EMPLOYEE STUDENT BOUNDARIES POLICies
SCHOOL POLICIES RELATED TO EMPLOYEE INTERACTIONS WITH STUDENTS
EMPLOYEE STUDENT BOUNDARIES POLICY
As Millennium School employees, we are entrusted to educate students, provide a supportive learning environment, promote student growth and success, and model the values of the School at all times. While employees are encouraged to develop positive, friendly, and supportive relationships with students, there is an innate power imbalance in the relationship between an employee and student, which must not be abused. Millennium School employees are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students at all times, whether on or away from campus. For purposes of this Policy, the term “employee” also includes volunteers. In maintaining professional boundaries, employees must consider how their actions and words may be perceived by others, and must take care to avoid intimidation, abuse of authority, excessive attention, and any other conduct that is not an appropriate employee/student interaction or could be perceived as such.
Below are rules employees must follow regarding maintaining appropriate boundaries with students. These rules are not an exhaustive list, but rather a general framework for describing inappropriate and appropriate employee/student interactions. The School may discipline employees for any conduct that the School determines is not in keeping with the School’s expectations for appropriate employee/student interactions.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- Any interaction with a student must be something that would be appropriate for an employee to say or do in front of that student’s parents, the Head of School, and the employee’s supervisor.
- Employees must avoid creating excessive emotional attachments beyond a healthy employee/student relationship and must not lean on students for emotional support.
- Employees must use sound judgment as to how much information they share with students about their own personal lives and must, in turn, refrain from asking students about overly personal information. For example, employees must not share any information about romantic and sexual experiences, personal problems, or other types of private or sensitive information that is inappropriate to share.
- Employees must consult their supervisor promptly if a student is or seems to be pushing the employee’s or another employee’s personal boundaries, or attempting to establish an inappropriate relationship.
Employees have an obligation to model, through both language and behavior, the values and expectations of the School, and to strictly comply with this Policy. Disagreeing with the wording or intent of this Policy does not alleviate employees from strictly complying with this Policy and will be considered irrelevant for disciplinary purposes. If an employee themself in a difficult situation related to boundaries, or has questions related to these protocols and requirements, they should consult the Head of School or their supervisor. If any employee becomes aware of another employee failing to adhere to this Policy, the employee must immediately report the matter to the Head of School or their supervisor. The School has the right to investigate compliance with this Policy even if no report has been made.
Harassment/Discrimination/Retaliation Prevention Policy
The School prohibits harassment, discrimination, or retaliation against an applicant, employee, student, board member, contractor, unpaid intern, or volunteer, by an employee, student, board member, or an individual with whom the School has a business, contractual, or professional relationship, such as parents, legal guardians, unpaid interns, volunteers, independent contractors, or vendors, on the basis of any protected classification, as defined in this Policy. Harassment, discrimination, and retaliation as defined in this Policy is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. This Policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, internships, and volunteer opportunities, including, but not limited to, selection, hiring, placement, promotion, disciplinary action, layoff, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training. A single act can violate this Policy and provide grounds for discipline or other appropriate sanctions. Conduct need not be or rise to the level of a violation of law in order to violate this Policy. Similarly, a violation of this Policy does not necessarily qualify as a violation of law and there are many circumstances in which a violation of this Policy would not also constitute a violation of law. If you are in doubt as to whether or not any particular conduct may violate this Policy, do not engage in the conduct, and seek guidance from the Head of School.