4153: Professional Boundaries and Staff Relationships with Students

Employees are prohibited from establishing or attempting to establish an inappropriate personal relationship with students. An inappropriate personal relationship between an employee and a student is defined as including, but is not limited to: dating; any touching of an intimate or sexual nature, sexual contact or sexual relations, any touching otherwise prohibited by law or objected to by the student; giving a gift having a sexual overtone, making comments of a sexual nature or reflecting sexual innuendo to or about a student; any conduct considered to be “grooming” of such student, or any similar activity, including but not limited to using non-approved personal communication systems to communicate with students. 

“Grooming” shall be construed as any behavior or conduct that attempts to build trust with the student and any individuals close to the student with the ultimate goal of engaging in sexual contact or sexual penetration with the student, regardless of when in the student’s life that such contact or penetration would take place.

Any employee who has knowledge or reasonably suspects that another employee may have engaged in prohibited conduct as defined by this policy and rule shall immediately report this information to either the employee’s supervisor, the student’s principal or the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources. 

All District employees shall be required to annually review this Policy and Rule 4153.1 and acknowledge that they received and understand the policy and rule.

Date of Adoption
July 9, 2018
Date of Revision
November 2, 2020