College Prep cultivates a school environment in which all members of the community feel valued, safe, part of something greater than themselves. Employees work to understand the developmental needs of adolescents, support their emerging identities, and promote their healthy growth. They embrace the responsibility to provide a clear and consistent structure for students and to engage them in conversation about our community standards.
Employees must be alert to the power imbalance in their relationships with students, and be especially attuned to ways in which others may perceive their words or actions given that imbalance. They must be mindful of the power they have in their various roles at school and comport themselves accordingly, always avoiding intimidation and abuse of authority.
Employees must not lean on students for emotional support, share personal information with students to an inappropriate degree, inquire about overly personal details, share jokes that, whether sexual, cultural or otherwise, could be considered inappropriate, or engage in any behavior that blurs the lines between adult and student. All employees should refrain from giving students personal gifts, and meeting with individual students off campus, socially or otherwise.
Employees must be conscious of their choices regarding language, dress and physical touch, understanding that their choices affect others. Employees should refrain from ambiguous touching or hugging of students. Except when a student’s privacy needs to be preserved (such as meeting with the school’s counselor), meetings between individual students and employees should be in locations that are accessible and visible to the public.
Employees must refrain from establishing or continuing online friendships via social media with current students, parents of current students, and recent alumni. Similarly, employees should refrain from publishing to the social media of current students, parents of current students, and recent alumni. Emailing from their school account is the preferred method of communication when conversing with individual students. Employees should avoid private telephone calls or text conversations with students. If texting is necessary for student safety while off campus for a class or other school sponsored activity, employees should consider including another adult in the messaging.
College Prep employees have an obligation to model through both language and behavior the values and expectations of the School. Because we all have ownership in creating a safe learning environment, we expect any member of our community, and require all faculty and staff, to report a concern about a potential violation of this Code to the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, the Dean of Faculty or the Dean of Students. The school has the right to investigate adult compliance with this code of conduct even if no report has been made.