Staff Conduct with Students - March 2007 Revision

This procedural directive was reviewed and revised in October 2011. We provide this revision for historic purposes only.

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

Approved: March 2007

This page was last updated on: December 9, 2009.