Page 5 - Professional Advisory: Professional Boundaries – An Advisory for Ontario Certified Teachers

Boundaries Examples of boundary violations including but not limited to:
Communication
• using an unprofessional tone; too casual; using language inappropriate to the age group
• suggestive remarks; obscene language; inappropriate verbal compliments; comments that are racist, homophobic, sexist or related to ableism; using hurtful, humiliating words; berating students
• sharing jokes of a sexual or racial/cultural nature
• talking about sexually inappropriate matters
• refusing to stop discussing intimate/sexual matters when a
student asks
• using social media to connect with students about intimate or
sexual matters
• withholding information about academic performance to
manipulate time alone with the student
• asking sexual or intimate questions of students
• sending messages that are overly familiar, inappropriate, or
invasive of the student‘s privacy
Physical
• inappropriate eye contact and interpersonal distance such as staring at a student’s body
• physical contact such as touching, hugging, tickling, massaging
• unwarranted, unwanted or inappropriate touching of a student with an object such as a pencil or ruler
• pushing, shoving or hitting a student
• unwarranted presence when a student is dressing or undressing
Emotional
• treating students preferentially
• encouraging students to develop emotional dependencies that
the educator can use to develop an inappropriate romantic or
sexual relationship
• promoting the idea of educator as friend or confidante
• intentionally choosing not to intervene when a student is in
imminent distress
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES 3