Page 10 - Professional Advisory: Professional Boundaries – An Advisory for Ontario Certified Teachers

Avoid unnecessary touching such as hugging, uninvited touching, or touching that may be interpreted as sexual in nature. Do not tell sexually suggestive jokes or make comments about a student’s body, appearance or clothing. Don’t ask about intimate aspects of students’ lives or disclose intimate aspects of yours. If a student discloses personal information, it is not an opportunity to share your personal history.
Do:
• Make notes in your daybook whenever you meet with students outside of regular classroom time such as at lunch, recess or after class.
• Use an approved employer (work) account, not a personal account, when communicating electronically with students and parents/guardians. As an additional caution, consider including a supervisor, colleague or a parent/ guardian on the conversation.
• Speak with your principal or immediate supervisor if you are unsure what to do.
• Follow your employer’s policies and protocols with respect to distance learning.
• Treat students fairly. Act professionally. Ensure your actions can withstand scrutiny.
When working with students individually, ask yourself:
• Am I doing the right thing?
• How would colleagues/others judge my
actions?
• Is it essential to meet one-on-one?
• Can we work together where others can
see us, preferably in a public place?
• Can I provide this help during normal
school hours?
• Am I using the school’s authorized technology to communicate and not a personal email or social media account or platform?
• Are my actions known and sanctioned by the principal/supervisor and/or the student’s parents/guardians?
• If a colleague, family member or friend was watching, could they misinterpret my behaviour?
Grooming
Grooming has been defined as a conscious, deliberate and carefully orchestrated approach by the offender. It entails gaining access to a victim, initiating and maintaining abuse, and concealing the abuse. According to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (CCCP), it involves “manipulating the percep- tions of children and adults around children to gain their trust and cooperation. It is also used to normalize inappropriate behavior through desensitization, to reduce the likelihood that a child will disclose, and to reduce the likelihood that a child will be believed if they do tell.”9
Some educators, acting out of care for
their students, intervene personally yet inappropriately. Others — rare though they may be — don‘t care about student well- being and are, in fact, “grooming” them for a future sexual relationship. The difference is intent, which is often determined by police, employers, the College and the victims them- selves in hindsight.
In its study Child Sexual Abuse by K–12 School Personnel in Canada, CCCP reports that, between 1997 and 2017:
• 750 cases involved a minimum of 1,272 students and 714 offenders
• 87 per cent of the offenders were male
9 tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10538712.2018.1477218?scroll=top&needAccess=true& 8 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES