Adult-Student Interaction Policy

Code of Conduct for Adult/Student Interaction

In order to best serve the well-being of the School’s students, the School requires all employees and other adults in the School’s community to maintain appropriate boundaries in their relationships with students to ensure that they avoid even the perception of inappropriate conduct. Employees should be aware that failure to comply with this policy or to report violations of this policy, may lead to discipline up to and including immediate termination of employment.  

In doing so, all employees are expected to adhere to the following guidelines. Note, this code of conduct applies not just to all current students, but also to any interactions with minors with whom an adult interacts as part of their employment with the school (e.g., applicants, siblings of students, former students who are minors, students visiting from other schools, etc.), as well as any recent alum.

• Do not friend or connect with students on social media, other than in groups necessary for job-related duties.
• Avoid telephone calls or text conversations with individual students unless necessary for student safety while off campus for a class or other School-sponsored activity. If texting is necessary, include another adult, such as the student’s parent, in the messaging. Emailing from an employee’s school account is always the preferred method when conversing with individual students.

• If alone in a space with a student, make sure that the space is visible to the public or that the door is open; otherwise, move to a more public location. If a space with adequate visibility is not available, find another adult to be present. School counselors and the Dean of Students may meet privately with students in their designated as necessary to preserve the student’s privacy.

• Do not drive individual students.

• Do not meet with individual students off campus, over coffee, socially, or otherwise.

• Do not have any unnecessary physical contact with a student in either a public or private situation.

• Respect a student’s rights not to be touched or looked at in ways that make them feel uncomfortable.

• Avoid sharing or discussing the employee’s personal troubles or intimate issues with a student. Employees also should not ask students for such information unless it is part of their job responsibilities (e.g., school counselors).

• Limit the sharing of personal information, particularly in instances where the boundary between personal and professional opinions or statements might be blurred, such as political conversations or personal experiences.

• Avoid giving gifts of a personal nature to individual students.

• As with anyone in the School’s community, do not share jokes with students that, whether sexual, cultural, or otherwise, might be considered inappropriate.

• Do not give excessive attention to a particular student.

• Inform an administrator of any activity that you observe between an adult and a student that appears to be inappropriate.

When an employee suspects or becomes aware of another employee of crossing appropriate boundaries with a student, the employee must report the matter to the Head of School. If an employee is uncomfortable reporting to the Head of School, they may contact the Chair of the Board of Trustees. The school will not retaliate against anyone who reports conduct that may violate this policy. An employee who retaliates against an individual who makes a report under this policy will be subject to discipline up to and including termination. In some circumstances, employees will also have the duty to report such conduct in accordance with mandated reporter requirements. The School has the right to investigate adult compliance with this code of conduct even if no report has been made.