The issue of ethics and deportment in schools has spurred debate at the parliamentary committee considering the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill.
The longstanding topic of debate has been reignited by recent incidents involving students being locked out of school because of their uniforms and hairstyles.
Making its submission to the committee reviewing the JTC Bill on Thursday, the Ecumenical Education Committee (ECC), which represents schools operated by churches and trusts, said it wanted to be given a say in the Council's development of a code of ethics for teachers.
Head of the Anglican Church in Jamaica, Dr Howard Gregory, said the church believes values are an important part of education.
“We need to recognise that in our society today, as soon as you being to talk about the specific values there are those who oppose. There are issues of hairstyles and tattooes - and you wonder if persons want any particular discipline. But when they get into the workplace they can’t appear as they carry themselves in a certain way,” he said.
However, committee members then raised the matter of how teachers and school administrators have handled issues of students' behaviour and deportment.
Committee Member, Senator Natalie Campbell Rodrigues, questioned whether the JTC Bill should expressly state how such matters are handled when educators breach the ministry's guidelines regarding treatment of students who commit dress code breaches.
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