Q: What are our rights, and duties, for monitoring student (and staff) behavior “after-hours”?
A: Schools not only have a “right,” but a duty to monitor the behavior of its community members as far as it goes to the safety of those members (naturally within the bounds of propriety and legal).
What is not acceptable, right, or permissible DURING the school day should also not be acceptable “off-hours.”
Bullying, harassment, and misconduct should not be tolerated regardless of when it occurs.
Students, faculty, staff, and families all should be held to this standard whether it be during the school day, evening, weekend, or summer break.
To be fair and effective, training and communication of this policy and tying this to other important school polices and documents is critical. These include the employee handbook, parent/student contract, and the school’s acceptable use policy (AUP).
Naturally, any policy needs to be vetted by an attorney before being published.
