New code of conduct for SA teachers sets out rules for relationships with former students

SA teachers can expect relationships with former students will be investigated and they must follow rules around activism in a new code of conduct.

Teachers will face scrutiny over their relationships with former students. Picture: iStock

A new code of conduct for South Australian teachers has warned educators not to engage in relationships with former students and sets out guidelines for activism in their private lives.

In a guiding document to support the code of conduct, introduced by the Teachers Registration Board of SA, a set of “commonly asked questions” address topics such as sexual relations with a former student of a consenting age.

The document, which came into effect on August 1, said that relationships with former students are “an extremely risky area” and that it is “easy to breach professional standards”.

“As a matter of best practice teachers should refrain from engaging in a sexual relationship with a former student,” it warned.

The document noted that if teacher does develop a relationship with a student who studied at a school where they were employed, “it would be reasonable that the relationship would be investigated”.

An investigation would probe whether communication has been ongoing, whether “an appropriate amount of time has passed between graduation and the relationship commencing” and if any “grooming behaviour” was involved.

It sets out that at a minimum for a relationship between a former student and teacher, “at least several years have passed” after graduation before any form of personal relationship begins.

Teachers should also reject “friend” requests on social media from students on their personal accounts.

The document addresses teachers who engage in activism outside of work and states that while they have a right to express personal views, “it should be done in a manner that upholds the reputation of the teaching profession”.

Teachers engaging in activism should do it in “a way that does not create conflict or invasive discomfort for students or colleagues”, the new guidelines advised.