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GENERAL INFORMATION
AND POLICIES
Academic
Misconduct
"The
Board of Regents, administrators, faculty, academic staff
and students of the University of Wisconsin System believe
that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the
mission of higher education and of the University of Wisconsin
System. The University has a responsibility to promote academic
honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively
with instances of academic misconduct. Students are responsible
for the honest completion and representation of their work,
for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of
others’ academic endeavors. Students who violate these
standards must be confronted and must accept the consequences
of their actions" (UWS Chapter 14, Wisconsin Administrative
Code).
Attendance,
Notification of Absence
Students
are under the same obligation for regular attendance as school
and agency personnel. Personal illness or family emergencies
are the usual reasons for approved absences. Special requests
for absences must be discussed with and approved by the cooperating
teacher and by the university supervisor. Such requests must
be limited in number and mutually agreeable arrangements regarding
student’s responsibilities must be made between the cooperating
teacher and the student in advance whenever possible.
Excessive
absence can result in a recommendation for withdrawal from
the experience or a grade of "Incomplete." Absence
is dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Field
Experiences in consultation with the university supervisor
and cooperating teacher.
Students
are required to notify their cooperating teachers (and sometimes
principals) and their university supervisor of all absences.
Students are also required to inform their university supervisor
when they will be absent from their assigned school due to
school-sponsored activities, e.g., field trips, to prevent
university supervisors from making unnecessary trips to observe
students.
Background
Checks
Background
checks may be required of students placed in schools, centers,
licensed day care settings, and other agencies. Most background
checks are conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
In some cases (and especially in the case of relocating
to Wisconsin from another state), a background check by the
United States Federal Bureau of Investigation may also be
required. Students are required to pay for the cost of all
background checks.
Information
resulting from a background check may result in terminating
the placement. Failure to authorize a background check may
result in an inability to locate a suitable placement for
a student.
For a fee,
students can conduct a Wisconsin Department of Justice background
check on themselves. For additional information, contact the
Office of Field Experiences.
Blood
borne Pathogens
Early
in their assignment, students should discuss with their cooperating
teachers the policies and procedures in their assigned school
and school district regarding blood borne pathogens (e.g.,
Hepatitis B, HIV).
Dress
and Personal Hygiene
Student
must dress appropriately and be neat and well-groomed at all
times. Students should note local norms to determine what
is considered appropriate, in consultation with their cooperating
teacher, and to exercise good judgment in these matters.
Liability
and Insurance
A
Memorandum to College of Education Students from Vay Rodman,
Director of the Office of Risk Management and Safety, University
of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
It
is of great importance that you are aware of the insuring
position of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with respect
to your participation in College of Education field experiences
as required for your program of study.
1. Professional
Liability Coverage
Professional
liability coverage is provided by the State of Wisconsin
under provisions of S.S. 165.25(6) and 895.46(1). This coverage
protects students against claims from third parties for
personal injury or property damage caused by negligent acts
while performing within the scope of duties in a pre-clinical
experience assignment under the following conditions:
A. The
program is sanctioned by the Dean of the College of Education.
B. Liability
protection is extended only for the time specified by
the agreement between the placement site and the College
of Education. By statute, the university liability coverage
is excess to any collectable insurance.
C. The
program provides credit and is a requirement for your
graduation or is otherwise approved by the College of
Education.
D. You
are a registered student in good standing.
E. You
were acting within the scope of the program at the time
of the incident. "Scope of the program" includes
classroom teaching and other typical teaching assignments
and professional activities, including student supervision,
school-sponsored field trips, and meetings (e.g., faculty,
department, grade level, school board, union).
"Scope
of the program" does not include activities for which
you are paid (e.g., coaching, taking tickets at a school
event, chaperoning). If you are paid for an activity,
liability is the responsibility of the employer.
F. You
report any incident which may result in a claim or legal
action to an administrator at the placement site and the
Director of Field Experiences or Dean of the College of
Education. The Director of Field Experiences or the Dean
of the College will advise the Campus Risk Manager.
G. Should
the incident result in a claim or legal action naming
you or UWW staff, you must cooperate fully and follow
instructions given to you by the Campus Risk Manager or
UW System legal staff. If a legal action, legal representation
will be assigned by the State of Wisconsin Attorney General.
2. Health
and Accident Insurance
Health
and Accident Insurance is not provided for you by
the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater or the placement
site. Be sure that your personal health insurance is in
effect and will cover you when you are on location at the
affiliate.
3. Workers'
Compensation Insurance
Workers'
Compensation Insurance is not available for you as
you are not an employee of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Should you become ill or injured as the result of the field
training program, there is no coverage by the University
for costs of medical treatment. Again, be sure that you
have personal health and accident insurance.
4. Transportation
Liability
Your
vehicle insurance coverage is primary when driving your
own vehicle. There is no state coverage when driving to
and from your field experience assignment or using your
vehicle for your field experience assignment for any reason.
Note: It is not advisable that you transport anyone
in your vehicle, such as students on field trips, etc.,
during your student teaching assignment.
5. Withdrawal
from Field Experiences
Students
who have withdrawn from the course(s) required for their
field experience are no longer authorized to return to their
placement site(s) as a UW-Whitewater student until such
time as they re-enroll in the appropriate course(s).
6. Additional
Requirements
There
may be other requirements by the placement site or the Department
of Public Instruction. Examples include:
- Negative TB test
results on file in the Office of Field Experiences.
- Approved means
of identification.
- Background check.
NOTE: Should
you have any questions regarding these matters, contact the
Director of Risk Management and Safety at 262-472-1856 or
the Director of Field Experiences at 262-472-1123.
Military
Duty
Students
who are called to active military duty during their field
experience assignment are required to contact the Director
of Field Experiences as soon as they receive their orders
to discuss their options.
Reasonable
Modifications
Students
who have any special needs which may require reasonable modification,
are required to contact the Director of Field Experiences
immediately. In addition, they should meet with their cooperating
teacher and university supervisor prior to the starting date
of the assignment to discuss any reasonable modifications
to meet the requirements of the experience.
Religious
Observances
Students
requesting absence from a field experience assignment because
of religious observance should notify the cooperating teacher
and university supervisor within the first two weeks of the
starting date of the assignment. Strategies for making up
missed work, if deemed necessary, should be formulated.
Self-Credentialing,
Written Statements of Reference
Effective
September 1, 2000, the Office of Career Services has implemented
a new "self-credentialing" policy. The major impact
of this change is that the Office of Career Services will
no longer collect, store, and disseminate statements of reference
for education majors. It is the obligation of students to
retain copies of final statements of reference written by
university supervisors and cooperating teachers that may be
required as part of application for teaching positions.
To
meet Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requirements,
the Office of Field Experiences is required to retain for
five years documents related to required field experiences,
including those submitted by university supervisors and cooperating
teachers. After five years, these documents are destroyed.
Suspected
Child Abuse and Child Neglect
Early
in their assignment, students should discuss with their cooperating
teacher the policies and procedures that apply to suspected
child abuse and child neglect (physical, sexual, or emotional).
Under Wisconsin Statutes 48.981, teachers are required to
follow certain reporting procedures regarding suspected child
abuse or child neglect, and their failure to do so is punishable
by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more
than six months, or both.
Transportation
Students
are responsible for arranging transportation to and from sites
for all pre-clinical field experience assignments except,
in some cases, for the Pre-Professional Block field experience.
As part of enrollment in Observation and Participation (439-210
or 489-210) students are assessed a transportation fee to
cover the cost of transportation to and from school sites
as arranged by the Director of Field Experience.
Work
Stoppage or Strikes
When
a work stoppage occurs in a cooperating school system where
students are assigned, it is the policy of the College of
Education that students be declared non-participants. Students
will not report to the school but will remain on a standby
basis during the period of time when schools are closed or
during the period of time when schools are declared open without
resolution of conflicting issues between the board of education
and the local teachers’ association. Arrangements may
be made by the Director of Field Experiences to provide experiences
in a different location on a standby basis until the stoppage
in the assigned school is terminated.
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