Publication Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Coaches, teachers minding 'P's' and 'Q's'
Coaches, teachers minding 'P's' and 'Q's'
(September 28, 2005)
In the classroom and on the field, there is a heightened awareness about relationships between educators and students.
Situations such as a coach or teacher driving a student home, giving a hug or having a one-on-one chat are now under the magnifying glass.
"People will need to restrain themselves and err on the side of caution," said Cathy Kroymann, a Palo Alto school board member. "It's unfortunate that people who are in a position of trust sometimes abuse that trust. One person gives a whole group a bad name."
The fact is, teachers and coaches have to rely on good common sense in an ultra-sensitive world of teaching.
"In the classes I taught, you get pretty frank about: do not put yourself in a position where you may be compromised. Male teachers never put themselves in a room where they're the only one with a young woman. You don't do it," said Michael McKibbin, with the commission on Teacher Credentialing who has also taught school-law courses at San Jose State University.
Earl Hansen, athletic director and head football coach at Paly, guaranteed his coaches will be faced with the "driving home" situation on numerous occasions this year.
"Now, all our coaches are thinking twice about it," Hansen added.
Hugging and touching are also being scrutinized. McKibbon said his son's teacher asks her students if she can give them a hug. When he was a high school teacher, McKibbin said he would put his hand on a student's shoulder without a second thought. When he became an elementary teacher years later, he realized that was something he should think twice about.
"It's sad we have to pay this much attention to it, but it is a fact of life," he said.
Annie McQueen, Jordan Middle School's librarian, had a similar experience. When she was a kindergarten teacher years ago, she would give each student a goodbye hug on their way out the door. She would not do that now.
Coaches at Palo Alto and Gunn are being sat down individually and explained the new facts of life.
"I've talked to all of them about being above reproach," Hansen said. "It's a matter of due diligence. We're trying to be proactive about it before there's a question about it."
-- Keith Peters and Alexandria Rocha
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