FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Language forbidding flirting, sexting and inappropriate touching between teachers and students has been added to the state’s code of ethics for educators.
The changes are part of a code of ethics overhaul that began in 2016, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Sunday.
Additional changes are still under review, including a proposal that prohibits a teacher from becoming romantically involved with a student for a year after their graduation. Another proposal would ban teachers from providing students with marijuana or marijuana products.
Jim Seitz, executive director of the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, said the state’s code of ethics had not been updated since 2005.
“What we have found is that there are certain areas that we need to make explicit to educators,” Seitz said.
The first wave of changes went into effect in September. Those changes broadened what constitutes sexual misconduct, expanded anti-discrimination policy to protect students’ gender identity and added student teachers to those responsible for working under the code of ethics.
Seitz said that while sexual misconduct in the education profession is rare, officials “wanted to make it real clear to educators that sexual misconduct includes a wide range of things besides having sex with a student.”
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com
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