5253P Procedure - Maintaining Professional Staff/Student Boundaries

The purpose of this procedure is to provide all staff, students, volunteers, and community members with information about their role in protecting children from inappropriate conduct by adults. For purposes of this procedure and its policy, the terms “district staff,” “staff member(s),” and “staff” include both employees and volunteers.

 

In a professional staff/student relationship, staff maintain boundaries that are consistent with the legal and ethical duty of care that school personnel have for students.

 

A boundary invasion is an act or omission by a staff member that violates professional staff/student boundaries and has the potential to abuse the staff/student relationship.

 

An inappropriate boundary invasion means an act, omission, or pattern of such behavior by a staff member that does not have an educational purpose and results in abuse of the staff/student professional relationship.

 

Examples of possible inappropriate boundary invasions by staff members include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Any type of inappropriate physical contact with a student or any other conduct that might be considered harassment under the district’s policy on Sexual Harassment of Students (Policy 3205); Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (Policy 3207); Nondiscrimination (Policy 3210); Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX); the Washington State Law Against Discrimination (Chapter 49.60 RCW); or that constitutes misconduct under RCW 28A.640 and .642 or WAC 181-88-060; or any conduct that would constitute a violation of Chapter 9A.44 or 9A.88 RCW;

B. Showing pornography to a student;

C. Singling out a particular student or students for personal attention and friendship beyond the professional staff/student relationship;

D. Socializing where students are consuming alcohol, drugs, or tobacco;

E. For non-guidance/counseling staff, encouraging students to confide their personal or family problems and/or relationships. If a student initiates such discussions, staff members are expected to refer the student to appropriate guidance/counseling staff. In either case, staff involvement should be limited to a direct connection to the student’s school performance;

F. Sending students on personal errands unrelated to any educational purpose;

G. Banter, allusions, jokes, or innuendos of a sexual nature with students;

H. Disclosing personal, sexual, family, and/or employment concerns, or other private matters, to one or more students;

I.  Addressing students, or permitting students to address staff members, with personalized terms of endearment, pet names, or otherwise in an overly familiar manner;

J. Maintaining personal contact with a student outside of school by phone, email, instant messenger, internet chat rooms, social networking websites, or letters beyond homework or other legitimate school business without including the building administrator/supervisor and parent/guardian;

K. Exchanging personal gifts, cards, or letters with an individual student;

L. Socializing or spending time with students (including, but not limited to, activities such as going out for beverages, meals, or movies; shopping; traveling; and recreational activities) outside of school-sponsored events, except as participants in organized community activities;

M. Giving a student a ride alone in a vehicle in a non-emergency situation;

N. Unnecessarily invading a student’s privacy (e.g. walking in on the student in the bathroom);

O. Soliciting or sending phone, email, text messages, or other forms of written or electronic communication to students without building administrator/supervisor and parent permission when the communication is unrelated to school work or other legitimate school business; or

P.  Any other conduct that fails to maintain professional staff/student boundaries.

 

The following activities are boundary invasions and can create an actual impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. Whenever possible, staff should avoid these situations. If unavoidable, these activities should be pre-approved by the appropriate administrator. If not pre-approved, the staff member must report the occurrence to the appropriate administrator as soon as possible.

A. Being alone with an individual student out of the view of others;

B. Inviting or allowing individual students to visit the staff member’s home;

C. Visiting a student’s home; or

D. Soliciting or sending email, text messages, or other electronic communications to the student, even when the communication relates to school business, except where the parent/guardian and building administrator/supervisor has consented to such communications and receives a copy of the communication. Staff should use school email addresses and phone numbers and the parent/guardian phone numbers for communications with students, except in emergency situations.

 

Students and their parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to notify the principal or another administrator if they believe a staff member may be engaging in conduct that violates this policy or procedure.

 

Staff members are required to promptly notify the principal or the supervisor of the staff member suspected of engaging in inappropriate conduct that violates this policy or procedure.

 

The administrator to whom a boundary invasion concern is reported must document the concern in writing and provide a copy of the documentation to the Human Resources Department. Human Resources will maintain a file documenting reports of boundary invasion concerns.

 

Reporting Sexual Abuse
All professional school personnel who have reasonable cause to believe that a student has experienced sexual abuse by a staff member, volunteer, or agency personnel working in the school are required to make a report to Child Protective Services or law enforcement pursuant to Board Policy and Procedure 3421: Child Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Prevention, and Chapter 26.44, RCW. Reporting suspected abuse to the building principal or supervisor does not relieve professional school personnel from their reporting responsibilities and timelines.

 

Staff violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. The violation may also be reported to the state Office of Professional Practices.

 

All new employees and volunteers will receive training and/or notice on appropriate staff/student boundaries within ninety (90) days of employment or service. Continuing staff will receive training every three years.

 

This policy and procedure will be included on the district website and in all employee, student, and volunteer handbooks. Annually, all administrators and staff will receive copies of the district’s reporting protocol.

 

Date: 9/14/10

Revised: 7/5/11; 4/12/16