STAFF
CONDUCT WITH STUDENTS
Staff members
shall maintain professional relationships with students at all times.
Appropriate Contact with Students
Consensual sexual relationships between any
employee or volunteer and students, including students who have reached the age
of consent, are prohibited.
The district reserves the
right to investigate concerns of employee or volunteer misconduct involving
students even if no written complaint has been filed. Employees are required to report known
misconduct and questionable behavior on the part of fellow employees and
volunteers involving students.
Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment, which is defined as any
disciplinary action taken by school personnel with the intention of producing
physical pain, will not be used in the Albuquerque Public Schools.
Reasonable Restraint
There are times when it becomes necessary for
staff to use reasonable restraint to protect a student from harming
himself/herself or to protect others from harm.
Reasonable restraint is defined as involuntary immobilization of the
student's opportunity for movement by staff member(s) through direct contact.
Persons
employed by the district may, within the scope of their employment, including
involvement in extracurricular activities, use and apply such amount of force
for such period of time as is reasonable and necessary to accomplish the
following purposes:
1.
To
quell a disturbance threatening serious, probable, and imminent bodily harm to
self or others.
2.
To
obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects which are within the
control of a student who poses a serious, probable, and imminent threat of
bodily harm to self or others.
3.
For protection
against serious, probable, and imminent threat of harm to self and others, or
destruction of property which could lead to harm to the student or others.
4.
Incident
to a lawful arrest by certified and commissioned School Police Officers.
In the case of students receiving special education
services, any restraint used beyond the four specific situations listed above
shall be identified on the student's Individual Education Program (IEP) as part
of the student's behavior plan.
Restraint
devices, such as handcuffs and flex cuffs, may only be used by police officers
and security staff trained and authorized by the School Police Department.
An act of
physical force or restraint by a teacher or other employee against a student
shall not be considered child abuse if the act was performed in good faith and
in compliance with this procedure. Such acts shall not be construed to
constitute corporal punishment.
Within a reasonable time after a teacher or
other employee uses reasonable restraint with a student, the teacher or other
employee shall report the incident to the principal or designee.
Cross Ref.: Board Policy J.09 Student Discipline
Board Policy
G.04 Staff Conduct With Students
Board Policy G.14
Employee Standards of Conduct
Board Policy
J.09 Student Discipline
Procedural Directive Cross Ref.: Employee Standards of Conduct
Approved: March
2007