Whistleblowing Policy in Schools

What is whistleblowing in schools?

Higher education has become a lucrative business for thousands of colleges and universities across the country. Most of these institutes rely on the $150 billion they receive in federally backed student loans and grants to stay in business, so they can keep driving up enrollment prices without worrying about attendance.

However, many schools still turn to fraud to increase their bottom line. Anti‐kickback laws are violated by illegally paying recruiters commissions, students grades are inflated to qualify for more grant money, and accreditation standards are failed to comply with in order to save on expenses

These education scams leave the future graduates with lackluster career prospects and overwhelming debt.

It’s easy for schools to relegate the issue of having and implementing a whistleblower system to the bottom of their daily ‘to-do’ lists. A robust whistleblower policy is however an important part of managing a school’s Student Duty of Care, Workplace Health and Safety and School Governance requirements. Whistleblowing should not be seen by schools as threatening or complex, but as a process which encourages compliance amongst staff and also works to protect students, school executives and governors..

What are the types of bullying that exist in the school system?

• Yelling at individuals
• Picking on someone consistently in public or in private, particularly during supervisory sessions
• Making the same individual the target of jokes or remarks about their job on a recurring basis
• Putting a pupil at risk of failure by giving them an excessive amount of work or by having them meet unachievable standards
• Making empty threats or remarks about failing the student
• Intentionally weakening a capable pupil with unrelenting criticism
• Excluding the student without good cause from team meetings or activities
• Unreasonable or unjustified changes to job obligations, a lack of clear instructions or sudden changes to instructions
• Purposely delaying, denying, or obstructing chances to learn in order to prevent development (e.g. access to relevant training, allocation of work)
• Spreading false information or attacking another person verbally or physically (particularly on the grounds of age, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief)
• Making unwanted sexual approaches, such as touching, approaching too closely, displaying inappropriate items, requesting sexual favors, and basing judgments on whether or not to accept or reject such advances.
• Using technology to carry out any of the aforementioned (e.g. emails, mobile phones, social media).

It is exceptionally difficult for intelligence agencies acting independently to discover the operation's extreme techniques. Despite the vital role of protecting and rewarding persons who report criminal activity, further enforcement skills are required.

Up to 50 percent of any fine imposed on the whistleblowers in the Unix Line indictment may be awarded to them. With this gesture to whistleblowers, who may not have been aware that they may receive cash compensation for coming forward, hidden environmental crimes are more likely to be revealed. Others ought to follow suit.