Assembly Bill No. 500

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 500, Bloom. Employee codes of conduct: employee interactions with pupils. Existing law requires local educational agencies to provide certain documents to parents and post certain documents on an Internet Web site.

This bill would require a local educational agency, as specified, or a person, firm, association, partnership, or corporation offering or conducting private school instruction at the elementary or high school level, as specified, that maintains a section on employee interactions with pupils in its employee code of conduct to, commencing July 1, 2018, provide a written copy of the section on employee interactions with pupils in its code of conduct to the parent or guardian of each enrolled pupil at the beginning of each school year and, commencing January 1, 2018, to post the section on employee interactions with pupils in its code of conduct, or provide a link to it, on each of its schools’ Internet Web sites, or, if a school of a local educational agency does not have its own Internet Web site, on the local educational agency’s Internet Web site, in a publicly accessible manner. The bill would also provide that a local educational agency may satisfy the individual parent or guardian notification requirement by including a copy of the section on employee interactions with pupils in its code of conduct with other specified notifications that are required at the beginning of the first semester or quarter of the regular school term.

PROFESSIONALISM AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The School strives to maintain a workplace that fosters mutual respect and promotes harmonious, productive working relationships.  Employees are representatives of Saint Mark’s School both within and outside the school. It is expected that the school will always be well represented by courteous behavior and a cooperative attitude toward school staff, students and parents, and people outside the campus. Employees are expected to follow Saint Mark’s Code of Conduct, copies of which can be obtained from the Business Office or in the faculty/staff resource section of the website.

Although the School’s culture is informal, employees must maintain both the personal and professional boundaries that are necessary to foster strong, positive relationships and to promote the healthy and normal development of students. To this end, employees should remain on a “Mr.” or “Ms.” basis with students; refrain from physical contact with students; and should not engage in out-of-school socializing with students.

Employees should refrain from idle talk about students that might prejudice others in the school community. Employees should use professional discretion when discussing school business. Negative comments regarding school, students, and faculty are destructive and inappropriate.

All employees must conduct themselves in a professional manner and work together in an atmosphere of civility. Everyone should be treated with respect. Professional demeanor includes, but is not limited to, being trustworthy and dependable, remaining flexible and cooperative, using good judgment, showing initiative, being accurate, maintaining confidentiality, attending meetings, and maintaining your commitment with Saint Mark’s. Unprofessional behavior in the workplace includes, but is not limited to, being rude, using foul language or swearing, shouting, making inappropriate jokes, making comments that demeans another, engaging in name calling or nicknames that may be offensive or upsetting to another, gossiping or spreading rumors about another individual, breaching confidentiality, harassing, bullying, or touching another person inappropriately, and participating in horseplay.

All employees are expected to be courteous and considerate of one another and to work with a “team player” attitude. Teamwork means being focused on finding a solution rather than being focused on arguing over a problem. If you are unhappy with the way something is being done, propose a solution at the same time when you raise a problem.  Problems should be discussed in private.  If differences persist, employees should discuss them with the Business Manager, Division Heads or Head of School to work out a solution.