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Board advances strict adult‑student boundary policy after extended debate over gifts and reporting
Summary
The Allentown School District board moved Policy 824—maintaining professional adult‑student boundaries—forward to the full board after extended discussion about banning romantic/sexual relationships, limits on staff gifts to students, mandatory reporting and anonymous tips. One director voiced opposition to parts of the policy.
The Allentown School District board voted in committee to move Policy 824, a new policy on maintaining professional adult‑student boundaries, to the regular board meeting after more than an hour of discussion about scope, enforcement and unintended consequences.
The policy, presented by Mister Sang, prohibits romantic or sexual relationships between district adults and students “regardless of the student’s age,” language that prompted questions from several directors about whether the phrase “students of any age are not legally capable of consenting” should remain and how that wording reads. Attorney Sotanic said the proposed language tracks recent criminal and institutional law changes and that the policy reflects a higher standard for employees.
Board members pressed administration on several…
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