IMC Code of Ethics and Principles of Good Practice
Membership in the International Montessori Council shall imply that member schools observe, in spirit as well as in practice, high professional and ethical standards in their relationship with their own students, faculty, and employees, as well as with other schools.  This is particularly necessary when there may be overlapping interests between schools with respect to faculty employment and student enrollment.

The following Principles of Good Practice are based on the concept that our strength as Montessori schools is derived from both the diversity that exists among us and from the support and cooperation that we can give to each other.  The Head of each school should bear ultimate responsibility for fulfilling this Code of Ethics and Principles of Good Practice.   Complaints within member schools concerning the implementation of these guidelines should be directed to the appropriate authorities of the school concerned and processed internally. Advice and counsel may be sought from the state or national Ethics Committee of the International Montessori Council

Members of the International Montessori Council are committed to standards of exemplary integrity in their professional relationships with parents, students, faculty, and other Montessori schools. Although our philosophies and programs are diverse in their emphasis, structure, and style, we follow a common code of ethics that emphasizes fair and consistent policies.  As a member of the International Montessori Council, our school agrees to abide by the following code of ethics and principles of good practice:

Our School is Worthy of Trust

As a member of the International Montessori Council, we pledge to represent our school truthfully and accurately to the general public and internally to our parent community.  We further pledge ourselves to respect the diversity of the community of Montessori schools. We will not engage in negative public relations nor make any negative statements about another Montessori school.  Our school honors its financial commitments to parents, staff, vendors, and others.

Core Values

Our primary focus will always be the well being and best interests of our students.  We recognize that a Montessori school is more than a place of learning; it is a community of children and adults that has a significant impact on our students’ capacity to learn, grow, create, develop, assimilate values, and relate peacefully and respectfully to other people and to the natural world.

  • We treat all students, families, teachers, and staff members with kindness, warmth, and respect.
  • Our school will never permit the use of corporal punishment.
  • We consciously teach our students values fundamental to Montessori education, which include: respect for oneself, others, and their property; peacefulness, empathy and kindness; truthfulness; a search for the solution fairest to all; the pursuit of independence and self-mastery; and a love of work and a passion for excellence.
  • We endeavor to provide a school environment that will promote and protect the physical and emotional well being of our students and staff.
  • We seek to instill in our students, parents, and staff not only a reverence for the earth, its waters, and all living things, but also a sense of stewardship for the environment based on a conviction of our individual responsibility for the beauty of the land and the health of our ecosystems.
  • Our school does not discriminate in matters of admission or employment on the basis of race, religion, or ethnic background. We consciously teach children to accept, respect, and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the global community.
  • We consciously work to build a constructive partnership between the family and school in support of each child’s educational development.
  • Within reasonable guidelines established to ensure the integrity of our educational program and the privacy of other students’ records, parents are welcome to visit the school to observe their child in class or to review his/her academic progress.
  • We will promptly consult with parents should it ever become clear that a student is not benefiting from the school’s program, or if the school is not the best program to meet his/her needs.

Transfer and Enrollment of Students

Our school recognizes each family’s right to visit and consider other schools and to hold preliminary discussions regarding admission without feeling compelled to notify the school, which their children presently attend.  While we welcome inquiries and interest in our school, we will never knowingly attempt to enroll a student who is presently enrolled in or committed to attend another Montessori program. Before filing an application for admission, we ask that families advise their children’s present schools and authorize in writing the release to us of their children’s academic records and student recommendations upon our request.

Employment

We consciously follow fair and equal employment practices in hiring, assigning, promoting, and compensating both teaching and non-teaching staff members. We endeavor to employ persons solely on the basis of the factors necessary in the performance of the job and the operation of our school without discrimination on the basis of religious affiliation (unless our school is operated either by or on behalf of an established church for the purpose of religious education), race, national origin, gender, and any other factor on which discrimination is prohibited by the laws of the jurisdiction within which our school is located.

No official of our school will to seek to induce a teacher who is under contract at another school to break that contract. [There is nothing deemed improper if a member of the teaching or administrative staff of one school independently approaches another school about possible employment.]

Our school will not offer employment to a member of the faculty or staff of another school without communicating with the Head of the school at which he or she is presently employed or committed for the upcoming school year to request a frank evaluation of a candidate’s qualifications. This information will be considered absolutely confidential.

Our school will take all reasonable and lawful precautions to maintain the confidentiality of records and information concerning teachers and other staff members who are applying for employment at another school, in accordance with the rights of the individual.