Every year the Association represents colleagues of yours who have been accused by students or parents of inappropriate interactions. Most of the time these accusations are unfounded and are usually the result of actions being misinterpreted by the student and/or unintended by the educator.
Some people or organizations accuse the Association of protecting teachers who are found to be guilty of misconduct with students. This is simply not true. Your Association does not condone illegal or unprofessional behavior of members, and we do not protect those who have been found guilty so that they can get jobs in other school districts.
What the Association does, however, is ensure that members have the right to due process, that they are treated fairly, and that a thorough investigation is conducted. When an accusation is found to be false, we protect the privacy rights of those individuals by fighting attempts to make those false accusations public. The courts have ruled in our favor--there is no compelling public interest is disclosing the names of school employees who have been falsely accused of misconduct with students. To do so could ruin the careers and lives of many fine educators who are completely innocent.
The other thing the Association does is to educate our members on ways they can reduce the risk of an accusation of misconduct. While it's never possible to completely eliminate the chance of being falsely accused, there are some things that you can do to minimize the risk.
Touching Students
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Touch only in "safe" areas, such as shoulders, arms, and upper back
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NEVER touch a student while disciplining or redirecting him/her
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Touch all students, male and female, in the same manner
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Keep the touch very brief, such as a pat on the back
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Students should be the ones to initiate a hug
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Keep any hugs brief, and if possible make it a "side hug" instead of a front hug
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Be sensitive to students who react negatively to being touched
Verbal Communication
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Be sure to talk to all students in the same manner
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Avoid comments that might be interpreted by others are being sexist or sexual in nature
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Avoid "good natured" joking that could be misinterpreted by students
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Compliment students on school-related performances rather than on physical characteristics
Written Communication
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Write with the idea that whatever you say should be able to be read by the student's parents and your administrator
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If you correspond with kids at their home, write short notes on a postcard instead of writing a letter in a sealed envelope
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Keep email and text messages brief and related to school rather than personal issues. Print out copies and save for your records.
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If you receive inappropriate notes/emails/text messages from students, inform your administrator immediately
Extracurricular Activities
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Avoid seeing students outside of school-sponsored activities
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Make sure you have other adults with you
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Always get signed parental permission and permission from your administrator first
- NEVER transport a student alone in your vehicle unless it is an absolute emergency
Interacting with Students
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Try never to be alone with a student. If this is unavoidable, make sure your door is open and you are visible to others as they walk by OR arrange to meet in a visible location within the school.
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Be aware of spending unequal amounts of time with individual students
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Treat all students in the same manner
If you are accused of acting inappropriately towards a student, contact EEA immediately! |
