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Responsibilities for Student-Athletes

Varsity head coaches are responsible for their entire program. They are charged with ensuring that JV and middle school practices are productive and structured to build for the future. A coach's responsibility begins 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time for their practice and continues until the facility is clean, secure, and all student-athletes have been dismissed and left campus. student-athletes are to be supervised at all times and should not be left unattended.

Rides/Pickups for Non-Driving Student-Athletes

Since practice schedules are published and communicated weekly in coach’s emails, parents should know when their children are to be picked up from campus. 

Expectations should be communicated to our parents about promptness in regards to this area. In addition, practices should end within 15 minutes of the published time as to not inconvenience parents.

BOUNDARY POLICY/INTERACTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH STUDENTS

MPCS supports and endorses a strict policy of respect toward students and expects all employees, coaches, and volunteers to abide by a professional, moral, and ethical standard of conduct and model good citizenship for students, parents, and the community. Students typically respond better and evidence greater levels of respect when appropriate expectations are established from the beginning of the relationship.

The interactions between MPCS-affiliated adults (employees, coaches, volunteers) and students, on and off School property and during or outside of school hours, should be based on mutual respect and trust and upon an understanding of the appropriate boundaries between adults and students. Many of our MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers have contacts with students who attend other schools, through coaching, club activities, academic competitions, etc., and this policy applies to those relationships as well. Even if a student participates willingly in an activity, boundary-crossing interactions between MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers and students (regardless of the student’s age) are a violation of this policy. All employees, coaches, and volunteers are expected to accept responsibility for their conduct and should understand that they are representatives and ambassadors of the School 24/7. 

This policy is intended to guide all MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers in conducting themselves in a way that reflects the high standards of behavior expected by our school community and the public. This policy is not intended to restrain appropriate and positive relationships between our MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers and students, but to prevent relationships that could lead to, or be perceived as, inappropriate. 

Guidelines for Maintaining Appropriate Professionalism:

  • MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers are to be thoughtful in interactions with students, avoiding any communication or activity that could create the appearance of being too friendly, too close, or having too frequent personal conversations or meetings with a student. 
  • All meetings and interactions should be visible and transparent. (e.g. Avoiding one-on-one meetings with students in giving lessons, having meetings, or other activities.)
  • Students are to be taught with respect and dignity. If a student does not follow directions, they will be given clear communication with instructions and, if the student does not listen or respond appropriately, may face appropriate action.  (e.g. Separating the student from the group; removing the student from the activity; communicating with the parent after the event), Physically moving, grabbing, touching, or hitting a student, or grabbing something from a student with aggression or because of frustration is never acceptable, nor is physically threatening a student with words or objects. 
  • If touching is appropriate to the instruction, such as dance, music lessons, and so on, instructors will explain at the beginning of instruction with students and parents why, when, and how the instructor  might touch a student. Before using touch in instruction, the instructor is to use alternatives such as demonstration (e.g. demonstrating own wrist placement) or verbal description (e.g. verbally explaining the position or movement of the body part). When touch may be necessary, it will be kept brief and to what is appropriate and necessary for the instructional point (e.g. moving a student’s hand for proper finger placement on the musical instrument and only after asking permission to do so), remembering context, gender, and age. For example, before touching a student, the instructor might ask, “May I adjust your wrist so your hand stays more horizontal?” If a student appears or states that he or she is uncomfortable at any time, the instructor will  immediately cease the contact and report the incident.
  • MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers are to avoid giving students rides, except in emergency situations; in such cases, MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers will report (phone call, text, or email) the situation to their division/department head as soon as practical and make every effort to enlist the assistance of another adult or student, recognizing that the welfare of the student takes precedence.
  • There are times when the use of appropriate physical contact in a public setting to show support and encouragement toward students who are receptive to this form of expression is appropriate. MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers are to always exercise good judgment and never force any physical contact.  Examples of brief and appropriate displays of affection may include
    • side-hug;
    • holding hands while walking with small children;
    • holding hands with small children when they are upset;
    • a pat on the back;
    • an arm around a shoulder;
    • hand-shakes; and
    • high-fives, hand slaps, and fist bumps.
  • Sometimes students initiate physical contact, such as full frontal or “bear” hugs. When this occurs, students will be gently redirected to equally positive, but more appropriate forms of interactions, such as shaking hands, high fives, fist bumps, side-hug, etc.
  • MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers are to ensure that all communications with students are professional and related to an appropriate purpose, including oral or written communications; telephone calls; electronic communication (such as texting, instant messaging, email). Electronic and online communications with students, including those through personal devices, must be accessible to the administration and professional in content and tone. Swearing, making inappropriate sexual, racial/or ethnic comments, or telling or listening to off-color or sexual jokes or stories is never appropriate.
  • Other than the use of group texting tools, such as Remind, Class Parrot, etc., for group communications between the teachers and the class regarding school work and events (such as homework updates, upcoming school events, reminding the class of upcoming tests, etc.), personal texting between MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers and students should be the rare case and not the general rule. Limit texting to matters that need immediate communication, such as changing a time of location or practice, during a field trip when the MPCS employee/coach/volunteer and the student are trying to locate each other, and so on. Phone numbers should be requested and shared only for legitimate school reasons.
  • Emails should be through the School’s system and used to convey information or respond to a question. Emails should not be used for feedback on student performance. MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should never email a student from a personal email.
  • Texting and email should take place during school hours (including school activities), and, when possible, another adult should be included on the communication (such as a parent or administrator). 
  • MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should use only School-sanctioned social media. They should not initiate or accept friend requests or follow a student on social media. MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should not create a personal social networking site and then invite students to view or permit them to participate in the site. All communication between the student and MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should remain professional and related to an appropriate purpose.

Examples of Inappropriate, Boundary Crossing Interactions and Communications with Students:

(This list is not all inclusive and other, similar activities should also be avoided.) 

MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should refrain from

  • Encouraging or allowing students to call you by an inappropriate nickname or calling or referring to a student by an inappropriate nickname, term of endearment, pet name, etc. – use the student’s given/preferred name;
  • Touching students or their clothing in non-professional ways or inappropriate places, or touching a student with aggression, in frustration, or when you are highly emotional;
  • Making too personal comments to students (about their clothing, hair, nail polish, personal habits, etc.);
  • Invading personal space; standing or sitting too close; maintaining intense or lingering eye contact;
  • Giving or exchanging gifts, cards, or letters with an individual student or students;
  • Excessive attention toward a particular student or students;
  • Inviting or allowing students in your home without another school employee present;
  • Visiting a student in their home or other location when the parents are not present;
  • Socializing or spending time with students (including but not limited to activities such as going out for meals, movies, shopping, traveling and recreational activities) outside of class or School-sponsored events without parent permission;
  • Taking students off School property other than for approved field trips and School activities;
  • Suggesting or permitting students to sit on your lap at any time;
  • Engaging students to complete personal errands for you;
  • Discussing the personal affairs of other students or your colleagues;
  • Fostering, encouraging, or participating in inappropriate emotionally or socially intimate relationships with students in which the relationship is outside the bounds of the reasonable employee-student relationship and in which the relationship could reasonably cause a student to view the employee as more than a teacher, administrator, advisor, etc.;
  • Disclosing personal, sexual, family, employment concerns, or other private matters to students;
  • Unnecessarily invading a student’s privacy (such as using the boys’ or girls’ restrooms when any students are present);
  • Visiting students to “hang out” in their hotel rooms when on field trips or sporting events;
  • Showing pornography to students;
  • Providing alcohol or drugs – either prescription or illegal (except for medications provided in accordance with School policy on medication administration) – to students; and
  • Engaging in any romantic or sexual relationships with students, including asking on a date, dating, flirting, sexual contact, kissing, inappropriate physical displays of affection, speaking with innuendo, banter, or allusions to suggest a relationship or sexual subjects, or sexually suggestive comments between employees and students, regardless of whether employee or student initiates the behavior, whether the relationship is consensual, or whether the student has parental permission.

MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers who are also a parent of a student at our School are expected to address perceived problems or alleged inequities by other students (bullying, etc.) in the same way all other parents are to address such actions. Report the problem to the appropriate administrator. Do not take personal action to address the situation.

We certainly encourage close relationships between MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers and students. However, all after-school and away from campus contact with students (including transporting students in an MPCS employee, coach, or volunteer’s vehicle, babysitting, going to dinner, etc.) must first be cleared with the head of school in each specific instance. MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers should also strive to have more than one adult present if students of the School are staying at their home overnight. MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers must remember that even when acting in the role of parent, they still represent the school and must ensure that all interactions are professional and appropriate.

All MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers are responsible for the safety and welfare of our students. If you observe any MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers  engaging in any type of inappropriate or questionable behavior with a student, or violating any aspect of this policy, please report the information immediately to your division/department head and/or division counselor. In addition, MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers must report any awareness or concern of a student’s inappropriate or questionable behavior. Nothing in this policy is intended to relieve mandated reporters of child abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect of their obligations under state law. 

In addition, as a part of every MPCS employee’s, coach’s, and volunteer’s obligation to keep children and our campus safe, if you have information reflecting that any person who may regularly or periodically visit the school’s campus (student, employee, parent, spouse of an employee, family member, volunteer, or contractor) has been accused, arrested, or convicted of any type of potential abuse or sexual misconduct toward any other person, you must immediately report such information to the human resources director and/or head of school.

Any MPCS employee, coach, or volunteer who engages in behavior that violates this policy or who fails to report such activity by others will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or removal from duties. 

MPCS employees, coaches, and volunteers who make a good faith report of a suspected violation of this policy or who cooperate in inquiries or investigations related to the investigation of a report shall be not be penalized in any way. If an MPCS employee, coach, or volunteer believes that he or she has been retaliated against for making a report under this policy, please immediately contact the director of human resources. 

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