Page 9 - Professional Advisory: Professional Boundaries – An Advisory for Ontario Certified Teachers

“It is inherent in this relationship that students can reasonably expect teachers not to abuse their position of authority over them, and the access they have to them, by making recordings of them for personal, unauthorized purposes.”8
Making sexual remarks to a student via social media or sharing sexual content
with students online would give rise to the mandatory revocation of an OCT’s certificate of qualification and registration.
Using professional judgment
The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession and The Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession exist to guide professional practice and inform profes- sional judgment.
Professional knowledge and experience shapes decisions, and reflects one’s education, pre-certification and in-career learning, and personal interactions with students, colleagues, and community members. There may be times or circum- stances that require additional expertise, research or resources to develop and support your professional judgment.
Good judgment entails continual reflection. Thinking critically about daily practice and the impact of decisions on students helps
to further one’s understanding and improve practice. Planning, evaluating situations, assessing risks and making informed decisions are the hallmarks of sound profes- sional judgment.
Good judgment means being accountable for one’s actions and doing the best you can for the students in your care.
Blurred boundaries or breaches
When educators become friends and confidants with students outside of an official educational role, boundaries blur. For example, new teachers, closer in age, may mistakenly see students as peers with common interests and musical tastes. That proximity can lead to risky conduct such as providing extra or added individual attention.
Boundary violations occur when that power imbalance is misused and the student’s welfare is compromised. In the extreme — grooming — the person in authority intentionally creates a strong emotional connection to gain the student’s trust leading to a sexual relationship.
The student’s perception matters. OCTs must operate with the full awareness that cultural diversity, differing faith or sexual orientation, disabilities and socioeconomic factors can affect perceptions. What an educator considers well-intentioned may not be perceived the same way by a student.
Alternatively, teens coming to terms with sexuality may flirt with OCTs or invite a closer relationship. The correct educator response is to guide the student to more appropriate conduct. The fact that a student doesn’t object to inappropriate behaviour doesn’t make it right. The educator is the responsible adult. Keeping a written record of any such events and reporting them to the school administrator are practices that OCTs are encouraged to follow.
Boundary violations deviate from the profes- sional role and harm students. Boundary crossings are departures from commonly accepted practices. They blur the lines.
8 R. v Jarvis, 2019 SCC 10; https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/17515/index.do
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES 7