The San Diego County Board of Education unanimously passed a new policy that set boundaries for teacher’s behavior with students and guidelines for reporting inappropriate behavior to authorities.
The policy currently only applies to schools under the County Office of Education, such as juvenile court and community schools as well as some special needs schools, but is expected to be a model for other school districts across the country.
These changes are a response to previous reports by Voice of San Diego that districts have been spending millions paying students who were abused by educators. Previously, most schools did not have the necessary protocols in place to protect students and lacked the clear guidance for educators—who are also state-mandated reporters.
Electronic communication between teachers and students is one of the areas where policy has not caught up with the times, with fewer than 10 of 43 school districts addressing that issue.
Now, these new regulations clarify previous points of confusion, such as singling out a student for inappropriate friendship, encouraging the sharing of sensitive topics by a student, and contacting students through text messages or social media.
These policies were enacted quicker than usual because the County Board hoped to have a safer environment in place at the start of the upcoming school year. As a result, these policies will become effective in the fall.
Photo by Banter Snaps
