MPA has developed and maintains a Code of Ethics for the members of its community. The Code, in both its detailed and paraphrased versions, is intended to be a guide for general behavior. (Adapted from “The Morally Mature Person”, developed by the ASCD Panel on Moral Education.) 

• Respect human dignity, which includes: 
  • affirming the worth and rights of all persons,  
  • practicing and promoting honesty,  
  • promoting human equality, respecting freedom of conscience,  
  • working with people of different views,  
  • and refraining from prejudiced actions.  
• Care about the welfare of others, which includes: 
  • recognizing interdependence among all people,  
  • caring for the physical environment,  
  • advocating social justice,  
  •  taking pleasure in helping others,  
  •  accepting one’s responsibility as an American citizen,  
  •  accepting one’s responsibility as a Global citizen.  

• Integrate individual interests and social responsibilities, which includes:  
  • becoming involved in community life,  
  • doing a fair share of community work,  
  • displaying self-control, humor, diligence, fairness, kindness, honesty, and courtesy in everyday life,  
  • fulfilling commitments,  
  • and developing self-esteem through positive interaction with others.  
• Demonstrate integrity, which includes:  
  • practicing diligence, hard work and commitment;  
  • being able to admit to mistakes,  
  • taking stands for ethical principles,  
  • displaying moral courage,  
  • knowing when to confront, when to compromise, when to yield, 
  •  and accepting responsibility for one’s choices. 

• Reflect on ethical choices, which includes:
  •  seeking to be informed about important ethical issues in society and the world, 
  • recognizing the ethical issues involved in a situation,  
  • making valuations based on ethical principles,  
  • and thinking about the consequences of decisions.  
• Seek peaceful resolution of conflict, which includes:  
  • striving for the fair resolution of personal and social conflicts,  
  • avoiding physical and verbal aggression,  
  • listening carefully to others,  
  • encouraging others to communicate,  
  • and working for peace. 

Code of Ethics Paraphrased for Younger Students  

• Each person is important and valued.  
• Each person has a responsibility to help make the world a better place. 
• Each person has talents and is expected to use them to serve the community.
• Each person is expected to choose appropriate behaviors and encourage others to do so as well.  
• Each person is expected to think about the results of one’s actions and how they affect others.
• Each person is expected to solve disagreements by talking, listening, and compromising.

Last Updated: August 26, 2019