Child Abuse Prevention Plan - Code of Conduct

Your policies should clearly identify what you expect from administrators, faculty and staff, coaches, and volunteers, including those behaviors on and off your property that are appropriate and those that are not. The restrictions portion of your policies should include rules for avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

Sample Policy Language
Code of Conduct

[Name of School] is committed to the safety and protection of children. This policy applies to all staff, employees, and volunteers who represent our school and who interact with students or other minors on campus. We must, at all times, be aware of the responsibilities that accompany our work as educators.   

Physical contact with students can be misconstrued both by the recipient and by those who observe it. One-on-one meetings with a student are best held in a public area, in a room where the interaction can be observed, or in a room with the door left open, and another staff member or supervisor is able to observe the meeting.

Additionally, employees and volunteers:

• Should maintain appropriate physical boundaries at all times. Only touch a student – when necessary – in ways that are appropriate, public, and non-sexual.
• Should not touch or communicate with a student in a sexual or other inappropriate manner.
• Should not inflict physical or emotional abuse such as striking, spanking, shaking, slapping, humiliating, ridiculing, threatening, or degrading students.
• Should not smoke or use tobacco products, or possess, or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at any time while working with students.
• Should not give a student who is not your own a ride home alone.
• Should not accept or give gifts to students without the approval of a supervisor and their parents or guardians.

• Should not engage in private communications with students via text messaging, email, Facebook, Twitter or similar forms of electronic or social media policy.

Posted March 2023
This is a sample policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.