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Utah's newest school district is considering drafting strict rules that should keep teachers from ever having inappropriate relationships with students.
New technology means finding new ways to protect teachers and students. Canyons District Superintendent David Doty says things like MySpace, texting and e-mail lend themselves to casualness.
"You have to pay attention to that and educate people on where the professional boundaries are," he said.
Doty says the line should be drawn before physical contact. He may spell out when and how much a teacher and student can e-mail and text each other.
Doty also says the district may also ban gift giving between teachers and students.
"There is a difference between small gifts of appreciation and frequent expensive gifts that are intended to cultivate, or lend themselves to the appearance of an inappropriate relationship," Doty said.
Investigations show some misconduct cases start with personal interactions that built toward sexual relationships.
Doty says guidelines shouldn't be so rigid that they prevent meaningful, appropriate interaction with students.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
