Healthy boundaries booklet (Sept. 2016)

September 2016

Emma Willard School’s Commitment to Safety, Respect, Well-Being and Leadership

Our Values From its inception in 1814, Emma Willard School has long championed the education of young women. True to our founder’s vision, we proudly foster in each young woman a love of learning, the habits of an intellectual life, and the character, moral strength and qualities of leadership to serve and shape her world. Paramount and central to that mission continues to be the health, well-being and safety of our students as we educate and prepare them to become future leaders. This is as important now as ever and will never change.

Our Perspective on Past Incidents We acknowledge that there have been past incidents of sexual abuse at Emma Willard School and we feel grief and compassion for anyone who has suffered as a result. We regret that our entire community has had to come to terms with the painful recognition that these events occurred at our school. Most importantly, we have learned from this challenging and heartbreaking process and are resolute in continuing to learn from it. The school has re-examined and strengthened our policies, procedures and curricula. But we are committed to doing more. Emma Willard School is undertaking a major initiative in order to lead and change the conversation and the culture when it comes to sexual abuse at preparatory schools.

This is a deliberate, systematic and long-term commitment that we are making. As you will note in the following pages, we have already taken action and will continue to make progress over the coming months and years. We vow to keep our community informed along the way.

Our Commitments • Empower and provide abuse survivors with a safe forum to express themselves as well as provide recovery support and resources.

• Provide transparency in terms of historical cases of abuse at the school.

• Foster a culture of respect, safety and well-being at Emma Willard School where advances from an adult toward a student are not tolerated and no student suffers retaliation for reporting.

• Create open dialogue, awareness and prevention around the issue of sexual abuse. This includes working with both outside experts and members within our community including students, parents, faculty, staff and alumnae.

• Create and implement the appropriate, definitive policies, procedures and systems for preventing, reporting, investigating and handling cases of sexual abuse.

• Educate and train our community, including students, alumnae, faculty and staff, and incorporate this important topic into our curricula.

• Become a leader in helping other secondary schools to learn from our experience and teach students about the issue of sexual abuse.

• Create a reporting system that serves as a model and example for other preparatory schools.

Our Initiatives

Policies and Procedures New Sexual Harassment Policy – We have incorporated new procedures and protocols for reporting sexual abuse into Fine Print, the student handbook.

Ensuring Dialogue and Understanding – We distributed hard copies of the new handbook to all students, who were required to meet with their advisors to discuss the policy and sign an acknowledgement sheet. Parents were also given copies of the handbook and the new version was uploaded to the school website.

Revised Employee Handbook – The employee handbook was thoroughly revised this summer, incorporating many of the same procedures and protocols for reporting sexual abuse to be found in Fine Print, plus additional adult-specific protocols. The new handbook was developed with student safety as a core principle. The employee handbook also includes very clear consequences if there is inappropriate contact with a student. The handbook will be reviewed annually at the start of each year and any updates will be shared with employees during faculty/staff meetings and via email.

Enhanced Code of Conduct – Our faculty are currently working on an enhanced Code of Conduct called Healthy Boundaries Standards. These new standards provide additional clarity to the policies that are already in the employee handbook.

Safety and Well-Being Dean of Students Role Expanded – We have updated the title of Dean of Students to include a focus on well-being. We assessed and expanded our curriculum to include a focus on sexual assault prevention education.

Updated Health Education Curriculum – The Healthy Relationships unit was expanded to include three weeks of discussion on sensitive and complex topics including appropriate ways of communicating, approaching difficult conversations, rights and responsibilities, and safety.

Acclimating and Initiating Ninth Grade Students to Health Center Staff – All freshman toured the health center this year to meet with all nurses and school psychologists to establish relationships with health professionals and facilities. All new incoming students will also take the tour.

More Accessibility to Private Practitioners – In addition to our regular health care staff, a private practitioner dedicates one of her two weekly sessions at the school for private practice allowing students who need resources beyond school care. Previously, students who needed additional services had to leave campus for services.

Strengthened Education for Proctors and Peer Educators – We strengthened the focus of these groups so that the existing support mechanisms include preparation on how to recognize and prevent sexual assault and misconduct, and how to report it.

Student Welfare Committee – The Committee meets twice weekly to discuss student and faculty issues. Members of the community are encouraged to bring students’ names or general issues forward for discussion through a general email - swc@emmawillard. org. The Committee is convened by the Dean of Students and Wellbeing. Other members include: Academic Dean, Head of Enrollment Management, Head Nurse, School Counselor, Coordinator of Learning Support.

Attendance Monitoring System – We carefully track students’ class attendance to ensure all students are accounted for.

Security Enhancements 1. Two new full-time security guards have been hired, replacing multiple part-time shifts. We find that full-time guards have a deeper commitment to the school and the safety and security of our students.

2. The addition of a full-time receptionist has released our day guard to patrol the campus and look out for the safety of the community full time.

3. The 2016/2017 school year will see the implementation of card activated building access and a doubling of the number of cameras on campus. These

new measures will make for an even safer and more secure campus for our students and employees.

4. The security team is working in close coordination with the Troy Police Department (TPD) to develop new lockdown protocols for campus.

5. The security and student life teams are working closely with the TPD to develop an active relationship with our community. TPD representatives will visit with all of our students during several assemblies to discuss the process and the reporting of sexual assault.

6. Our existing practice of conducting background checks on all hires has been expanded to include spouses of employees on campus; it will include contractors and volunteers in the near future.

7. We will be establishing a new policy for visitors to campus with safety as a major focus.

Accountability Pepper Hamilton Investigation – The school has hired leading law firm Pepper Hamilton to conduct an investigation which will cover all sexual assault incidents at the school from any era. We will make available to the community the results of the investigation upon its conclusion. In August, Pepper Hamilton investigators Leslie Gomez and Gina Maisto Smith hosted a webinar to explain the methodology behind the investigation and answer questions from our community. This webinar was rebroadcast twice at a later date to give community members additional access to the content. In addition to being available by phone or email, Pepper Hamilton created an online inquiry tool so that members of the community could anonymously report information that is relative to the investigation surrounding past abuse at Emma Willard School.

Alumnae Advisory Task Force (AATF) – We have formed AATF to review and provide guidance and/or recommendations on a) school policies and practices regarding sexual harassment and abuse; b) the employee and student handbooks; and c) attend and/or interact with the school’s administration, faculty and students to ask questions regarding these areas with the goal of improving the school. AATF will present a written summary of findings and recommendations to the Board of Trustees that will form the foundation of our course of further action. We will also share these recommendations with the community.

Establishment of Campus Core Leadership Team – Representatives made up of students, parents, faculty, and alumnae will look at the ongoing implementation of the Culture of Respect action plan on campus.

Education and Curricula Activist Alumnae Discussions (August 10) – Our Director of Student Life and Dean of Students and Wellbeing met with recent graduate activists to discuss emotional and mental health support for students on campus.

Mandatory Education Session for Students (September 1) – This session was focused on school policies and procedures with special attention paid to the topic of sexual abuse. Students learned about our Safe Harbor policy and the sexual assault reporting policy. All faculty and advisors were in attendance for the session.

Student Town Halls (September 9, November 3, and ongoing) – We convened a Town Hall for all students to voice their feelings and thoughts on the topic of safety and school policies and procedures with a small group of administrators, faculty and staff. A series of Town Halls on this topic will continue throughout the year.

Mandatory Education Sessions for Faculty (August 24 and September 28) – The August session included a discussion of school policies and procedures. The September 28 session was a 60-day follow-up session for all employees, and mandatory online harassment training for new employees is to be completed by the first semester.

Troy Police Officer Training for Students (Beginning in October) – Members of the Troy Police Department will come to campus to help educate students on how to recognize and report sexual assault and misconduct, and how to be safe both in their physical surroundings and online.

tour guides have an understanding of the importance of strong communication with the admissions teams and will relay any concerns if raised on a tour. This will allow the team to better understand the safety needs and concerns of families seeking boarding school.

Parent Education – Emma Willard School parents will be invited to a Healthy Boundaries seminar during Parent Days.

All parents are invited and any that cannot attend will receive a transcript of the presentation. It is important for parents to be educated on this topic so that they can support their daughters in the present and future. Past parent education has included safe use of social media and research tools.

Alumnae Education - Alumnae play an important role in the success of our commitments to open dialogue, education, awareness, and prevention.

Thoughtful engagement with alumnae builds a stronger alumnae network, which strengthens our ability to support the school’s mission. We engage with our alumnae both on and off campus in many formal and informal settings and through diverse communications channels. The Advancement team, and all faculty and staff participants in alumnae events, are fully briefed to respond to questions and to offer pathways for further dialogue and education. Training includes how to address concerns of past sexual abuse and current policies and procedures.

Alumnae have 24/7 access through alumnae@emmawillard.org and 1-866833-1814 to express concerns and ideas, and to request information. Members of the Alumnae Association Council are encouraged to engage alumnae and students across a variety of programs.

Parent Relations – The school has appointed a senior administrator to oversee current parent relations and engagement. The Head of Enrollment Management is a main point of contact for parents to express concerns and voice opinions on issues not pertaining to academics. Parents also use the school’s strong advisor system. The Head of Enrollment Management is an instant responder and supports parents through their transition to the school and throughout their daughters’ time at Emma Willard School.

Staff Training – The Admissions team has been fully briefed and trained to respond to all prospective families and inquiries. The team understands the culture of the school and the myriad ways in which girls are educated about healthy boundaries. The team will effectively convey the safe practices of the school to prospective families. In addition, all

Resources and Training Healthy Boundaries Resources – We have established a section of our website that is dedicated to information, resources and updates pertaining to safety and well-being on campus.

We continuously update this section which can be accessed at: http://www. emmawillard.org/healthyboundaries.

Notifications for Healthy Boundaries updates are made in our weekly e-newsletter, on our social media channels, and through direct email.

NAIS Training (April 14) – Members of our administration team attended “Preventing and Investigating Educator Sexual Misconduct,” a training hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Attendees learned about and discussed topics including statistics on sexual abuse, signs to look for, strategies for minimizing opportunities in all situations and schools in particular, how to talk about abuse with children, and how to react responsibly.

NYC Council for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Seminar (July 20) – Chair of the Emma Willard School Board of Trustees and Interim Head of School met with Dr. Mary Pulido and Stephen Forrester to discuss a review of current sexual assault procedures, programs for students, and training for adults.

Sexual Misconduct Seminar (August 8/9) – Emma Willard School administrators and faculty, community advocates, lawyers, and law enforcement officers, along with attendees from other schools, took part in a two-day interactive training entitled, ”The School Policy Institute on Cyber and Sexual Misconduct.”

This seminar, hosted by Elmira College, focused on implementation of best practices dealing with campus safety and sexual misconduct for K-12 and higher education.

Troy Police Department Meeting (August 16) – Key administration members, including the Head of School, met with detectives from the Troy Police Department to discuss abuse and misconduct reporting policies. An inaugural series of trainings for students by grade is being planned for the 2016-17 school year.

Mandatory Boundary Setting Training (August 23) – Members of our faculty and staff attended the training, “Living in Community with Children: Setting and Maintaining Appropriate Boundaries with Students” led by Linda Johnson, attorney and recognized authority on student and campus safety issues. That afternoon, Johnson met with a group of 30 visiting alumnae to discuss boundaries and the measures Emma Willard School is taking to train the community on these issues.

She also held dedicated training sessions with residential faculty and coaches.

Pepper Hamilton Anonymous Reporting Tool – An anonymous online inquiry tool (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ Review_EWS) has been established

to allow anyone in our community to anonymously report abuse to the Pepper Hamilton investigators. This site has been created as part of Pepper Hamilton’s external review of historical incidents of abuse. Information submitted to Pepper Hamilton will be reviewed and considered as part of its review. It is not intended to be used to report concerns about current incidents or suspected abuse of a current student. Any concerns about current incidents can be reported directly to law enforcement or child protective services, or to the School, who will help make the external report. Any information submitted online that raises a possible concern of current abuse will be shared by Pepper Hamilton with the appropriate authorities consistent with New York law.

Culture of Respect Partnership – Emma Willard School is proud to be the first secondary school to adapt Culture of Respect’s prevention programming matrix. It is an NASPA-backed program aimed at educating and providing tools to colleges and universities on how to prevent and eliminate assault on campus. We have formed a team of administrators to provide oversight for this effort and its future action plans.

Student Focus Groups – Our Director of Student Life holds an “open table” lunch session every week where students can meet to discuss topics of their choosing.

Open Door Office Hours with School Counselor – For the month of September, our school counselor held open door office hours for Emma Willard School community members to discuss topics sensitive in nature.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Emma Willard School 285 Pawling Ave. Troy, NY 12180 518.833.1300 Emmawillard.org Lisa McGrath Head of Human Relations and Talent Management 518.833.1367 Dr. Susan R. Groesbeck Head of School Interim 518.833.1301 Leslie Gomez Cozen O’Connor 1650 Market Street One Liberty Place, Suite 2800 Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799 215-665-5546 lgomez@cozen.com Gina Maisto Smith Cozen O’Connor 1650 Market Street One Liberty Place, Suite 2800 Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799 215-665-5540 gmsmith@cozen.com Troy New York Police Department 55 State St. Troy, NY 12180 518.270.4411