It is the policy of Scoot Education that all employees conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the standards consistent with the law and the policies of Scoot Education at all times. The purpose of this policy is to ensure all Scoot Education employees understand and demonstrate proper judgment observing the prohibitions in behavior which must govern their conduct; and recognize the responsibility to respond appropriately to unacceptable behavior of students and/or co-workers. Further, this policy will specify boundaries related to potentially sexual situations and conduct which is contrary to accepted behavior and in conflict with the duties and responsibilities of Scoot Education employees. In addition, this policy will alert all Scoot Education employees about sensitive problematic matters involved in employee/student relationships, provide guidance for employees in conducting themselves in a manner that reflects high standards of professionalism; and to give notice that potential improper action may have significant consequences. It is the intent and purpose of this policy to establish guidelines which should be followed by all Scoot Education employees when interacting with all students.
All Scoot Education employees are expected to abide by each schools own student touching policy. In all cases this means all physical conduct or contact between a student and an adult is prohibited. This is an extremely serious matter.
There will be times when your instinct is to be physical, such as:
All of these actions would break the school's and Scoot's 'no-touching' policies and are prohibited. These policies include touching a student's person AND any of their belongings.
<aside> đźš« Remember: Actions that may seem harmless to you (e.g., a high-five or a pat on the back) do not always seem harmless to the recipient or others. These types of actions should always be avoided.
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Scoot Education expects all employees to exercise good judgment and maintain professional standards and ethical boundaries when interacting with students both on and off school properties, and at either sanctioned or non-sanctioned events and activities.
The focus of the below examples is to establish general knowledge among all Scoot Education employees showing that trespassing beyond the boundaries of an employee/student relationship is deemed an abuse of power and a betrayal of public trust. While some situations may seem innocent, they can be perceived as flirtation or sexual insinuation from a student’s or from a parent/guardian’s point of view.
This policy prohibits any type of sexual relationship, sexual contact, or sexually-nuanced communication or behavior between a Scoot Education employee and student without regard to the student’s age. This includes internet chat rooms, Facebook, Instagram or similar social media sites, cell phones, and all other forms of electronic or other types of communication. This prohibition applies to students of the same or opposite gender of the Scoot Education employee. It also applies regardless of whether the student or the Scoot Education employee initiated the sexual behavior, and whether or not the student welcomes the sexual behavior and/or reciprocates the attention.
The purpose of the following examples of inappropriate behavior is not to restrain positive employee/student relationships but to prevent relationships that could lead to, or may be perceived as inappropriate conduct, including sexual misconduct.
Not all examples of inappropriate situations can be addressed in this policy.