Press Release
Falmouth Public Schools
Public Forum on Standards for Ethical and Responsible Behavior
With the Commissioner of Education, J. Duke Albanese

Building on the success of two public forums on the topic of chemical health during school year 2000-01, the Falmouth School Department is pleased to sponsor the first public forum for school year 2001-02 on Tuesday, November 27, 2001. The forum will begin at 7:30 pm and will be held in the theatre at Falmouth High School.

The topic for this forum will be the development of standards for ethical and responsible behavior in the Falmouth Schools. The forum will feature an address by the Commissioner of Education, J. Duke Albanese. Commissioner Albanese will be speaking about a recently released commission report entitled, Taking Responsibility: Standards for Ethical and Responsible Behavior in Maine Schools and Communities. The responsibility for creating this report was directed to the Commissioner of Education by the State Legislature in 1999. Commissioner Albanese will provide forum attendees with information about the law and the commission report, as well as the context for the work ahead - the identification of common community values.

The forum will introduce participants to a process designed to build consensus around common community values which will serve as the foundation for creating safe and healthy learning environments in the Falmouth Public Schools. The identification of these values will greatly assist the Falmouth School Board as it strives to adopt a district-wide student code of conduct required, by statute, of all Maine school districts. Specifically, the statute states that "with input from educators, administrators, parents, students, and community members, each school board shall adopt a district-wide code of conduct consistent with the statewide standards for student behavior" found in the report, Taking Responsibility: Standards for Ethical and Responsible Behavior in Maine Schools and Communities.

The forum will conclude by asking participants to nominate individuals who might be interested in working through a process to identify common community values that would serve as the foundation for a district-wide student code of conduct.

Questions about the November 27 forum on the topic of standards for ethical and responsible behavior should be directed to the district office. The phone number at the office is 781-3200. The email address is falsupt@maine.rr.com.

Last Updated: 12/8/05