the right reasons—even in the face of competing demands on people’s time and attention. Ethics isn’t viewed simply as adherence to rules or a way to detect and punish legal violations, but as a way of talking about what’s important and building trust to promote the organization’s mission. [2] It is evident that Jeff Taylor’s actions (or lack of action) along with those of his superiors have eroded any trust that the citizens of Warwick had in the schools and its leaders. I would be hard pressed to believe that all parents in the city of Warwick could put their trust in the leadership of Jeff Taylor when he has shown a lack of courage and conviction to protect the children in his charge. If any well-adjusted, ethical person of sound mind were to witness a child being abused at the hands of an adult, then there is no doubt that the witness would most definitely contact the police, DCYF or both. Jeff Taylor chose to abandon the ethical standards set forth by the Rhode Island Department of Education for a less expedient, easier path of denial. Taylor buried his head in a hole, like that of an ostrich hiding from its fears.

Employees conform to ethical practices not because they’re afraid of punishment, but because they’re committed to the organization’s mission and values and to putting them into practice. Empirical evidence indicates that if leaders demonstrate that they don’t care about ethical behavior, employees will avoid raising concerns for fear of being rebuked. [3] Jeff Taylor and his band of malcontent supervisors have managed to violate Standard 2, indicator (iii) of SELRI “develop a culture that does promote shared responsibility to continuously examine beliefs, values and practices in relation to the mission vision and goals of the Warwick Public Schools”. [1] When the environment (and culture) reinforces organizational values, employee performance and commitment, integrity, and communication are all enhanced. [4, 5] We are part of an historic shift in the field of educational leadership. Policy makers, parents and other constituents of public schools are increasingly holding education leaders accountable for the academic success and well-being of every student. Can we really afford a breakdown in the culture of learning in Warwick schools due to the lack of ethical behavior from an incompetent leader? The teachers, parents, children and our community deserve better leadership.

In closing, I would like to use an analogy that drives home the kind of leadership that Jeff Taylor represents. While the relational parallel may be somewhat unsettling for those with delicate sensibilities, it is important to remember what kind of person Taylor has allowed himself to become through his own inept and misguided actions. When I wipe my ass, I am sure to clean thoroughly, so as to leave no remnants. As the school department slowly purges the excrement that allowed a deviant like, Mario Atoyan, to remain in the classroom, it is important to remember that the breakdown began when Jeff Taylor did not contact the proper authorities (i.e. Warwick Police and/or DCYF). As the Warwick School Department’s excretion of inept administrative leaders comes to an end, I would urge the WPS to wipe Jeff Taylor away with the other feculent matter (Dr. Richard D’Agostino, Dennis Mullen and Rosemary Healey) connected to this heinous act. The students, community members and educators need assurance that the process and systems surrounding the recruitment, development, and retention of school leaders will result in the high quality, ethical leadership in our schools. The attributes of such leadership are not consistent with Jeff Taylor’s actions, disposition and beliefs as a school principal. It is time to part ways with Jeff Taylor to allow the healing to begin. We must protect our most precious and vulnerable assets of our fine city; the children of Warwick.

[1] http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Teachers-and-Administrators-Excellent-Educators/Educator-Certification/Cert-main-page/Leadership-Standards-1292009.pdf

[2] DeRenzo EG. Individuals, systems, and professional behavior. Organizational Ethics 2005;Spring:44–58.

[3] Simpson D. Understanding employee loyalty and commitment. Management Ethics December 2000. Available at http://www.ethicscentre.ca/html/resources/december2000. html#1; last accessed March 7, 2005.

[4] Weaver GR, Trevino LK. Compliance and values oriented ethics programs: Influences on employees attitudes and behavior. Bus Ethics Q. 1999;9:315–35.

[5] Barnett T, Schubert E. Perceptions of the ethical work climate and covenantal relationships. J Bus Ethics 2002;36(3 Part 3):279–91.