CE-P1 - Code of Conduct for School Staff

Prairie Spirit School Division expects all staff members to act in a manner that will be a credit to the Division and reflects the Division’s belief statement. Every employee is responsible at all times for their professional and ethical conduct, and must conduct themselves with the highest degree of integrity, responsibility, and accountability to foster an ethical and effective school division. We believe that providing high-quality service requires acting with skill, dedication, and transparency, remaining open to continual learning while carefully stewarding public resources.

The Division is committed to supporting a safe, caring, and respectful environment conducive to productivity, safety, and operational excellence, completely free from threat, harassment, and any type of bullying behaviour.

In Prairie Spirit School Division, we believe:

• Everyone has the right to learn and work in a safe and caring environment.

• Every learner has the right to be educated to the best of their ability/potential.

• Learning is a life-long process.

• Education is more than academics. 

• Education is a global learning opportunity.

• Learning is everyone's responsibility.
    

This Code of Conduct is intended to provide a guideline and reference for determining acceptable behaviour in PSSD work environments. All Divisional Codes of Conduct align with the Manitoba Provincial Code of Conduct: Behaviour Intervention and Response, The Standards for Appropriate Education Programming, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and The Human Rights Code of Manitoba.

See also Policy #6 – Trustee Code of Conduct

1. Rights of Staff

Staff members have the right to expect that:

All Staff

• Colleagues, supervisors, school-based administrators, students, and parents will treat them with respect, courtesy, and professional dignity;

• They will perform their duties in a safe, secure, and clean work environment that meets provincial workplace safety and health standards;

• Interdepartmental requests, department work orders (for example, Wrike requests), and transportation schedules will be communicated clearly and with reasonable advance notice;

• Supervisors and divisional administrators will provide leadership, clear role expectations, constructive feedback, and support;

• They will have the cooperation of all divisional sectors in order to efficiently execute the business and operational infrastructure of the Division.

Professional Staff

• Students will attend classes regularly and on time, with assignments completed, and with appropriate materials;

• Students’ behaviour will promote a positive learning environment;

• School administrators will provide leadership and support;

• They will have the support and cooperation of students, parents, and colleagues in the performance of their duties;

• Students will observe all school rules of conduct.

2. Responsibilities of All Staff

1. Respectful Interaction & Direct Communication

   1. Respectful Interaction: Staff members are responsible for speaking and acting respectfully to and with each other at all times, fostering a professional, collaborative, and healthy work environment.  This expectation of respectful dialogue extends to all forms of communication, including phone calls, emails, and support tickets. 

   2. Direct Communication & Conflict Resolution: Staff members must communicate professional or interpersonal concerns directly with the other party (colleague) involved prior to escalating the matter. Staff are expected to make a good-faith, mature effort to resolve differences peer-to-peer (including support staff and teachers).  It is expected that staff members will cooperate with each other in the performance of their duties. Each staff member is expected to bring to the attention of their supervisor any conflicts with other staff members before approaching the Senior Administration.  See also CF-P1: Behavioural Procedure

   3. Appropriate Escalation: A supervisor or additional staff should only be involved after a direct conversation has occurred and failed to resolve the issue, or if the matter involves a serious breach of safety or policy. Minor grievances, personal complaints, or backchannel complaints without attempting direct resolution are not acceptable.

   4. Professional Integrity: Staff are encouraged to look out for one another by offering timely, helpful reminders when they notice a potential oversight or error. Highlighting a mistake after the fact without having offered a supportive heads-up beforehand runs counter to a healthy team environment. Employees are expected to engage in self-reflection to ensure their workplace communication is focused on finding constructive solutions and supporting their peers. 

2. Focus on Assigned Duties & Workplace Empathy

1. Staff members are expected to lead with empathy, assuming good intentions from their peers. When a colleague is away, staff should consider how they can constructively support their team to ensure the organization continues to run effectively.

2. Staff members must maintain focus on their own assigned tasks and workload, refraining from monitoring or speculating on their coworkers' daily performance, attendance, or absences. Attendance details and leaves are strictly confidential.

3. If a colleague's performance or absence directly and negatively impacts a staff member’s ability to complete their own work, they are to refer to Section 2.

3.    Cell Phone Use & Personal Communication

   1. Staff must be in compliance with Prairie Spirit School Divisions’ Staff Acceptable Use Procedure.

   2. Staff will only use their personal device(s) (including personal cell phones) for job related duties during their scheduled work time, refer to IGB-P2 Cell Phone and Digital Device Usage.

   3. Personal cell phones and mobile devices must not be used for personal matters during active work hours. Personal texting, calls, and app use are restricted strictly to designated rest breaks and lunch periods, except in the case of an urgent family emergency or a pre-approved operational/medical exception.

4. Respect for Personal Property

   1. Staff members must respect the privacy and boundaries of their colleagues. Going through another employee’s personal property—including but not limited to personal bags, lockers, desks, vehicles, or private workspaces—without explicit permission is strictly prohibited.

5. Interdepartmental Procedures

   1. Staff members are responsible for following proper divisional protocols, purchasing guidelines, work-order processes, and ticketing systems to ensure transparent and equitable service delivery across the Division.

6. Confidentiality & Discretion

   1. Staff members must strictly safeguard student, family, personnel, and divisional financial data, ensuring absolute compliance with privacy regulations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).  Refer to EJB-P1: School Division Records Management.

   2. Staff must not take photographs or videos of students unless explicitly authorized for official school or divisional purposes, refer to Exhibit JDB-E1 - PSSD Registration Form. 

   3. Staff must never post, upload, save or share photographs, videos, or confidential information regarding students, families, or divisional operations on personal or public online platforms, including social media. 

   4. When authorized photographs or videos of students are captured (such as for a school event or project), they must be permanently deleted once the intended purpose has been fulfilled. 

7.  Workplace Safety & Compliance

   1. Staff members must adhere strictly to Workplace Safety and Health regulations, including the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe vehicle operations, and reporting hazards immediately.

   2. Staff members are responsible for reporting and acting upon any unsafe conditions, harassment, bullying, or cyberbullying observed within divisional facilities or on divisional transportation routes.

8.  Representing the Division & Public Relations

   1. Staff members serve as professional representatives of the school division when interacting with vendors, contractors, municipal partners, and the public.

   2. Staff must refrain from expressing opinions and/or sharing information that would discredit, undermine, or compromise the integrity of the Division.

9. Professional Boundaries Online & Workplace Impact

   1. While staff members have the right to maintain personal social media accounts, they must recognize that their online presence can reflect upon the Division. Staff must refrain from posting or supporting content that is discriminatory, harassing, or defamatory toward the Division, its students, families, or colleagues.

   2. Staff must refrain from expressing opinions and/or sharing information through social media that would discredit, undermine, or compromise the integrity of the Division.

   3. Online behavior, even on personal time and accounts, that creates a hostile work environment or breaches confidentiality will be subject to disciplinary review under this Code.

10.  Off-Duty Impact on the Workplace

    1. The Division respects the private lives of staff. However, conduct or communication outside of work hours falls under this Code if it reduces public trust in the Division, or if inappropriate communication between colleagues disrupts a healthy, collaborative working environment.

3. Supplemental Role-Specific Responsibilities of Professional Staff

Professional staff members (includes all staff on Teacher Contracts) will be responsible for:

• Planning, teaching, and supervising assigned courses;

• Establishing and maintaining an orderly and respectful learning environment;

• Evaluating student achievement and explaining assessment procedures to be used in each course;

• Communicating information about student progress, attendance, behaviour, and learning to students, parents, and administration;

• Providing an environment that will promote self-esteem;

• Respecting students as individuals;

• Maintaining open communication;

• Ongoing professional development;

• Reporting and acting on bullying or cyberbullying behaviour, regardless of where and when it takes place;

• Adhering to the Manitoba Teachers Society Code of Professional Practice.

In addition to the above responsibilities, all teachers must meet the following competence standards:

Teacher Competencies (Manitoba Regulation M.R. 69/2025)

4.  Supplemental Role-Specific Responsibilities of School Principals

School principals have the following responsibilities: 

• Treat students with care and concern; 

• Review and consult with the Parent Advisory Council, the division's Codes of Conduct, annually; 

• Ensure that a school’s procedures and practices align with Divisional Codes of Conduct and follow ministerial directives;

• Supervise or ensure supervision of buildings and grounds during school hours;

• Check for safety, repairs, and cleanliness; 

• Remove, or cause to be removed, persons from the school premises who are present for a purpose not reasonably associated with the normal functioning of the school; 

• Provide appropriate programming to the needs of each student; 

• Ensure that the interventions, responses, and consequences implemented in performing duties to maintain a safe and caring environment are appropriate; 

• Notify the parent(s)/caregiver(s), as soon as reasonably possible, if the school administration believes that a student has been harmed or injured;

• Inform the student’s parent(s)/caregiver(s), as soon as reasonably possible, of any suspension and the reasons for the suspension; 

• Within 24 hours of a student being suspended, the division suspension form must be completed in the student information system and sent to the parent(s)/guardian and the Superintendent’s Department;

• Ensure that educational programming is available to a student for the duration of the suspension; 

• Work collaboratively with the Superintendent’s Department if a managed move is required.

• Treat all staff members under their supervision with equity, transparency, and fairness;

• Model and maintain an operational culture centered on the division's primary mission: the continuous education and well-being of students. Supervisors must remind staff that operational friction or a dysfunctional work environment ultimately compromises the efficiency, safety, and supportive climate necessary for student learning to thrive;

• Support the peer-to-peer resolution process by encouraging staff to speak with each other directly regarding minor workplace grievances before intervening;

• Establish clear operational procedures that prioritize employee safety, cross-department efficiency, and accountability;

• Review departmental workflows and service delivery models annually to ensure they align with Divisional policies and ministerial directives;

• Respond to formal, escalated interdepartmental conflicts swiftly, ensuring a restorative, fair, and neutral mediation process;

• Ensure that new hires are fully trained on workplace safety, specialized machinery, data security protocols, and this Code of Conduct. 

5.  Supplemental Role-Specific Responsibilities of Supervisors and Directors

Supervisors (includes HR Manager, Maintenance Supervisor, IT Director, and Transportation Supervisor) have the following responsibilities:

• Treat all staff members under their supervision with equity, transparency, and fairness;

• Model and maintain an operational culture centered on the division's primary mission: the continuous education and well-being of students. Supervisors must remind staff that operational friction or a dysfunctional work environment ultimately compromises the efficiency, safety, and supportive climate necessary for student learning to thrive;

• Support the peer-to-peer resolution process by encouraging staff to speak with each other directly regarding minor workplace grievances before intervening;

• Establish clear operational procedures that prioritize employee safety, cross-department efficiency, and accountability;

• Review departmental workflows and service delivery models annually to ensure they align with Divisional policies and ministerial directives;

• Respond to formal, escalated interdepartmental conflicts swiftly, ensuring a restorative, fair, and neutral mediation process;

• Ensure that new hires are fully trained on workplace safety, specialized machinery, data security protocols, and this Code of Conduct.
  
  

6.  Supplemental Role-Specific Responsibilities of Senior Administration

Senior Administration (Superintendent and Secretary-Treasurer) has the following responsibilities:

• Prioritize a division-wide culture that connects operational excellence directly to student success, ensuring that all non-instructional sectors understand their critical role in the division's educational mission;

• Ensure adequate resource allocation so Division office and operational sectors can effectively support school-based programming;

• Mediate structural or systemic operational issues that span across multiple departments or involve school leadership;

• Oversee the investigation of serious breaches of professional conduct, workplace harassment, or safety violations within the Division office and operations;

• Establish written operational regulations and hazard control procedures as directed by provincial regulatory bodies.

Additionally, the Superintendent has the following Education-based responsibilities: 

• Inform the student’s parent(s)/caregiver(s) of a suspension beyond five days and up to six weeks, and the reasons for the suspension; 

• Provide the school board with a written suspension summary report;

• Engage in consultation with the school administration about the appropriateness of a managed move and advise the school board if and when a student is moved;

• Ensure that alternative programming is made available for students of compulsory school age who are expelled;

• Establish written procedures as directed by Manitoba Education. 

7.  Supplemental Role-Specific Responsibilities of the School Board

School boards have the following responsibilities: 

• Review procedures written by the Superintendent’s Department in response to MEECL directives; 

• Allow a student and their parent(s)/caregiver(s) to make representations to the school board about a suspension of more than five days or to appeal a suspension or expulsion.

• Review and adhere to  Board Policy # 6 - Trustee Code of Conduct

8. Consequences of Non-Compliance & Breaches of the Code

• Compliance with this Code of Conduct, Division policies, and relevant collective agreements is a condition of employment for all staff.

• Failure to comply with the standards, expectations, and responsibilities outlined in this Code may result in progressive disciplinary action, up to and including the termination of employment for just cause, refer to GBK-P1: Progressive Discipline. 

• While this Code prescribes rules and standards of conduct, they are not all-inclusive. The absence of a specific rule or standard of conduct regarding a particular behavior does not mean it is condoned or exempt from disciplinary review.

• Staff members must be aware that violations of certain provisions (such as breaches of safety, privacy laws like FIPPA/PHIA, or financial fraud) may also violate provincial or federal laws, potentially subjecting the individual and/or the Division to civil liability or criminal prosecution.