The relationship between staff (i.e. any individual employed by the Knox County Schools, any student teacher, volunteer, or employee of a contractor), and students should be one of learning cooperation, understanding and mutual respect. The staff has the responsibility to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning and to motivate each student to perform to his or her capacity.   

Staff members shall use good judgment in their relationships with students beyond their work responsibilities and/or outside the school setting and shall avoid excessive informal and social involvement with individual students.  Romantic, amorous or sexual relationships, and romantic, amorous or sexual comments or communications in any form between employees and students are strictly prohibited.  This includes unprofessional and inappropriate communication. 

Examples of unprofessional and inappropriate communications include, but are not limited to: 

1. employees fraternizing or communicating with students in a peer to peer or unduly familiar manner; 
2. writing personal letters, e-mailing, texting, contacting through social media, or calling student on their cell phones about subject matter that is beyond the scope of their professional relationship; 
3. sending suggestive, lewd or indecent pictures or images to students;  
4. discussing or revealing to students inappropriate aspects of private lives or inviting students to do the same; being overly familiar, and 
5. engaging in unnecessary and/or non-curricular dialogue concerning topics of a sexual nature.  

Employees must guard against associations with students that are outside the normal scope of employment and appropriate educator/student relationship. Employees engaging in such inappropriate conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Any extenuating circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis by the supervisor and/or superintendent. 

Employees who have reason to believe that another employee is inappropriately involved with a student, as described above, are obligated to report this information to their principal, supervisor or a human resources supervisor.