Head-Royce School encourages a close, warm, and considerate relationship between students and teachers and staff. Our employees serve as the students’ role models, guides, and mentors in learning as well as living. The purpose of these guidelines is to give clear direction regarding appropriate conduct and boundaries between employees and students. The expectations for conduct set forth in this document are not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of requirements, limitations, or prohibitions on staff conduct and activities established by the school. Rather, they are intended to:
- Alert employees to some of the more sensitive and often problematic matters involved in faculty/staff-student relationships;
- Specify boundaries related to the educator/student relationship and conduct that is contrary to accepted norms of behavior and in conflict with duties and responsibilities of
- professional educators; and
- Provide employees with clear guidance in conducting themselves in a manner that reflects high standards of professionalism.
It is important for the school to maintain a school-wide culture in which students and employees understand their responsibility to report misconduct without fearing retaliation. In order to prevent abuse and/or exploitation, students and the professional community must know that the Administration will support them when they report possible misconduct. Although this policy gives clear direction regarding appropriate conduct between employees and students, each employee is obligated to avoid situations that could prompt suspicion by other members of the School community. One helpful standard that can be quickly applied when assessing whether your conduct is appropriate is to ask yourself, “Would I be doing this if the student’s family or my colleagues or family were standing next to me?”
If an employee experiences a difficult situation related to boundaries, the employee should ask for advice from a supervisor, Division Head or the Head of School.
Guidelines for Maintaining Boundaries
Although good-natured, heartfelt interaction with students certainly fosters learning, student/employee interactions must always be guided by appropriate boundaries regarding activities, locations, and intentions. Some activities may seem innocent from an employee's perspective, but can be perceived as flirtatious, sexually inappropriate, or inappropriately magnanimous from the perspective of a student or parent/guardian. To that end, employees should not engage in any type of behavior that might have the appearance of impropriety or favoritism. The following examples of appropriate boundaries are not provided to restrain positive relationships between employees and students, but rather to avoid confusing communications and prevent sexual misconduct. Employees must understand their own responsibility for ensuring that they do not cross the boundaries of an employee/student relationship. Thus, it is crucial that all employees understand this policy thoroughly and refrain from engaging in unacceptable conduct as described in this policy.
Meet Only in Appropriate Settings:
- An employee should not be alone with a student in a non-public space or inside a room with a closed door unless the door remains unlocked and the space or room can be seen through a window. It is understood that teachers may meet with their students for educational purposes outside of classroom time and that some of those meetings will involve one-on-one meetings. Any such private meeting with a student should, whenever possible, occur with the door open or in a public space. When a student’s privacy needs to be preserved and no appropriate location is available, consider delaying the meeting.
- Employees should not intentionally be alone with a student off campus without parent/guardian and supervisor knowledge or permission. This includes meeting with individual students at an employee's home, over coffee, socially, or otherwise.
- Employees should not allow students to ride in the employees’ personal cars without written (e-mail/text will suffice) permission from a parent/guardian and approval from the Division Head. Even with permission, an employee should not be alone in a car with a student and should not ride in a student's car. If a situation arises that requires deviation from this rule, the employee involved should get permission from their supervisor. In an emergency situation, the employee must inform the student’s parents/guardians and the employee’s supervisor within a reasonable time of such a circumstance.
- Employees should not be present at a student’s home when a parent/guardian is not present, whether for a social gathering or otherwise. In addition, employees should not invite students to their homes for holidays or other occasions without approval from the Head of School as well as written (e-mail/text can suffice) parental consent. Finally, employees should never have only one student alone at their home, nor should they have students to their homes at all unless there is another adult present.
- School counselors may meet with students individually or in small groups consistent with their professional responsibilities and with appropriate safeguards.
Limit Physical Contact:
- Employees should not discipline students with a raised voice or in any physical manner.
- Employees should not have unnecessary physical contact with a student in either a public or private situation. Patting of the buttocks with a hand even in an athletic context is prohibited. Note: If a student engages in repeated and/or prolonged physical contact with a school employee, the employee should clearly and firmly discourage such behavior and should notify a supervisor.
- Employees should not engage in physical horseplay, roughhousing, or other inappropriate physical games with a student.
- Employees should respect a student's right not to be touched or looked at in ways that make them feel uncomfortable.
Remember Your Role Is as an Educator, not a Parent, Peer, or Friend:
- Employees should not “hang out” with students outside of school for reasons not related to school or spend an inordinate amount of time “hanging out” with students even on campus. Adults at the school should always remember they are not the students’ “friends” and therefore should not be engaging in peer-like behavior with students.
- Employees should not become so involved with a student that a reasonable person may suspect inappropriate behavior.
- Employees should avoid excessive attention or preferential treatment toward a particular student or group of students.
- Employees must keep parents/guardians and supervisors informed when a significant issue develops about a student.
- An employee should not give gifts to an individual student that are of a personal or intimate nature.
- Employees should not provide alcohol or drugs to a student, nor permit a student to drink or use drugs in their presence.
- Employees should not direct a student to keep a secret from or hide information from their parents or other school employees.
- Employees should not seek emotional involvement with a student for the employee's benefit.
- Employees should not make or participate in sexually inappropriate or culturally insensitive comments, stories, or jokes with students.
- Teachers may not use sexual/inappropriate or culturally insensitive material as part of a class lesson, even as a joke.
- Employees should not discuss their personal troubles or intimate issues with a student.
- Employees should not gossip with students about other students or adults in the school community.
- Employees should avoid sharing or inquiring about overly personal details of a student’s private relationships.
Avoid Personal Electronic Communications:
- Employees should not accept invitations from current or former students under the age of 21 on any social media site as “friends,” “followers,” or any other similar terminology. Employees should ensure compliance with the school’s social media guidelines.
- Employees should avoid personal email communications, telephone calls, or text conversations with individual students and instead use the school’s email and communication systems. Only use group texting if it is necessary for student safety while off campus for a class or other school-sponsored activity. If texting an individual student is necessary, make sure to include another adult in the messaging.
- If a one-on-one video conference with a student is necessary, employees must schedule the meeting using the school’s official calendaring system and hold the meeting on Zoom (or other school-sponsored video telephony platform that maintains an administrative log of all meetings).
- Employees may not send communications to students if the content is not about school activities.
- Employees must avoid communications with others containing inappropriate information if there is the likelihood that the receiving party will share it with a student, for example, sending content to a former student who is likely to share it with a current student.
Maintain Boundaries on Overnight Trips and Sleepovers:
- Employees should sleep in a separate room from students, should not invite a student to sleep in the employee's room, should not be alone with a student in the student's room and should not be inside a student’s room when the student is changing or sleeping.
- Employees should not awaken students by making physical contact with them (but may awaken students by loudly knocking on their doors or calling out to them).
- Employees should not undress or be partially unclothed in front of a student. This means that on overnight trips and sleepovers, employees may not walk around outside of their sleeping quarters unclothed or partially unclothed.
Remember Special Boundaries Issues for Athletic Activities:
- In athletic facilities, employees should not shower or change in locker rooms when students are present.
- Employees should supervise locker rooms, as necessary, to prevent misbehavior and injury, and must do so by announcing their presence as they enter, unless to do so would undermine their ability to discover suspected misbehavior.
- Coaches and other athletic staff may not be alone with a student when engaging in otherwise permitted physical contact, such as when teaching a skill.
These boundary guidelines may not be wholly applicable if the employee is the parent, guardian or sibling of the student in question. However, all school employees must remain mindful of their interaction with any student, even their own child(ren) or friends of their own child(ren), in and out of school. Those employees with family members or family friends in attendance at the school should reach out to the Head of School or Director of Human Resources with any questions regarding this policy. If an employee experiences a difficult situation related to boundaries, the employee should ask for advice from a supervisor, Division Head or the Head of School.
Duty to Report
School employees have an obligation to report as soon as possible to the Division Head, Director of Human Resources, or Head of School any behavior they deem inappropriate between an employee, contractor, or volunteer and a student. All employees are responsible for enforcing this policy and must immediately report any suspected violations. In some circumstances, employees will also have the duty to report such conduct in accordance with mandated reporter requirements. The school will not retaliate against any individual who makes a complaint or participates in an investigation pursuant to this policy, and will take disciplinary action against anyone who retaliates against a person in violation of this policy. The school has the right and responsibility to investigate compliance with this code of conduct even if no report has been made.
