Trinity Extended Programs is dedicated to fostering a work environment where all employees feel safe, respected, and valued. We are committed to ensuring that every individual has the right to work in a professional setting that promotes inclusivity, equal opportunity, and prohibits any form of unlawful discrimination. Trinity Extended Programs expects all employees and individuals to be treated with fairness and dignity and maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of harassment.
Definition of Harassment
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines harassment as verbal, written, or physical conduct that denigrates (attacks) or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his/her:
Race, Color, Religion, Gender, Sexual Orientation, National Origin, Age, Disability, Marital Status, Citizenship, Genetic Information, and any other characteristic protected by law or that of his/her relative, friends, or associates.
Harassment is also any conduct that:
Has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance.
Otherwise adversely affects an individual's employment opportunities.
Statement on Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment constitutes discrimination and is illegal under federal, state, and local laws.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Guidelines defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Sexual harassment may include a range of behaviors and may involve individuals of the same of different gender. These behaviors may include but are not limited to:
Unwanted advances or requests for sexual favors, sexual jokes and innuendo, verbal abuse of a sexual nature, commentary on an individual's body, leering, whistling, touching, insulting or obscene comments or gestures, and display in the workplace of suggestive objects or pictures.
Procedure for Reporting
If you believe that you have been harassed or discriminated against in violation of the above policies, you have the responsibility to report the incident to any one or more of the following persons:
Trinity Extended Programs Director
After School Coordinator
All employees are protected from retaliation only if the employee brings the alleged unlawful activity, policy, or practice to the attention of the Director and provides the Director with a reasonable opportunity to investigate and correct the alleged unlawful activity. The protection described below is only available to employees that comply with this requirement.
No employee who in good faith reports an ethics violation shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequence.
An employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.
This Policy is intended to encourage and enable employees and others to raise serious concerns within Trinity Extended Programs prior to seeking resolution outside Trinity Extended Programs.
Trinity Extended Programs has an open-door policy and suggests that employees share their questions, concerns, suggestions or complaints with someone who can address them properly. In most cases, an employee's supervisor is in the best position to address an area of concern.
If you are not comfortable speaking with your supervisor or you are not satisfied with your supervisor's response, you are encouraged to speak with the Assistant Head of School. If you are not comfortable speaking with the Assistant Head of School, you are encouraged to speak to the Whistle Blower Policy Compliance Officer (Jenn Hare).
Supervisors are required to report suspected ethics violations to the Compliance Officer, who has specific and exclusive responsibility to investigate all reported violations.
Trinity Academy identifies a Compliance Officer (Jenn Hare), having no in-line authority, who is responsible for investigating and resolving all reported complaints and allegations concerning violations and, at his/her discretion, shall advise the Head of School and the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Upon completion of the investigation, Trinity Extended Programs, in accordance with the policies set forth in this manual, along with the guidance of Trinity Academy policies, will issue forth the necessary discipline procedures for any parties involved in the unlawful activity.
Should a staff member be disciplined or released from employment with Trinity Extended Programs after committing acts of sexual harassment the school will be notified of the following consequences:
If this individual is a student at Trinity Academy, they will no longer be eligible for a high level position of leadership within the student body.
If this individual is not a student at Trinity Academy, the appropriate directorships will be notified of their actions and any disciplinary procedures enacted which may impact their ability to enroll as a student in the future.
Addendum to Trinity Extended Programs' Anti-Harassment Policy
Trinity Academy reserves the right to operate according to its sincerely held religious beliefs about Biblical marriage and sexuality and therefore does not define “harassment” as including any enforcement of, or adherence to, its Biblical principles and expectations in the areas of marriage, sexuality, dress, and discipline.
Code of Conduct
Trinity Extended Programs staff members will agree to adhere to the following behaviors:
Avoiding being charged with a criminal offense and, if charged or a charge is likely, to notify the Director as soon as possible.
Honoring the multi-cultural aspects of the Church by refraining from belittling any culture or ethnicity.
Conducting interactions with students in appropriate settings and at appropriate times, including keeping communication professionally appropriate, seeking to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing.
Conversing with students within Trinity Academy’s statement of faith and stated Biblical positions and, when engaged in conversations with students around doctrinal issues, striving to engage students in examining their beliefs instead of asserting the personal beliefs of the staff member. Scripture is the final authority.
When engaged in age-appropriate dialogue on topics outside of clearly defined Trinity Academy positions, being clear to students where it is personal opinion and not established Trinity Academy positions, while respecting the authority and impact that comes from a position of employment.
Avoiding placing yourself in situations that may cause you to negatively represent Trinity, understanding that you may be unofficially representing Trinity Extended Programs when you are wearing Trinity logo-clothing or are interacting with students outside of the program or in other actions that may be public in nature. While actions may be entirely permissible, wisdom and discernment should be used when considering perception others may have, to allow us, as individuals and a community, to positively point people towards the Gospel.
This includes being mindful of social media posts, originated by themselves or others, that may interfere with the ability to lead and/or disciple others.
It is prohibited for staff members to post pictures of students on social media for any reason. Social media usage should be minimal throughout the day and should only occur while on a scheduled break.
Refraining from actions that will interfere with their good-standing in the Trinity community, as determined by the Director.
Drug and Alcohol Policy
Any individual who conducts business at or for Trinity is covered by our drug-free workplace policy. This policy includes but is not limited to staff, volunteers, participants, and parents/guardians while present at or participating in Trinity programming.
Trinity prohibits the possession, sale, conveyance, distribution, or manufacture of illegal drugs, intoxicants, or controlled substances in any amount or in any manner.
Trinity prohibits the abuse of alcohol or prescription drugs.
All staff members are required not to report to work or be subject to duty while their ability to perform job functions is impaired due to on/off duty use of alcohol or other drugs.
Staff are encouraged to report any knowledge of prohibited or dangerous behaviors to the Director. Failure to report this knowledge may result in disciplinary action.
Violation of this policy will result in immediate suspension, without pay (for staff), from all Trinity programming.
Use discretion and wisdom to avoid offending anyone else.
Refrain from profanity or inappropriate talk of any kind. This includes slang, regardless of opinion.
Refrain from suggestive humor, innuendo, or jokes that could be considered racist or sexist.
Avoid conversation about personal romantic relationships or extremely private issues.
Gossip and negativity kill your credibility as a positive influence. Talking badly about other staff members, students, or individuals in your personal life is never allowed.
Overview
You are responsible for your actions. You need to ensure that all of your relationships at Trinity are appropriate and avoid any suggestions of impropriety or inappropriate behaviors.
There is no room or gossip or slander in our program. If you see something you think could be considered inappropriate, you should report it directly to a Leadership staff.
Students are not your friends; you should seek to serve and love them but must remain professional at all times.
Student Interactions
Students should not be alone 1-on-1 or in secluded areas.
Physical contact between students should be extremely limited and should be always be appropriate to the activity.
It is your job to ensure that students are not creating inappropriate relationships; this may mean taking them aside and explaining how they are to act with one another.
3. Staff Interpersonal Relationships
Your should be upholding and uplifting the reputation of your fellow staff members at all times.
Students should not be aware of any interpersonal conflict that may arise between staff members.
Staff interactions with one another should not be different based on gender. Your actions and appearances should always be above reproach.
Physical contact between staff members should be extremely limited and kept appropriate to the activity at hand.
4. Staff and Student Relationships on Campus
Staff members are prohibited from seeking out intimacy with a student.
Physical affection between staff members and students should be extremely limited and cautious, adhering to the following guidelines:
Staff should not initiate frontal hugs
Staff should not grab students, pick them up, or allow them to sit in their laps
Staff are allowed to hold students' hands that are under the age of 7 but should not initiate the hand holding.
Staff members should never be alone with a student unless they are walking them to carpool.
Should a student ever say or do something inappropriate towards a staff member, that staff member should report the interaction immediately to a Leadership staff.
5. Staff and Student Relationships off Campus
Staff members are prohibited from asking a student for their contact information. Staff members are prohibited from giving out personal information of participants without expressed permission from the Director.
Staff will not initiate any private contact with students.
Staff members are prohibited from giving rides to students (that are not related to them) unless all the following criteria have been met:
The staff member has been listed as an authorized pick up by the parents on their child's forms.
The parents have been made aware of this pick up and know all the details.
The staff member abides by the policy of no fewer than three students to one staff member in a vehicle.
6. Signs that a relationship is no longer appropriate:
Accountability feels uncomfortable
Others are noticing a negative appearance
You become defensive about the relationship
You are looking to others to meet your needs (attention, self-esteem, etc.)
You become jealous when someone is spending time with others instead of you
You begin keeping secrets or hiding information about relationships from others
You begin sharing personal details in a manner that is inappropriate in the context of the relationship
Abuse as defined by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety:
Physical abuse - Injuring a child by hitting, kicking, shaking, or burning, etc. him/her; also includes throwing objects at the child.
Emotional Maltreatment - Crushing a child's spirit with degrading derogatory verbal attacks, threats, or humiliation.
Sexual Abuse - Sexual contact with a child (incest, inappropriate touching, rape); pornagraphic use of a child.
Neglect - Failure to provide for a child's physical or emotional needs (food, clothing, shelter, medical care, physical or emotional attention); failure to provide guidance or supervision, abandonment.
Staff Screening
All staff members are screened with the following criteria:
An application including employment history and childcare and youth work history.
An interview with 2 Staff members.
References
Background Checks (for all Non-Trinity staff)
Any reasonable suspicions or history of inappropriate behavior with a minor will eliminate an applicant from consideration as a staff member.
Any behavior performed by a staff member during programming that does not align with this protection policy will result in immediate termination or employment/participation.
Media Policy
Staff members are prohibited from posting photos of participants on social media without the express permission from both the participant's guardian and the Director.
All photos will be screened for appropriateness. If a photo-post request is denied and the staff member refuses to comply, they will be in violation of this protection policy and their employment/participation will be terminated.
Suspected Abuse
If a staff member suspects that a participant is or has been a victim of abuse, that staff member must report it immediately to the Director. The Director will report the suspected abuse to the proper authorities.
If a staff member or participant is suspected of abuse they will immediately be suspended from all programming without pay (if staff) while an investigation takes place by the Director and the proper authorities.
Retaliation
Trinity prohibits retaliation against anyone, including an employee or student, who in good faith reports prohibited conduct. Retaliation against a participant in the investigation is also prohibited.
Anyone who retaliates against someone who has made a good faith allegation of prohibited conduct or intentionally provides false information to that effect will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
You may be asked to run the computer during an after school activity. Everything you need will be on the screen.
Do not download anything onto a computer without permission from the Director.
Do not do anything on a computer that could hurt the computer or jeopardize the privacy of Trinity Academy.
Inappropriate use of Trinity computers will result in the loss of this privilege and potentially lead to disciplinary action.
Mobile Devices:
You may need to use your mobile device to do your job. This could include texting co-counselors who are at a different location across campus, contacting the Director or Coordinators, Googling something a student has asked a question about, etc.
There should be a clear separation between doing your job and personal use (i.e., texting, social media, etc.).
Personal use should be extremely limited; your job is to be present and engaged with the students.
Contacting Other Staff:
It is a privilege to have the personal cell phone numbers of our Director and Coordinators. Do not abuse this.
Ensure that all communication with other staff members is appropriate, clear, respectful, and timely.
Please refrain from contacting the Director and Coordinators after hours - they have families and personal lives apart from Trinity that they'd like to spend time with.
Exception - if you are going to be unexpectedly absent the next day, you should contact the Director as soon as you become aware of this.
Remember that all of your digital communication is permanent - never send anything to another staff member that you wouldn't want the Director or one of the Coordinators to see.
In the case of mass messaging sent out by the Director, ensure any responses are appropriate and necessary - don't spam a group chat.
Staff will be paid at the end of the month (usually on the 30th day of the month).
The pay period runs from the 21st of the previous month to the 20th of the current month.
Ex. The paycheck issued on June 30th will include hours worked from May 21st to June 20th.
Pay will be remitted via direct deposit.
You must contact Jenn Hare (jhare@trinityacademy.com) if you are not enrolled in Paycor as this will be were paystubs and hours worked can be reviewed.
Returning employees must contact Mrs. Hare if you would like to change any of your payment information from the previous year.
Staff members will not be paid for days they are absent.
If a staff member is released from work for any reason, they will be paid based on number of hours completed, not unworked hours contracted.
Questions about payment should be addressed to the Director and Mrs. Hare.
In all matters, we will strive to operate under a policy of minimum necessary information. This includes situations of medical need, emotional need, spiritual need, or otherwise.
Should a student share information that could be considered sensitive, the counselor should operate under discretion when sharing this information with a co-counselor, other students, and the Director.
Information that could result in harm to the student or others MUST be shared immediately with the Director.
Trinity Extended Programs expects its staff members to uphold and promote the expectations and standards set forth in this manual.
Should a staff member's performance fall below excellence, Trinity Extended Programs will address the staff members in a timely manner with the intent of improving their performance.
Staff members are expected to respond to correction by taking ownership of their mistakes and implementing an improvement plan.
Disciplinary actions will typically begin with a verbal warning.
This warning will be issued by the Director or the After School Coordinator.
This warning will be issued to correct minor misconduct or performance difficulties.
Verbal warnings may be formal or informal and will not be documented in the staff member's file.
Verbal warnings may be issued for, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Arguing
Student supervision
Cleanliness
Discretion
Disruption of activities
Failure to enforce rules
Gossip
Negativity
Neglecting responsibilities
Punctuality
Safety
Work Ethic
The Director will issue a written warning if necessary. This may be in the case of a verbal warning proving ineffective or a newly identified problem calling for more serious action.
Written warnings will be accompanied by a private meeting with the Director and at least one of the Coordinators.
The written warning form includes the date of the meeting, staff present, nature of the problem, disciplinary measures taken, plan for moving forward, and follow-up meeting date.
A copy of this form will be kept in the staff member's file and a copy will be given to the staff member.
Actions necessitating a written warning include but are not limited to:
A verbal warning for which improvement has not been demonstrated
Insubordination
Fighting
Inappropriate language
Purposeful damage to property
Only the Director and Coordinators can dismiss a staff member. Infraction and performance issues meriting dismissal may include but are not limited to:
A written warning for which improvement has not been demonstrated
Actions that overtly contradict the standards and expectations of Trinity
Actions that overtly demonstrate a lack of discretion
Inappropriate relationships or the appearance thereof
Illegal activity at or away from Trinity
Placing a student in harm's way through intentional action or neglect
Harassment of any kind
We expect staff members not to post or share any messages, posts, blogs, tweets, or any other social media content about a student, another staff member, or Trinity itself that are mean, inappropriate, suggestive, obscene, or threatening.
Each staff member's online presence could be seen as a representation of Trinity. We expect your internet presence to be clean, appropriate, and in line with the standards of Trinity.
Failure to maintain an appropriate online presence can result in termination of your employment with us.
Things posted online that could affect your status as a staff member can include but are not limited to: Alcohol, Bullying, Drugs, Slander, Illegal Activities, Obscenities, Slurs, Profanity, Suggestive Language.
In the after school setting, walkies will primarily be used to communicate when it is time for a student to go home.
Walkies should always be used in a professional manner. These devices can be heard across campus by parents and Trinity faculty.
You should always keep lines clear for communication. Walkies are not to be used for personal conversation irrelevant to the after school setting.
Pay attention to your walkie at all times - it should be on your person, not in a pocket or backpack or on the ground.
When using the walkie, keep your communication simple and clear.
Make sure your walkie is turned off and placed on a charger before you leave for the day.
You are expected to arrive at your scheduled time and leave at your scheduled time unless dismissed early.
If you need to arrive late or leave early for any reason, this must be relayed to the Director as soon as you know.
Scheduled absences will be approved on a case-by-case basis and you will not be paid for hours you do not work.
If you are going to be unexpectedly absent due to an injury or illness, or another emergency situation, you must inform the Director as soon as you are made aware.
All staff must follow the medical policies of Trinity:
Any staff with a temperature over 100.4 F will not be able to return to work until they are fever free with no medications for at least 24 hours.
Any staff with pink eye will not be able to return to work until they have been on medication for at least 24 hours.
Any staff with lice will not be able to return to work until they are lice-free.
Any staff with an injury severe enough to impede their ability to do the functions of their job will not be able to return to work until medically cleared to do so.
When you arrive:
Go to the Extended Programs classroom to check in
Clock In (Written on your Time Card and punched in Paycor)
Grab a Walkie and turn it on
Grab a key if one is available
Head to your assigned room
When you leave:
Drop off any materials that don't need to go home with you
Turn off your walkie and place it on the charger
Clock Out (Written on your Time Card and punched in Paycor)
Go home!
In the event that you need assistance from an adult staff for any reason, walkie them directly and ask that they come to your location.
Maintaining proper supervision is the first step in keeping all of our students safe. Every child should be in the line of sight of at least one counselor at all times. The best kind of accident is one that was prevented from ever happening.
Learn the student's names. Know who should or should not be with you.
We have rules for a reason. Enforce the rules to the best of your abilities at all times.
IMMEDIATELY will be used extremely sparingly - this means it carries great importance. If you hear the word IMMEDIATELY over the walkie, via text message, or directly from the Director, you need to jump into action.
In the event of an emergency of any kind, the Director and Coordinators have been trained in Trinity-specific emergency procedures. We will lead the procedure for all students and staff. As a counselor, your role is to follow all directions quickly and efficiently while encouraging and assisting students in doing the same.