by Carrie Moritz and Garrick Moritz, Gazette
A former Garretson school counselor was publicly reprimanded by the SD Department of Education at the beginning of August, according to documents released by the DOE last Friday.
Michelle Pliska, a high school counselor at Garretson for nearly ten years, resigned last year. Her official reason was a pursuit of her private counseling practice, which had been growing.
While in Garretson, she was known for standing up for marginalized students, and saved student lives when they were in hard times and were thinking of taking desperate measures. She was heavily involved in anti-drug and alcohol prevention programs, and helped students decide what to do after their high school careers.
However, an incident between Pliska and a student regarding public social media accounts last autumn resulted in an investigation at the Garretson School, which ultimately ended with her resignation. The case was then referred to the DOE and led to the following action.
While full details are not available, the public reprimand released by the DOE stated that a hearing by the South Dakota Professional Teachers Practices and Standards Commission found that Pliska had violated the South Dakota Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers.
The reprimand states specifically Pliska violated the following in their Code of Ethics, "ARSD 24:08:03:01 that in fulfilling their obligations to students, educators shall act as follows:
(5) Conduct professional business in such a way that they do not expose the students to unnecessary intimidation, embarrassment, or disparagement.
(8) Keep in confidence information that has been obtained in the course of professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by law;
(9) Maintain professional relationships with students in a manner which is free of vindictiveness, recrimination, and harassment."
At this time, Pliska retains her certification and has not had her license suspended, according to the DOE website.
