TheSalt Lake Tribune UTAH A4 Districts Lack Teacher-Student Contact Rules Davis SchoolDistrict. “They must do it without threatening students or [allowing the relationship] to evolve. ‘That line isa thin oneand a tricky one.” @ Continued from A-1 know right from wrong without needing it spelled out. Legally and ethically,it is clear whatis not allowed between teachers andstudents: Anything sexual. But more murky is whatis accept~~ in that easy-to-misconstrue area between the caring ens who offers a pat on the shoulder and. the teacher whose calculated motives and designs are those ofa sexual predator. Itis thatill-defined terrain that has madeteachers cautious and in some cases confused. Stanley, the middle schoolteacher, saysthatifa female student needs help after school and no one is around, he makes her wait until the next morning, when there are witness- es. Or he tells another teacher what’s going on. “Tt’s a fear of all male teachers, especially. It’s a big fear,” says Stanley, a science teacher and girls’ basketball coach. “All a kid has to dois say you did something inappropriate and it’s her word against yours and you’re dead.” Among the confusing elements of the student-teacher equation is thatnotall students or teachers are alike. What makes onestudent uncomfortable seems normal to another. A coach may have different relationship with students than a math teacher does with hers. An elementary teacher can offer more hugs than a teacherin junior high. And finally, some teachers are warmerby nature than others. “A teachershould be a nurturer. ‘Thebest onesare. Teachers should care about their students and express that caring,” says MelMiles, human resource director for the The Appearance . Take, for example, this situation between a student and a substitute teacher in one of Utah’s largest school disThe teacher, with the permission of the student’s mother, took the girl snowboarding and to the movies, gave her rides home and a Christmas gift of a heartped ring. Theteacher and the studentexchanged several letters. In oneletter, the teacher wrote: “Hey sunShine. I was happy you called this morning, that must mean its gonna be a good day since I got to hear Srom myfavorite girl so early!” In the letters, the teacher discussed day-to-day events, a movie she had watched, her weekend plans. She also mentioned buyinga car with coffee-cup holders just for the girl. She expressed gratitude thegirl was a part ofher life. The girl’s mother thoughtit strange the teacher wanted to spend so much time with a teen- « ager, but figured the teacher was merely trying to be a role modelor big-sister figure. Thegirl’s father, who found the letters, was outraged and described therelationship as grossly inappropriate. He took his concerns to the district and transferred his daughter to another district — one, he said, with stricter guidelines. District officials talked to the teacher and concluded she had used poor judgment but was, as the teacherclaimed, merely acting as a friend. They found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing and later hired the woman asa teacher'saide. An administrator in the same district says relationships between teachers andstudents should end at the schoolhouse doors, and he wouldn’t want his own children in the samesituation. Butthedistrict has norules preventing a teacher from sending notes, hanging out WOODBUILDINGS CUSTOM BUILDINGS ANY STYLE with students after school hours or siving gifts. Legal Awareness: Teachers have become more sensitive about their relationships with students in the wake of two U.S. Supreme Court rulings. In 1998,it ruled districts can be held liable for teachers whoharass students; in 1999, the court founddistricts liable. when students harass each other. In addition, well-publicized cases in which teachers clearly crossed the line and abused the teacher-studentrelationship have made many teachers hypersensitive to just what is appropriate. The Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission has suspended or revoked 139 educatorlicenses since 1992. Seventy-four of the cases involved some kind of sexual misconduct. Those cases ranged from sexual harassmentor contact to having too-familiar relationships with students, such as talking aboutsex, writing letters with sexual connotations, making sexually charged remarks in class or inappropriately hugging and touching students. Lear, who also is a memberof the commission, says teachers ac- cused ofsuch misconduct typically use the same defense: “I’m just a caring, loving teacher and you’re keeping me from being that way. Fmtrying to show approval, trying to show I care.” District officials along the Wasatch Frontsay they eachget two to four complaints a year from parents or students aboutteachersbehaving improperly by writing letters, making phonecalls or otherwise getting too close to students. More often, they say, teachers are disciplined for having poorinterpersonal skills or for not teach- dents if they wantto be on the safe side,” says Michael McCoy,attorneyfor the Utah Education Association, thé state’s largest teacher union. Says Nikki Peterson, a 16-yearteaching veteran: “I don’t think there’sa teacheroutthere that isn’t aware of what can happen. That’s to the detriment of our students. Weall begin to stand back. Setting Boundaries: Over the years, Peterson has seen fellow teachers falsely accused of inappropriate behavior. As a middle school teacher, and later working for the Jordan District’s youth-incustody program, she had one recurring thought: “Should I put my arm aroundthis kid? Should I or shouldn’t I?” Peterson, who now works for the Jordan Education Association, says teachers are warned repeat- edly aboutthe district’s rules on teacher conduct: Don’ttravel alone with students; avoid associating with themoutside the schoolday; if you're alone with a student in the classroom,keep the door open. The Davis District has similar rules but also bans behaviors that might be construed as sexual harassment, including frontal hugs. In Jordan District, teachers must obtain written approval for such things as taking a debate team to dinner. Gatherings at a teacher’s homeare discouraged, andifa student shows up unexpectedly at a teacher’s house, a supervisor must be called immediately. Though the rules don’t specify it, teachers shouldn’t take students ing the curriculum properly. While the number of misconduct cases appears small compared to the number of licensed educators in Utah — 24,500 — they havea Jordan assistant superintendent. “When you've been burned like we were, you learn from that. Welive in a time [when] that kind of Weea TRUCKS VANSRVS BOATS TRAILERS REAL ESTATE LOTS * BACKYARD STORAGE viding emotional support to stu- out to lunch orhold pizza parties at their homes, says Brenda Hales, RA DEDUCTION Hu -~ Sunday, March11, 2001 high-profile, ripple effect. “Society has moved to a position where teachers shouldn’t be pro- reaching out to kids isn’t appropriate anymore.” The district was “burned” when a coach invited students to his house for sleepovers andassaulted one of them, Hales said. Another teacher was accused of acting inappropriately with a student, though thechild later recanted. “The accusation would never have been made if the teacher hadn’t been alone with a student, taking him for ice cream,” Hales says. She says teachers understand whatis allowed and what is inappropriate, even if every bad scenario isn’tspelled out. Likable vs. Professional: Like somedistrict policies, state rules governing teacher behavior ban the obvious: harassmentand sexual contact with students. Teachers also are admonished to “avoid not only impropriety but also the appearance of impropriety in actions towards students andcolleagues.” But what is improper to some teachers isn’t to others — or to their students. “Tt’s kindofan intuitive thing,” says Lear. “It's really hard to understand the difference in the boundaries you are supposed to draw. Sometimesit’s just a matter of nuance or context or tone of voice. “It's harder than it sounds to be likable and friendly and always maintain the professionalism you should,” she says. Lear said she believes teachers need more training aboutethics.It seems unfair to hold them responsible for behavior that can be largely a matter of interpretation. She suggests onerule of thumbfor teachers: Don’t do anything with a student that you wouldn’t want your significant other to know aboutorsee. State and district policies are meantto protect both students and teachers. Not every teacher who hugs a student, gives one a ride home or spends time alone with one has badintentions. But nearly every time a student has been abused, the situation starts out seemingly innocent or friendly, says Lear. The bad teachers go ae flirting and harassment to uching. ‘olWhat about the teacher whooffers a listening ear any time, day or night, to a troubled student who has few friends? The rules can be contradictory. Davis District's Miles say teachers should develop relationships with students that allow them to share problems. But, “We don’t wanttheteacherto take the place of the parent. Teachers first and foremost help students grow academically. Their key assignmentis not to be a therapist, social worker, psychologist.” Schoolattorneystell teachers to avoid becoming emotionally attached to students and to keep at least a foot of space between them andtheir young charges. It maybe good legal advice, but is it good teaching advice? Notall agree it is, “The teachers that I've worked with that claim they don’t touch their students ever, quite often I would question whether I would want my kids in their classroom,” says the UEA’s McCoy. Indeed, someteachers choose to disregard the legal advice and reachoutto students. Peterson,for one,saysshefinally had to swallow her worries. “Tt was so obvious to me they just wanted, once in a while, for someone to put their arm around them and say, ‘You’re doing well. You're.a good kid. 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