Thunder Road Music Studios
Staff Code of Conduct & Non-Fraternization Policy
Definitions
(a) Staff: For purposes of this policy, Staff is defined as the following:
1. Any owner, shareholder, board member, or individual employed by Thunder Road Music Studios, including any temporary employee, and substitute employee;
2. Independent contractors, or employees of contractors; and
3. Volunteers and interns.
(b) Student: Student is defined as any individual enrolled in Thunder Road’s educational programs.
Thunder Road Music Studios expects all staff members, as defined above, to maintain the highest professional, moral and ethical standards in their conduct with students. The relationships between staff and students must be conducive to an effective and safe learning environment.
Staff are role models for students, whether on or off studio property and both during and outside of business hours.
All Thunder Road staff members are expected to accept responsibility for their conduct, and to understand that their conduct may have legal consequences to Thunder Road and that even off-duty conduct may adversely affect the abilities of a staff member to effectively perform his/her job duties.
Staff is expected to abide by a professional standard of conduct and model good citizenship for students, parents and the community.
The interactions and relationships between staff members and students should be based upon mutual respect and trust, an understanding of the appropriate boundaries between adults and students in an educational setting, and consistent with the educational mission of Thunder Road.
Even if a student participates willingly in an activity, prohibited interactions between staff and students (regardless of the student’s age) are a violation of this policy.
Specifically, Thunder Road expects that its staff to maintain appropriate professional relationships with students and be sensitive to the appearance of impropriety in their conduct with students.
Staff members are encouraged to discuss issues with their studio director whenever they are unsure whether particular conduct may constitute a violation of this policy.
All staff must understand that even an appearance of inappropriate relationships will adversely impact their effectiveness in the school environment. Therefore, staff must be diligent in maintaining the highest ethical standards when interacting with students both inside and outside the studio environment and are strictly prohibited from forming social and/or personal relationships with students outside the classroom.
Prohibited Conduct
Staff members are prohibited from engaging in any of the following conduct, regardless of whether the conduct occurs on or off studio property or whether the conduct occurs during or outside of studio hours.
The following list of prohibited conduct does not, and is not intended to, constitute the entire list of conduct for which discipline may be imposed:
(a) Engaging in any romantic or sexual relationships with students, including dating, flirting, sexual contact, inappropriate physical displays of affection, or sexually suggestive comments between staff and students;
(b) Fostering, encouraging, or participating in emotionally or socially intimate relationships with students through communication or gift-giving;
(c) Initiating or continuing communications with students for reasons unrelated to any direct educational purpose, including oral or written communication; telephone calls; electronic communication such as texting, instant messaging, email, chat rooms, Facebook, or other social networking sites; webcams; or photographs;
(d) Socializing with students outside of instructional time;
(e) Providing alcohol or drugs (regardless of age) to students – either prescription or illegal (except for those provided in accordance with district policy on medication administration); and
(f) Transporting students unless part of the staff member’s job description.
Reporting Procedures
(a) Duty to Report. Any person with knowledge or suspicion of an improper relationship between staff and a student must immediately report the conduct to Thunder Road administration. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to relieve mandated reporters of their obligations under state and local statues. All reports shall be forwarded to the studio director for further investigation.
(b) Anonymous Complaints. Anonymous complaints of inappropriate fraternization by staff with students will also be investigated.
(c) Investigations. Allegations of inappropriate staff-student relations shall be investigated immediately. Allegations of inappropriate staff-student behavior shall be promptly investigated and will be treated as confidential and private to the extent possible within legal constraints.
(d) Protection from Retaliation. Staff, students, and witnesses who make a good-faith report of a suspected fraternization violation, or who cooperate in inquiries or investigations related to the investigation of such a report, is protected from retaliation.
Disciplinary Sanctions
Thunder Road will take appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any staff found to have violated this non-fraternization policy. A violation of this policy may also subject staff to criminal and/or civil sanctions.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Thunder Road Music Studios prohibits discrimination, intimidation, harassment (including sexual harassment), or bullying based on a person’s age, actual or perceived ancestry, color, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, national origin, medical information, physical or mental disability, parental status, political affiliation, pregnancy and related conditions, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, military or veterans status, homelessness, foster status, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
