Chapter I - Health and Safety

Part 5.0 Student Supervision

Section 5.1 General Supervision

Policy Statement:

General Supervision

Students should not be left unattended in classrooms, wherever possible.  K-6 students should line up in the hall outside the classroom or breakout room and wait to be invited in by the teacher.  The classroom door should be closed and locked if the teacher is not or cannot be there.

K-6 teachers need to pick up their students in the multi-purpose room/gym in the mornings 10 minutes before the start of class on non-assembly days.  

It is important that whenever possible, staff members are not alone with one student.  It is best to have two staff members present in as many settings as possible, for the protection of the staff members.  However, as this is not often possible, staff should at least be careful to avoid being alone with one student.  If there are less than three students working with a teacher or instructor, they need to be in an open, public area.  If this is not possible, doors should remain open.  This also applies to after-school events such as tutoring or other extra-curricular activities or clubs.

Staff may not use physical force with students in order to achieve compliance except in matters of personal safety (either the student’s safety or the staff member’s safety).  Staff may not utilize corporal punishment defined as a painful, intentionally inflicted physical penalty administered by a person in authority for disciplinary purposes.  Doing so is grounds for immediate termination.

Appropriate student/staff physical contact includes the 3 “H”’s:  High 5’s, Side Hugs and Handshakes.  It is not recommended that side hugs be used as staff/student contact in Secondary (7-12) with students of the opposite sex.