Boundary Violations / Inappropriate Conduct Scenarios

Definitions:

1. Boundary violation: “means crossing verbal, physical, emotional, and social lines that a school employee must maintain in order to ensure structure, security, and predictability in an educational environment and has the potential to abuse the employee-student relationship.”
2. Inappropriate Conduct: Any behavior by an employee or volunteer toward a student that would reasonably give the appearance of impropriety, regardless of whether such behavior is complained of by the student, regardless of whether the behavior is overtly sexual, and/or regardless of whether such behavior would constitute a crime.

Example Scenarios:

Examples of adult-to-student behavior that may, upon examination of a totality of the circumstances, constitute boundary violations and/or conduct under Policy-400.1 and lead to employee discipline, up to and including termination for cause, include, but are not limited to:

1. Sexual invitations or requests for sexual activity in exchange for the following, but not limited to: grades, preferences, playing time on athletic teams, etc.;
2. Physical displays of affection: (e.g., “full body” hugs; holding hands; kissing; caressing of hair, face, or clothing; suggestive dancing; and massages, etc.);
3. Personal communication with a student for reasons unrelated to instruction or official school business. (e.g., exchanging personal e-mail, phone numbers, social media requests, and text).
4. Telling risqué jokes to, or in the presence of students;
5. Conversations or discussions with students that are sexually suggestive, sexually degrading, that imply sexual motives or intentions, or that pry into a student’s personal business, including sexual remarks or innuendoes about a student’s body or appearance; discussions about sexual experiences or exploits; spreading sexual rumors; questioning a student about his or her boyfriend, girlfriend, sexual experience and attitudes, etc;
6. The use of sexual innuendoes, sexual profanity, or sexual slang in the presence of students;
7. Isolated, one-on-one interactions with students out of the line of sight of others;
8. Obstructing access, or the view, into classrooms, closets, or storage areas by locking doors when in a classroom or office alone with a student; covering windows with paper or other opaque material, etc;
9. Drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs in the presence of students; providing alcohol or drugs to students; or permitting students to drink alcohol or take drugs at school-sponsored activities, at the employee’s residence, or in any other context;
10. Inviting a student to travel or go somewhere alone;
11. Providing a student with gifts, money, cards, privileges, or other personal favors;
12. Employing favoritism to a student;
13. Taking students to lunch off-campus in the employee’s personal vehicle;
14. Photographing individual students for a non-educational purpose or use;
15. Requesting or encouraging students to “model;” taking or distributing photographs of individual students; or “promoting” students on Web pages or through other means, particularly where such activities contain sexual innuendo or content and are undertaken without the parent’s knowledge or consent;
16. Hot-tubbing or playing inappropriate party games with students;
17. Participating in, or condoning, inappropriate physical pranks, including but not limited to: teasing, or hazing such as “mooning,” “snuggies,” “wedgies,” bra-snapping, skirt
    “flip-ups,” pinching, etc.;
18. Providing, paying for, attending, or covering up, medical appointments or procedures for a student, such as tests for pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); labor and delivery; or abortion;
19. Viewing with a student sexually explicit or inappropriate media, programs, or content;
20. Any sexual act of a criminal nature, including but not limited to, rape, attempted rape, statutory rape, sexual assault and battery, hazing, child sexual abuse, gratification of lust, or contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Boundary violations do not include:

1. Offering praise, encouragement, or acknowledgment;
2. Offering rewards available to all who achieve;
3. Asking permission to touch for necessary purposes;
4. Giving pats on the back or shoulder;
5. Giving side hugs;
6. Giving hand shakes or high fives;
7. Offering warmth and kindness;
8. Utilizing public social media alters to groups of students and parents; or
9. Contact permitted by an IEP or 504 plan.