2. 2. “Boundary violation.” A boundary violation occurs when a staff member crosses verbal, physical, emotional, or social lines that must be maintained to ensure structure, security, and predictability in an educational environment. Depending on the circumstances, the following may constitute a boundary violation: a. Isolated, one-on-one interactions with students out of the line of sight of others; b. Meeting with a student or students in rooms with covered or blocked windows; c. Telling risqué jokes to or in the presence of a student; d. Employing favoritism to a student; e. Giving a gift to an individual student; f. Staff-initiated frontal hugging or other uninvited touching; g. Photographing an individual student for a non-educational purpose or use; h. Engaging in inappropriate or unprofessional conduct outside of educational program activities; i. Exchanging personal email or phone numbers with a student for a non-educational purpose or use; j. Interacting privately with a student through social media, computer, or handheld devices; and k. Discussing the staff member’s personal life or personal issues with a student. It is NOT a boundary violation to: a. Offer praise, encouragement, or acknowledgement; b. Offer rewards available to all who achieve; c. Ask permission to touch for necessary purposes; d. Give a pat on the back or a shoulder; e. Give a side hug; f. Give a handshake or “high five”; g. Offer warmth and kindness; h. Use public social media alerts to groups of students and parents; or i. Engage in contact permitted by an IEP or 504 plan. It is not a boundary violation when a student acts or speaks in inappropriately familiar ways with a staff member without having been prompted to do so by the staff member, but such incidents must be promptly documented and reported to the staff member’s supervisor or the building principal and the student should be given guidance on proper student-staff relationships as directed by the supervisor or principal. Utah Admin. Rules R277-515-2(1) (December 1, 2017) 3. “Bullying” means the same as that is defined by Policy FHA and Policy FGAD.
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