Page 7 - Professional Advisory: Professional Boundaries – An Advisory for Ontario Certified Teachers

Those who work with special needs students may require physical contact that would
be inappropriate with other students.
If possible, it is best to have another
adult present.
Those working in smaller, religious, language or cultural communities may also need to consider alternative approaches to maintain proper professional boundaries.
It’s important to maintain respect for the worth of each student and empathy for what they experience.
Rural considerations
Working in smaller communities can present additional challenges as educators are more likely to know or socialize with parents of their students, and as parents themselves, in clubs, associations or in sporting circles as leaders, participants, instructors or coaches. Consequently, they will have legit- imate reasons to attend social events, visit each other in their homes and contribute to the well-being of the community.
In these circumstances, educators should continue to ensure that any social contact with students happens with the full knowledge and approval of their parents/ guardians. In addition, in social settings, educators should avoid being alone with students and discussing their learning, progress or any workplace matters.
An ethical foundation
The College’s Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession provide the foundation for professional conduct.
2 R. v. Friesen, 2020 SCC 9 (CanLII) http://canlii.ca/t/j64rn
The Ethical Standards of care, respect, trust and integrity inspire members to reflect and uphold the honour and dignity of the teaching profession, identify ethical responsibilities and commitment, guide decisions and actions, and promote inclu- siveness, diversity, public trust and confi- dence in the profession.
Further, the ethics embody principles of trust and fair-mindedness. Ontario Certified Teachers honour and contribute to human dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development and model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confi- dentiality, freedom, democracy and the environment.
Boundary violations that harm students are unethical because they exploit the educator-student relationship, undermine student and community trust in educators, and can irreparably damage students psychologically2.
OCTs’ responsibility for student safety extends to the treatment of students at school or beyond during daily interactions and modelling behaviour and decency that aligns with the profession’s standards.
Professional responsibilities
Teaching professionals are expected to establish and maintain respectful rela- tionships. They are expected to know the difference between “professional” and “personal” life and to know how their behaviours affect students.3 For example, OCTs should not discuss intimate or private issues with students and instead help them to understand that having a friendly
3 Ross v. New Brunswick School District No. 15, 1996 CanLII 237 (SCC) R. v. Audet, 1996 CanLII 198 (SCC)
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES 5