Supporting a Safe Community

Introduction

The Winsor School is dedicated to ensuring a supportive and inclusive community where ethical conduct, integrity, and respect are paramount. Community members and employees are expected to contribute to a positive learning environment that prioritizes the safety, well-being, and academic success of all students. At the Winsor School, fostering a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment is our top priority. All adult community members and employees, including trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and all extracurricular part-time auxiliary hires including coaches, music teachers, after school instructors, and similar positions are responsible for students’ well-being and actively promoting a culture of trust and safety.

General Principles

As representatives of the school, all adult community members and employees are expected to demonstrate honesty, integrity, and respect in their interactions with students, colleagues, and the broader community. Adult community members are expected to perform their duties and responsibilities at the highest standards of business and personal ethics, complying with all applicable laws and regulations. All adult community members and employees have an ongoing duty of care toward students and are expected to promote a culture of trust, safety, and well-being. Adult community members and employees are also expected to maintain healthy and appropriate boundaries in their interactions with students and recent graduates, acting as role models and prioritizing well-being and safety.

Process for Reporting Boundary Concerns

The Winsor School is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. To support this commitment, we encourage students and families to speak up if they ever feel uncomfortable, or if they experience or witness behavior that crosses boundaries for themselves or others.

The Winsor School strives to maintain student and family partnerships to create a culture where students feel empowered to speak up and know they will be heard and supported. Students and families are encouraged to bring concerns to any trusted adult in the school community, including teachers, advisors, coaches, school counselors, class coordinators and deans, division heads, or other administrators. Trusted adults who receive such reports are expected to take them seriously and to respond with care and discretion.

Depending on the nature of the concern, the Winsor School community recipient will take appropriate action which may involve consulting other school personnel. Discretion and confidentiality are maintained to the extent possible. In the event a concern requires an investigation, the head of school and human resource manager oversee all investigations.

* Excerpted from the Winsor Family Handbook 2025–26

It is the policy of the school that all members of the school community should be able to enjoy an environment free of discrimination and harassment. Through education and intervention, the school endeavors to maintain an environment that is free from sexual and other unlawful harassment. Any conduct that has either the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or class performance, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment, is harassment and is strictly forbidden. This includes actions, words, or other verbal, nonverbal, and physical interactions of a derogatory, defamatory, hostile, or offensive nature based on an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. This policy extends to each and every level of our operation. Accordingly, no form of harassment will be tolerated. Sexual and other unlawful harassment between students, and students and employees, is prohibited; it violates both state and federal law and also the school’s core values. Harassment covers single instances as well as repeated incidences of such behavior.

Sexual harassment is defined as behavior involving a single instance or repeated instances of inappropriate verbal and/or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Examples include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, touching, innuendo, and other conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment; interfering unreasonably with a person’s academic performance; or creating a situation where an evaluation of a student depends on them submitting to and/or not objecting to the behavior.

In addition, retaliation against students for reporting or complaining of sexual harassment and other types of harassment (or for cooperating in the investigation of a report or complaint) is unlawful and will not be tolerated. Any retaliation will warrant disciplinary consequences.

The school takes seriously all complaints of sexual or other unlawful harassment or retaliation and will investigate each complaint thoroughly and promptly. A student or parent who wishes to report any alleged violation of the school’s Sexual and Other Unlawful Harassment policy, including any instance of sexual abuse, should immediately contact the head of school or any other administrator. The school may act unilaterally to end sexual harassment where such intervention is deemed warranted.

* Excerpted from the Winsor Family Handbook 2025–26

One of the great strengths of the Winsor School is the positive relationships that are formed between the adults and the students in the community. Fostering an environment of mutual respect, kindness, fairness, and courtesy is an important value of the school. The school encourages the formation of healthy adult/student relationships in the community. In establishing these healthy relationships, it is important for every adult to respect interpersonal boundaries and protect the health, safety, and well-being of every student.

The school has established these guidelines to minimize the potential for interactions with students that may be construed as inappropriate. The following list is intended to provide a guide, and it is not exhaustive. All adult community members and employees, including trustees, administrators, faculty, staff and all extracurricular part-time auxiliary hires including coaches, music teachers, after-school instructors, and similar positions must, in all situations and at all times, interact with the school’s students in a way that is appropriate for a healthy adult/student relationship in the school community.

• Friendships: Understand the inherent power imbalance in adult/student relationships, refraining from developing personal friendships with students, and avoiding sharing private or intimate information with them.
• Verbal interactions: Refrain from engaging in behaviors such as inappropriate/derogatory jokes or remarks, name-calling, nicknames, insisting on “dead” names, or misgendering students. These behaviors could be considered harassment, create misunderstandings, and should be avoided at all times.
• Meetings with students: Meet with students in classrooms, offices, and public spaces that are visible or accessible to others. If a situation requires being alone with a student in a location that is not visible or accessible, inform an administrator of the circumstances of the meeting.
• Off campus: Do not meet alone with students outside of school-sponsored or approved programs. If a situation requires a meeting with a student outside of a school program, inform an administrator so that parental authorization may be obtained.
• Adults’ homes: Do not invite students to your home. If circumstances require an exception, inform the division head prior to issuing the invitation.
• Private staff areas: Do not allow students into private staff areas such as staff restrooms, lounges, closets, and maintenance areas.
• Vehicles: Avoid being alone with a student in a school vehicle except for driving to or from school-sponsored functions. If a situation requires a trip alone with a student, inform an administrator of the circumstances of the trip.
• Social media: Do not “friend” a student on any social media or communicate (including “liking” posts, etc.) with a student through any social media or other online forums.
• Texting: Do not share your personal cell phone number with a student or seek a student’s personal cell phone number. An exception to this rule may apply for school trips and athletic activities. See the Coaches Handbook for further clarification of this exception. Consult with the division head or athletic director before sharing a personal cell phone number with a student.
• Gifts: Do not give gifts to or accept expensive gifts from a student or family.
• School trips: Two adults should always be present on school overnight trips. Do not admit a student into a hotel room or private accommodation while traveling. In the case of an emergency, notify a division head.
• Physical contact: Never engage in any physical contact or other behavior that could be perceived as sexual or intimate with any student.

Reported violations of these guidelines will be investigated. An investigation of a complaint in one role, or removal from one role at the school, is grounds for investigating performance in and possible removal from other roles. Violation of these guidelines may result in corrective action and/or discipline, including termination. In addition, the school may be legally obligated to report a violation of these guidelines to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) or law enforcement. See Winsor’s Code of Conduct for reporting violations.

* Excerpted from the Winsor Employee Handbook 2025–26

Massachusetts law requires professionals who work with children to notify the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) if they suspect that a child has been, or is at risk of being, abused or neglected. Employees, volunteers, and independent contractors (including coaches) who have reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 is suffering from abuse, including sexual abuse, or neglect must notify the division head or the head of school immediately.

In accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 119 Section 51A, the head of school will then make the required oral and written reports to the public authorities. Pursuant to Massachusetts law, failure to report a case of suspected abuse is punishable by civil fine or, in some cases, possible imprisonment.

* Excerpted from the Winsor Employee Handbook 2025–26