Adult Interactions with Students

Adult Interactions with Students 

At Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School, community relationships provide the foundation for achieving our Mission, Vision, and Core Values. In our joyful, inclusive community, our employees are entrusted with the vital responsibility to model the Pillars of Character that we expect our students to demonstrate: Cooperation, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy and Self Control. We dedicate ourselves to nurturing our relationships through compassion, empathy, and kindness, and hold ourselves to the highest professional standards in our interactions with our students and other community members.

Behavior Toward Students

The school expects all of its employees to demonstrate the highest level of professional and institutional responsibility in their interactions with students. Any personal involvement between an employee and a student beyond the professional educator-student relationship, except for approved activities such as tutoring and coaching, is prohibited and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including discharge, whether or not “welcome.” Employees’ behavior with respect to students must be above reproach. Employees have an obligation to report any behavior they deem inappropriate between an adult employee and a student.

Below is a list of examples of conduct that may involve inappropriate crossing of the boundaries of the professional relationship: 

• Unnecessary physical contact with a student in either a public or private situation;

  • In applying this standard, the school will consider the age and developmental stage of the student, as a comforting hug may be appropriate for a tearful preschool student on the playground but would not be appropriate during a private meeting with an 8th grade student;

• Intentionally being alone with a student on campus or away from the school without supervisor permission or in a location that is not interruptible and observable (e.g., a room with the door closed or a car);

  • Employees may not drive students anywhere without supervisor and Head of School approval.

• Violating the Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Harassment policy in the Parent-Student Handbook including:

  • Making, or participating in sexually inappropriate comments;

  • Sexual jokes, stories, or jokes/comments with sexual innuendo;

• Engaging in preferential treatment or excessive personal attention toward a particular student including:

  • Seeking emotional involvement with a student for an employee’s benefit;

  • Discussing an employee’s own personal troubles or intimate issues with a student; 

  • Inappropriately commenting on or discussing a student’s physical appearance;

  • Giving gifts to an individual student that are of a personal or intimate nature;

  • Becoming involved with a student so that a reasonable person may suspect inappropriate behavior;

• Socializing or having other contact with a student or group of students off campus, outside of school-sponsored activities (unless the employee is doing so as a parent of a student or is engaging in approved activities); 

• Engaging in inappropriate electronic communications with students, including:

  • Having communication of any kind with a current student on any social media platform (e.g. “friending” a student on Facebook, following a student on X, letting a student follow the employee on Instagram or TikTok) (See Social Media Policy);.

  • Interacting with current students by text or e-mail, unless the communication is exclusively related to the adult’s professional work for the school (e.g., a class, a sports team, etc.) or other school-approved activities. Employees should use the school's email system for all communications with students, and they should only send emails to students during business hours. Texting with students is permitted only for urgent communications, such as changes in schedules or locations for sports practices, or as a means of communication as a chaperone on school-sponsored trips. If texting is necessary, include another adult, such as the student’s parent, in the messaging.

• Asking students to keep information secret from other adults or instructing them not to report concerns.

• Failing to keep parents and supervisors informed when a significant issue develops about a student.

Except for school-sponsored activities, employees should avoid contact with students away from the school and obtain supervisor approval before having contact with a student off campus. Faculty should also avoid inviting students to the teacher’s home unless it is part of the curriculum (such as class social events) and must have advance supervision and parental consent.

Reporting Concerns