Preventing Staff Sexual Misconduct in Schools

From The Marshall Memo #446

Teacher sexual misconduct is “alarmingly common,” says Palm Beach State College (FL) professor Samuel Spitalli in this American School Board Journal article, and he urges schools to take steps to prevent it from occurring. “The goal,” he says, “is to create an environment that is emotionally and physically safe and where teachers and students know in advance what behaviors are both acceptable and unacceptable, as well as the consequences of noncompliance.” 

One way to broach this difficult topic in a beginning-of-the-year meeting is to say, 

(a) the school is committed to nurturing the special bond between teachers and students; 

(b) all educators need to protect students from exploitation; and (c) it’s possible for teachers to be falsely accused of improper conduct with students. This paves the way to addressing these topics:

• The importance of positive, trusting student-teacher relationships to student achievement;
• What it means to maintain professional demeanor and distance;
• Sexual harassment – a definition and examples;
• The school’s protocols for e-mail, texts, and social networking with students;
• Guidelines for contact with students outside school hours;
• Safeguards to avoid the appearance of misconduct.

 “A fine line exists between encouraging teachers to develop positive student-teacher relationships, yet maintaining a professional distance,” says Spitalli. “Good teachers enjoy their students and respect them. They genuinely demonstrate how they care about them and earn their trust. 

“Where that line must be made clear, however, is ensuring that teachers not regard students as equals or place them on an adult level emotionally, which could lead to the development of a more personal, rather than professional, student-teacher relationship. That means teachers should never socialize or interact with students in a way that they would socialize or interact with adults; discuss things with them that are personal in nature; or engage them in any way that would erode a professional student-teacher relationship. For example, students should not be burdened with details of a teacher’s divorce, personal family issues, social life, partying activities, etc. It sounds like common sense, but it happens all the time.” 

A second way to prevent sexual misconduct, says Spitalli, is for school administrators to get out of their offices and walk through all parts of the school. When he was a school administrator, he made a point of visiting vacant classrooms, band rooms, and gyms. “My goal was to show that I could unpredictably be anywhere, at any time, for any reason,” he says. “Being visible, in and of itself, is a deterrent.” 

Finally, Spitalli says, administrators need to take action when there are credible reports of misconduct. “School officials face daunting issues when charging a teacher with sexual misconduct,” he acknowledges. “It is inherently repugnant and, for some, something they would rather not have to address. Moreover, they fear possible backlash from parents and students when confronting a popular teacher.” There’s also the difficulty of getting students and colleagues to testify and the fear of making unfounded allegations, leading to litigation. But stopping a sexual predator is of utmost importance – and a legal and ethical imperative. 

“An Epidemic of Shame” by Samuel Spitalli in American School Board Journal, August 2012 (Vol. 199, #8, p. 26-27), http://www.asbj.com; the author is at spitalls@palmbeachstate.edu.