Career Connected Learning

Career Connected Learning Policy Addendum

5201 – Drug-Free Workplace

The NWESD 189 has an obligation to staff, students, and citizens to take reasonable steps to provide a reasonably safe workplace and to provide safety and high-quality performance for the students whom the staff serves.  “Workplace” is defined to mean the site for the performance of all work done in connection with NWESD 189 programs and services. The “workplace” includes any NWESD 189 building or any NWESD 189 property; any NWESD 189-owned vehicle or any other NWESD 189-approved vehicle used to transport students to and from NWESD 189 activities; and off NWESD 189 property during any NWESD 189-sponsored or NWESD 189-approved activity, event, or function, such as a field trip or athletic event, where students are under the jurisdiction of the NWESD 189, which could also include work on a federal grant.

Prohibited Behavior

To help maintain a drug-free program, community, and workplace, the following behaviors will not be tolerated:

1. Reporting to work or the workplace under the influence of alcohol, illegal and/or controlled substances including marijuana (cannabis) and anabolic steroids. Using, possessing, transmitting alcohol, illegal and/or controlled substances, including marijuana (cannabis) and anabolic steroids, in any amount, in any manner (including vaping products), and at any time in the workplace.
2. Any staff member convicted of a crime attributable to the use, possession, or sale of illegal and/or controlled substances, including marijuana (cannabis) and anabolic steroids, will be subject to disciplinary action, including termination.
3. Using NWESD 189 property or the staff member’s position within the NWESD 189 to make or traffic alcohol, illegal and/or controlled substances, including marijuana (cannabis) and anabolic steroids.
4. Using, possessing or transmitting illegal and/or controlled substances, including marijuana (cannabis) and anabolic steroids.

Notification Requirements

Any staff member who is taking prescribed or over-the-counter medications will be responsible for consulting the prescribing physician and/or pharmacist to ascertain whether the medication may interfere with the safe performance of his/her job. If the use of a medication could compromise the safety of the staff member, other staff members, students or the public, it is the staff member’s responsibility to use appropriate personnel procedures (e.g., use of leave, request a change of duty, or notify his/her supervisor of potential side effects) to avoid unsafe workplace practices. If a staff member notifies his/her supervisor that the use of medication could compromise the safe performance of his/her job, the supervisor, in conjunction with the NWESD 189 Personnel office, then will determine whether the staff member can remain at work and whether any work restrictions will be necessary.

As a condition of employment, each employee will notify his/her supervisor of a conviction under any criminal drug statute violation occurring in the workplace. Such notification will be provided no later than five (5) days after such conviction. The NWESD 189 will inform the federal granting agency within ten (10) days of such conviction, regardless of the source of the information.

Disciplinary Action

Each employee will be notified of the NWESD 189’s policy and procedures regarding employee drug activity at work. Any staff member who violates any aspect of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination. As a condition of eligibility for reinstatement, an employee may be required to satisfactorily complete a drug rehabilitation or treatment program approved by the NWESD 189, at the employee’s expense. Nothing in this policy will be construed to guarantee reinstatement of any employee who violates this policy, nor does the NWESD 189 incur any financial obligation for treatment or rehabilitation ordered as a condition of eligibility for reinstatement.

The NWESD 189 may notify law enforcement agencies regarding a staff member’s violation of this policy at the NWESD 189’s discretion or take other actions as it deems appropriate.

5011 – Sexual Harassment of District Staff Prohibited

The NWESD 189 is committed to a positive and productive working environment free from discrimination, including sexual harassment. The NWESD 189 prohibits sexual harassment of employees and other persons by students, other employees, or third parties involved in NWESD 189 activities.

Definitions

For purposes of this policy, sexual harassment means unwelcome conduct or communication of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can occur student to adult, adult to adult or can be carried out by a group of students or adults.

Under federal and state law, the term “sexual harassment” includes:

• acts of sexual violence
• unwelcome sexual advances
• unwelcome requests for sexual favors
• sexual demands when submission is a stated or implied condition for obtaining a work opportunity or other benefit
• sexual demands where submission to or rejection of sexual demands is a factor in a work or other related decision affecting an individual; and/or
• unwelcome sexual or gender-directed conduct or communication that interferes with an individual’s employment performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

Investigation and Response

The NWESD 189 will promptly investigate any reports, complaints, and grievances alleging that sexual harassment has created a hostile work environment, whether it comes to the attention of the NWESD 189 formally or informally. If an investigation reveals that sexual harassment has created a hostile work environment, the NWESD 189 will take prompt, effective, remedial, and equitable action within its authority. Allegations of criminal misconduct will be reported to law enforcement; suspected child abuse will be reported to law enforcement or Child Protective Services. Persons found to have been subjected to sexual harassment will have any adverse consequences of the harassment reviewed and remedied, as appropriate.

Engaging in sexual harassment will result in appropriate discipline (up to and including discharge/expulsion) or other appropriate sanctions against offending students, staff, and/or third parties involved in NWESD 189 activities. Anyone else who engages in sexual harassment on NWESD 189 property or at NWESD 189 sponsored activities will have his/her access to NWESD 189 property and activities restricted, as appropriate.

Retaliation and False Allegations

Retaliation against any person who makes, or is a witness in, a sexual harassment complaint is prohibited. The NWESD 189 will take appropriate actions to protect involved persons from retaliation. It is a violation of this policy to knowingly report false allegations of sexual harassment. Persons found to knowingly report or corroborate false allegations will be subject to appropriate discipline.

Staff Responsibilities

The Superintendent will develop and implement formal and informal procedures for receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints or reports of sexual harassment. The procedures will include reasonable and prompt timelines and delineate staff responsibilities under this policy. Any staff witnessing or receiving informal complaints and reports of sexual harassment are responsible for informing appropriate NWESD 189 personnel, including the Compliance Officer, of the complaint or report. All staff are also responsible for directing complainants to the formal complaint process.

A formal complaint filed by or on behalf of a student complainant against an employee respondent will be investigated under the definitions, requirements, and procedures of Policy 3205 and Procedure 3205P.

Notice and Training

The Superintendent will develop procedures which provide information and education to NWESD 189 staff, parents/guardians, and volunteers regarding this policy and the recognition and prevention of sexual harassment. At a minimum, sexual harassment recognition and prevention and the elements of this policy will be included in staff and regular volunteer orientation. This policy and the related procedure, which includes the complaint process, will be conspicuously posted at each NWESD 189 program building and work site in a place available to staff, parents, volunteers, and visitors. It will be provided to each employee and will be reproduced in each staff, volunteer, and parent/guardian handbook. Such notices will identify the NWESD 189 Compliance Officer and contact information, including the Compliance Officer’s email address.

Policy Review

The Superintendent will report to the Board, as appropriate, regarding the use and efficacy of this policy and related procedures. Recommendations for changes to this policy, if applicable, will be included in these report(s). The Superintendent is encouraged to involve staff, volunteers, and parents/guardians in the review process, as appropriate.

5253-P – Maintaining Professional Staff/Student Boundaries Procedures

The purpose of this procedure is to provide all staff, students, volunteers, and community members with information to increase their awareness of their role in protecting children from inappropriate conduct by adults.

In a professional staff/student relationship, employees maintain boundaries that are consistent with the legal and ethical duty of care that educational personnel have for students.

A boundary invasion is an act or omission by an employee that violates professional staff/student boundaries and has the potential to abuse the staff/student relationship.

An inappropriate boundary invasion means an act, omission, or pattern of such behavior by an employee that does not have an educational purpose; and results in abuse of the staff/student professional relationship.

Unacceptable Conduct

Examples of inappropriate boundary invasions by staff members include but are not limited to the following:

1. Any type of inappropriate physical contact with a student or any other conduct that might be considered harassment under the Board’s policy 3207, Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying.
2. Showing pornography to a student.
3. Singling out a particular student or students for personal attention and friendship beyond the professional staff-student relationship.
4. Socializing where students are consuming alcohol, drugs or tobacco.
5. For non-guidance/counseling staff, encouraging students to confide their personal or family problems and/or relationships. If a student initiates such discussions, staff members are expected to refer the student to appropriate guidance/counseling staff. In either case, staff involvement should be limited to a direct connection to the student’s program performance.
6. Sending students on personal errands unrelated to any educational purpose.
7. Banter, allusions, jokes or innuendos of a sexual nature with students.
8. Disclosing personal, sexual, family; employment concerns or other private matters to one or more students.
9. Addressing students or permitting students to address staff members with personalized terms of endearment, pet names or otherwise in an overly familiar manner.
10. Maintaining personal contact with a student outside of school by phone, e-mail, instant messenger or Internet chat rooms, social networking websites, or letters (beyond homework or other legitimate program business) without including the parent/guardian.
11. Exchanging personal gifts, cards or letters with an individual student.
12. Socializing or spending time with students (including but not limited to activities such as going out for beverages, meals or movies, shopping, traveling and recreational activities) outside of program-sponsored events, except as participants in organized community activities.
13. Giving a student a ride alone in a vehicle in a non-emergency situation.
14. Unnecessarily invading a student’s privacy, (e.g. walking in on the student in the bathroom).

Appearances of Impropriety

The following activities are boundary invasions and can create an actual impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. Whenever possible, staff should avoid these situations. If unavoidable these activities should be preapproved by the appropriate administrator. If not preapproved, the staff person must report the occurrence to the appropriate administrator as soon as possible:

1. Being alone with an individual student out of the view of others.
2. Inviting or allowing individual students to visit the staff member’s home.
3. Visiting a student’s home, unless the parent/guardian is present.
4. Social networking with students for non-educational purposes.

Reporting Violations

Students and their parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to notify the program administrator if they believe a teacher or other staff member may be engaging in conduct that violates this policy.

Staff members are required to promptly notify the program administrator, or the supervisor of the employee suspected of engaging in inappropriate conduct that violates this policy.

The program administrator to whom a boundary invasion concern is reported must document, in writing, the concern and provide a copy of the documentation to the Compliance Officer or designee. The Compliance Officer or designee will maintain a separate non-personnel file of all boundary invasion reports made to Personnel. Whenever boundary invasion concerns occur, the Compliance Officer or designee will review the full history of concerns relating to the person complained about and will provide a summary to the Superintendent.

All professional program personnel who have reasonable cause to believe that a student has experienced sexual abuse by a staff member, volunteer, or agency personnel working in the program are required to make a report to Child Protective Services or law enforcement pursuant to Board policy and procedure 3421, Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Prevention, and RCW 26.44. Reporting suspected abuse to the program administrator or supervisor does not relieve professional program personnel from their reporting responsibilities and timelines.

Unless their supervisor is the staff member of concern, program personnel are to inform the site administrator of the concern/report. If their supervisor is the staff member of concern, program personnel are to inform the Compliance Officer or designee of the concern/report.

Disciplinary Action

Staff violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. The violation will also be reported to the state Office of Professional Practices. Violations involving sexual or other abuse will also result in referral to Child Protective Services and/or law enforcement in accordance with the Board’s policy on Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect.

Training

All new employees providing direct services to students and volunteers will receive training on appropriate staff /student boundaries within three (3) months of employment. Continuing employees providing direct services to students will receive refresher training every three (3) years.

Dissemination of Policy and Reporting Protocols

This policy and procedure shall be included on the NWESD website and in all employee, student and volunteer handbooks. Annually, all administrators and staff providing direct services to students will receive copies of the NWESD’s reporting protocol.