Employees are expected to maintain high standards in their school relationships, to demonstrate integrity and honesty, to be considerate and cooperative, and to maintain professional and appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff members, and others. In addition, the Code of Ethics for Illinois Educators, adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education, is incorporated into this Code of Conduct. Any employee who sexually harasses a student, willfully or negligently fails to report an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5/), engages in grooming as defined in 720 ILCS 5/11-25, engages in grooming behaviors, violates boundaries for appropriate school employee-student conduct, engages in sexual misconduct as defined in 105 ILCS 5/22-85.5, or otherwise violates an employee conduct standard will be subject to discipline up to and including dismissal. 

 

Prohibited grooming behaviors include, at a minimum, sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct is (i) any act, including but not limited to, any verbal, nonverbal, written, or electronic communication or physical activity, (ii) by an employee with direct contact with a student, (iii) that is directed toward or with a student to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with the student. Examples include, but are not limited to: a sexual or romantic invitation, dating or soliciting a date, engaging in sexualized or romantic dialog, making sexually suggestive comments that are directed toward or with a student, self-disclosure or physical exposure of a sexual, romantic, or erotic nature, and a sexual, indecent, romantic, or erotic contact with the student.

 

Additional staff-student regulations mandate that staff must maintain a professional relationship with students, including all expectations for staff-student boundaries as specified above, recognizing the legal age of students as minors, not being alone in a closed classroom with a single student regardless of gender, not transporting a single student in a vehicle regardless of gender, not taking or possessing a photo or video of a student, and not meeting with a student or contacting a student outside of the staff’s professional role.

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For more information please see the Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention Resource Guide provided from the Illinois State Board of Education.