Katonah - Lewisboro School District

KATONAH-LEWISBORO SCHOOLS                                                  PROPOSED POLICY 4330

TUTORING

The Board of Education trusts that every effort is made by District staff to help all students achieve to the best of their abilities. An important component of the learning experience is individualized assistance and consultation from staff members to students. Such assistance has often been provided by staff as “extra help.”  Such support is appreciated and encouraged.   The provisions noted below shall not apply when an employee is providing services in accordance with District authorized homebound instruction.

Recognizing that there are times when a family may approach a Katonah-Lewisboro School District staff member to request individual assistance for a student on a private, compensated basis, the School District sets parameters to avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety.  Consistent with the District’s Code of Ethics (Policy #2160), and to protect the District and its employees from conflicts of interest and/or the appearance of conflicts of interest, the Board adopts the following:

• No Katonah-Lewisboro School District employee will tutor, coach or provide other services for private compensation to a student (or that student’s sibling) currently enrolled in his/her class, or on the roster of his/her team.
• No secondary school staff member may privately tutor a student in another section of a course he/she is currently teaching. No elementary staff member may privately tutor a student in another class on the same grade level that he/she is currently teaching. No counselor or clinical services provider may offer private services for compensation to a student enrolled in the same building in which he/she works.
• These provisions remain in effect throughout the particular semester, school year, or season that such a relationship exists.

Communication and Information Sharing:

If and when a private arrangement is reached with a Katonah-Lewisboro School District family, the employee will notify the student’s building principal, the student’s current teacher in the subject area or grade level being tutored, and when appropriate, the athletic director.  The only information shared will be the name of the student and the general nature of the service being provided. 

FERPA/HIPPA protections always govern the sharing of information by a staff member with another staff member who is working privately with a student. 

District Resources: 

No employee shall use any District resources while providing such a service for private compensation.    District resources include but are not limited to e-mail, course texts, assessments, or any other materials or information not provided to every student.  Additionally, tutoring, coaching, or the providing of any service for private compensation may not occur on school grounds at any time and may not occur during the employee’s contractual work day.

Advertising and Solicitation: 

District staff are not to advertise or recommend the services of any private tutor, coach, or other service provider so as to avoid the appearance that the District has vetted or in any way endorsed those services.

District families and/or students may not be solicited during school hours, on school grounds, or through district resources for private tutoring or coaching services.