Question for H.S. teachers: Are there rules about outside relationships with students?

Question

Say you had a student who you knew had a difficult home life. A student who needed someone to talk to once in awhile. This student is the same gender as you are. Would you be called on the carpet if you met with a student outside of school grounds? Say you met at the local Starbucks to chat. Are there rules and regulations about fraternizing with students outside of school boundaries?

Answer 1

There are no official rules about associating with students off grounds, but there are unspoken professional boundaries that delineate school grounds as the appropriate place for such interactions.  These unspoken rules exist to protect the educator and student from the possibility of misunderstanding and rumors.

In other words, a teacher cannot be implicated in a court of law for having a coffee and chat with a student at starbucks.

But their meeting could be misconstrued and even lead to problematic rumors/misunderstandings by witnesses in the surrounding community.

My personal philosophy is that a teacher is a part of their community, and their work is a type of government-provided community service.  Therefore it's only natural for a teacher to be able to interact with students out in the community as a normal, natural human being as long as they keep in mind their role as a model of appropriate behavior.  I've treated my students out to ice cream after a club meeting or soccer game several times and through those experiences was able to get to know my students' parents, neighbors, and church members better.

At the same time, I understand if a teacher feels uncomfortable doing these kinds of things because they CAN be misconstrued (thanks to some twisted LeTournos out there).  Many teachers choose to live outside of the communities they teach in for this very reason.

In which case, I would find another trusted teacher, counsellor, or community leader to go together with you and the student.

Answer 2

Yes, teachers must abide the rules to maintain descipline while fraternizing with the students even outside the school boundries.

Answer 3

In the best interest of the teacher, you should not meet outside of school.  While the interaction might be harmless, it might not appear that way to others.  You don't want to put your teacher in a bad position that could cost them their reputation and/or their teaching certificate.  You have a high school counselors.  Go to a counselor.  They are trained to deal with any information you choose to share with them.   A teacher is bound by law to report anything you tell them that seems "unhealthy" for you.  Try to talk to a school counselor, or a local youth minister.  If the only person you have to turn to is your teacher, then please do sp on school grounds, and know that your teacher will have to share information with the counselor and/or child protective services.  :)  Good luck to you