School Policies

What follows is the AIS Child Protection Policy. In addition to all aspects of the policy, teachers should always keep in mind the school’s Prime Directive in relation to student protection: Never hurt a student.

Introduction

Student abuse, neglect, and bullying/cyberbullying occur in all parts of the world, and each is a violation of a student’s basic human rights. AIS faculty and staff serve as protectors of all of our students, and it is everyone’s professional and ethical duty to ensure that our students have a safe and secure environment whether on or off campus. Student abuse, neglect, and bullying/cyberbullying are particularly serious concerns in schools as they are obstacles to student education and development, and they are not to be tolerated. Schools hold a particular institutional role in society to protect students and to ensure that each student is afforded a safe and secure environment in which to learn and develop.

Educators and school staff, having the opportunity to observe and interact with students over extended periods of time, are in a unique position to identify and support “at-risk” students and circumstances. As such, schools and educators have both a professional and an ethical responsibility to identify and support students who are at risk for abuse, neglect, bullying and/or in need of support and/or protection.

Schools and educators must provide/recommend the necessary services, support and assistance required to address such circumstances for both the student and his/her family. In addition to protecting students from abuse, neglect, and bullying/cyberbullying, schools and educators must report any knowledge of suspected or identified abusers and sex offenders.

Related to staff and student protection, the AIS leadership will make every effort to implement safe hiring practices to ensure that not only the classroom teachers, but also the support staff, are verified as safe to work with children. For local staff, this involves teachers and support staff providing police clearance. For foreign staff, this involves hiring through agencies that verify teachers’ backgrounds, getting confirmation of a teacher’s suitability to work with children from a minimum of three professional references, and requiring the teachers to disclose any history of criminal conduct, of employment termination, and of visa restrictions.

All AIS employees (faculty, office and support staff), After School Activities contractors and providers are required to read, acknowledge, and adhere to the school’s SPP and annually sign the school’s Code of Conduct document.

The Student Protection Policy is included therein.

Definition of Forms of Student Abuse/Threats to Safety (Hereinafter “Abuse”):

Any investigation of suspected abuse or neglect will take into account the culture of the families we serve. In Myanmar, families have their own attitudes and ideas about what is acceptable discipline and what is acceptable behavior. Our foreign staff will always work with local leadership (normally, this will be the Managing Director) to help distinguish between local cultural mores and actual abuse.

Reporting Procedures for Abuse

If a child reports a case to a teacher, counselor, or administrator, or if a school employee suspects abuse or neglect, the steps to follow are numbered below. AIS requires that all members of the community familiarize themselves with these reporting requirements in the event that they witness or become aware of Student Abuse/endangerment. Updates are regularly provided to members of the community regarding changes in policy/procedures and current student protection practice through staff meetings, the faculty handbook, and periodic electronic community communication. Expectations for reporting include acting with tact, confidentiality, and sympathy; avoiding “over-questioning” of the victim; and assembling complete and detailed notes (including date and time of any observations or conversations with the student) immediately.

1. Any member of the AIS community (student, parent, or employee) who experiences, observes, or learns about abuse or code of conduct breaches must immediately notify the school counselor and/or the division principal.

2. The school Counselor in consultation with the Divisional Principal, and the reporting faculty or community member must review, organize, and document all data points. All reported abuse cases will then be reported to the Head of School immediately from the Divisional Principal.

3. Three potential case scenarios are addressed in this policy:

A. “No Grounds” case – The school Counselor and the Divisional Principal will make a written report and recommendation to the Head of School, stating that there are no grounds for the abuse allegations or a violation of the spirit of the code of conduct. In such situations, the result of the case will be officially documented. The gathered information and a record of discussions held will be kept on file and electronically available for Leadership members to access/refer to as needed.

B. “Suspicion Remains” case – If evidence is lacking or incomplete but suspicion for abuse remains, then the school Counselor and the Divisional Principal will make written corrective or preemptive recommendations to the Head of School and maintain confidential timed and dated notes as well as meet regularly to follow up and evaluate any further developments in the case in question. Disclosure of ongoing cases of suspected abuse will be reported to the Leadership and the involved parents/guardians within 24 hours. The gathered information will be kept on file and periodic updates, in writing, will be provided to the Leadership as the circumstances of the case merit.

C. “Abuse Likely or Confirmed” case – If documented evidence suggests abuse (including that which is alleged to have occurred off campus), the Head of School, following written disclosure to and approval from the Leadership of Directors, will immediately report cases of suspected Abuse to the appropriate authorities. Such authorities include the alleged perpetrator’s employer and/or embassy, the appropriate child protection agency in the home country of the alleged perpetrator, and other agencies that in accordance with Myanmar law and the appropriate local authorities.

The Head of School, in consultation with the Leadership Team and legal/professional advisors, will take all actions necessary to ensure that we protect the safety of the student and the community. Such actions may include but are not limited to the following: meetings with student(s), parent notification and meetings, meetings with the alleged perpetrator, contacting the local authorities such as Social Welfare Department, UNICEF Myanmar – Mandalay Office, Save The Children Myanmar – Mandalay Office, local embassy (as needed), mandatory counseling/psychological services for those involved in the abuse, and possible termination of employment.

4. In the case of abuse, the Divisional Principal and the Head of School will determine the appropriate course of action for the protection of the victim and discipline for the aggressor. If needed, the designated six-member Student Safeguarding Committee will be convened: the Managing Director, Head of School, Divisional Principal, Counselor, School Nurse, and one divisional local teacher selected by the Head of School. Once a course of action has been determined, the gathered information will be kept on file and timely periodic updates, in writing, will be provided to the Leadership as the circumstances/status of the case merits.

5. All other AIS community members will be informed of reported abuse allegations on a need to know basis only. Parents of the student(s) involved in reported abuse allegations will be notified as early in the process as is appropriate for the safety and security of all involved parties. Any additional written information/observations from other personnel will be included in documentation.

6. All AIS community members are expected to report any knowledge of suspected or identified child abusers or sex offenders within the school community. In the event that an AIS community member is alleged or discovered to be an abuser or sex offender, AIS will conduct a full investigation and involve the appropriate authorities. The investigation shall proceed in accordance with the administrative reporting procedure outlined in this policy.

AIS is committed to protecting each of its students in every aspect of school life. As such, AIS distributes this policy annually to all stakeholders through Faculty and Divisional Handbooks, Faculty and Divisional information sessions/meetings, Parent Handbooks, and the public AIS school website.