What Does a Child Safeguarding Policy Mean for AIS-R’s Community?

AIS-R’s standard for the treatment of children is that they must be treated with respect and dignity at all times. AIS-R’s child protection standard is inclusive of international law. When given reasonable cause to believe that this standard has been violated, AIS-R will seek all available resources to protect the child.

AIS-R’s Code of Conduct

The American International School-Riyadh (AIS-R) is committed to the safety and protection of all community members. AIS-R has put in place a code of conduct to ensure the protection of those community members, especially those recognized as vulnerable, such as students and young adults. The Code of Conduct applies to all faculty, staff, employees, volunteers, students, and contractors who represent the school and interact with young people in both a direct and/or unsupervised capacity. Further, it is the expectation at AIS-R that all community members take responsibility for the well-being of others and take actions to ensure a safe and compassionate environment. As AIS-R community members, we should be aware of our own and other persons’ vulnerability, especially when working alone with students and be particularly aware that we are responsible for maintaining physical, emotional and sexual boundaries in such interactions. We must avoid any covert or overt sexual behaviors with those for whom we have responsibility and realise that innuendo, sarcasm or suggestion simply mask actions deemed to be unacceptable. This includes seductive speech or gestures, as well as physical contact that exploits, abuses or harasses. We are to provide safe environments for students at all times. Physical contact with students can be misconstrued both by the recipient and by those who observe it, and should occur only when completely nonsexual or otherwise appropriate, and should never occur in private. One-on-one meetings with a student are to be held:

• • in a public area;

  • in a room where the interaction can be (or is being) observed;

  • in a room with the door left open and/or established sight lines via windows, and another staff member or supervisor is notified about the meeting.

We must intervene when there is evidence of, or there is reasonable cause to suspect, that a student is being maltreated in any way. Suspected maltreatment or neglect must be reported to the appropriate school offices as described in the Child Protection Policy of the school. In the presence of students, adults should never buy or be in possession of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, vape paraphernalia, videos, or reading material that is inappropriate and/or provide it to young people. Staff members and volunteers should not accept gifts from, or give individual gifts to, students without the knowledge of their parents or guardians. Communication with students is governed by the key safety concept of transparency. The following steps will reduce the risk of private, or otherwise inappropriate, communication between AIS-R parents, administration, teachers, personnel, volunteers, students and young adults:

• • Communication between AIS-R employees (including volunteers) and students that is not professional or a volunteer relationship (teacher, coach, host, tutor, etc.) is prohibited.

  • Digital exchanges between a student and a person acting on behalf of the school are to be made using a school owned/sanctioned account only.

  • Electronic communication that takes place over a school network or platform may be subject to periodic monitoring.

  • Employees and volunteers who use any form of online communications including social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and text messaging to communicate with students may only do so for activities involving school business as approved by the immediate supervisor and/or school leadership.

At all times, we must be aware of both the personal and professional responsibilities that accompany our work and recognize the privilege of being entrusted as a representative of AIS-R. This responsibility includes the realisation that, should behavior deemed unacceptable occur, the privilege of being an AIS-R community member will be revoked and further action will be taken through legal and embassy channels as needed. Documents further clarifying or supporting the AIS-R Code of Conduct:

• • K-12 Teacher Job Description

  • Being an AIS-R Teacher, Faculty and Staff Handbook

  • Social Media Acceptable Use Guidelines

The public and private conduct of faculty, staff, employees, students and volunteers acting on behalf of AIS-R can inspire and motivate those with whom they interact, or, conversely, can cause great harm if inappropriate.