Ethics Scenario #120: West Mountain Heights Nursing Home

120. Portia is the Director of Art and Music Therapy for the West Mountain Heights Nursing Home, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. She is working on her master’s degree online, and spends an increasing part of her day doing classwork. Because of the demands of her family and having a second job at the local supermarket, she finds she is unable to do her schoolwork outside of office hours. Occasionally, she has had to hide what she has been doing from her supervisor, the executive director, because she is not sure whether he would sanction her for doing her school assignments during the working day. But, she rationalizes, what she learns in these classes is often related to her work assignments, and helps her do a better job.

a. Is Portia’s behavior ethical?