Faith's Law

Faith’s Law is named after prevention advocate and child sexual abuse survivor Faith Colson, who graduated from an Illinois high school in the early 2000s. Faith’s Law was passed by the Illinois General Assembly as two separate pieces of legislation. The first legislation established the definition of sexual misconduct within the School Code and outlined the requirements for schools to develop and post employee code of professional conduct policies.  The second legislation adds employment history reviews as part of the hiring and vetting process for schools and school contractors, requires notices to be provided to parents/guardians and the applicable student when there’s an alleged act of sexual misconduct, and makes other changes to the process schools must follow when handling allegations of sexual misconduct.  The Laboratory Schools have adopted policies to implement these standards which are described on the Laboratory School policy page.   A resource guide titled: Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention Resource Guide , published by the Illinois State Board of Education June 12, 2023 is also available on the site.

Expectations for Teachers and Staff

All Laboratory School Teachers and/or Staff members are expected to maintain high standards in their school relationships, to demonstrate integrity and honesty, to be considerate and cooperative, and to maintain professional and appropriate relationships with students, parents/guardians, staff members and others.  For purposes of this document the term “Teachers and/or Staff” refers to Laboratory School faculty associates, staff, teacher candidates, volunteers or other Laboratory School agents acting on behalf of the Laboratory School.    

The Expectations outlined below apply to all Teachers and/or Staff.  The information below is being provided in compliance with Illinois School Code provisions enacted under Public Act 102-0676, referred to as Faith’s Law.  This document describes the expectations for Teachers and/or Staff regarding maintaining a professional relationship with students, including but not limited to, expectations for staff-student boundaries, and recognizing the age and developmental level of students served.  The Laboratory School Expectations for Teachers and/or Staff include the following minimum standards:

1. All Teachers and/or Staff subject to these Expectations are expected to adhere to the core principles, values, and responsibilities applicable to Illinois educators outlined in the Code of Ethics for Illinois Educators, 23 Ill. Adm. Part 22.  The Expectations contained in this document are in addition to all applicable federal and state law and regulations and applicable University Policy and Procedures.
2. All Teachers and/or Staff are explicitly prohibited from engaging in grooming behaviors or sexual misconduct with students.
   Sexual misconduct is any act, including, but not limited to, any verbal, nonverbal, written, or electronic communication or physical activity, by an employee or agent of the University / Laboratory Schools with direct contact with a student that is directed toward or with a student to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with the student.  Such an act includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:
   1. A sexual or romantic invitation.
   2. Dating or soliciting a date.
   3. Engaging in sexualized or romantic dialog.
   4. Making sexually suggestive comments that are directed toward or with a student.
   5. Self-disclosure or physical exposure of a sexual, romantic, or erotic nature.
   6. A sexual, indecent, romantic, or erotic contact with the student.
      This definition and standard will apply to Teachers and/or Staff in the Laboratory Schools.  However, all other applicable laws, regulations, University and/or Laboratory School policies, procedures, practices or requirements also continue to apply.
3. Transporting students.
   1. If transportation is provided to students, Teachers and/or Staff should be accompanied by another Teacher or Staff member when transporting a student.
   2. Teachers and/or Staff should not transport students in their privately owned vehicle unless the Teacher and/or Staff member has obtained the prior permission of the building administrator or Laboratory School Superintendent.
   3. When transporting a student in a privately-owned vehicle, permission from the parent/ guardian should be obtained and documented in writing.  If it is not feasible to obtain advance permission or notify a parent/guardian  prior to transporting the student (such as an emergency situation or when a parent/guardian cannot be contacted), Teachers and/or Staff should take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the student; within a reasonable period of time following transportation of a student, Teacher and/or Staff should document what actions were taken and notify both the building administrator and the parent/guardian in a follow up communication.   
4. Taking or possessing a photo or a video of a student.
   Teachers and/or Staff are not permitted to take a photo or video of a student for their personal use.  Photos and images of students for Laboratory School sponsored activities used to further the Laboratory School mission are permitted as follows: 
   1. All photos/video images of students shall be used in accordance with the authorization provided by parents/guardians to the Laboratory School.
   2. A photo or video of a student is a FERPA-protected education record when the photo or video is (1) directly related to a student and 2) maintained by an educational agency or a party acting for the agency or institution.  These images may reveal personally identifiable information about students.  A photo or video taken by Teacher and/or Staff in their professional capacity (such as a photo or video taken in a classroom) is entitled to protections as any other FERPA-protected student record.  These images may not be disclosed without consent or as otherwise permitted by law.  These types of images should not be posted to a Teacher and/or Staff member’s personal media accounts for any reason.
   3. A photo or video would not be considered “directly related to a student” if, for example, a student’s image is incidental or captured as part of a background, or a student is shown participating in school activities open to the public without a specific focus on any individual.   
   4. A photo or video of students taken by Teachers and/or Staff who are also parents/guardians may not be used for Laboratory School purposes without appropriate consent.
5. Meeting with a student or contacting a student outside of a Teacher and/or Staff member’s professional roles.
   1. Teachers and/or Staff are generally not permitted to meet with a student or contact a student as a Teacher and/or Staff member outside that individual’s professional role.
   2. Teachers and/or Staff are strictly prohibited from using any form of communication with students (including but not limited to e-mails, letters, notes, text messages, phone calls, conversations) that includes any subject matter that would be deemed unprofessional and inappropriate between Teachers and/or Staff and a student.
   3. It is understood that Teachers and/or Staff live and work in our dynamic communities and may encounter students in the context of the Teacher and/or Staff member’s personal relationships outside of school.  All Teachers and/or Staff are expected to avoid crossing a line that results in an actual or perceived inappropriate relationship.  

Any violations of these standards or failure to report a violation of these standards may subject an employee to discipline, up to and including dismissal from employment.  Other individuals (e.g. student teachers, volunteers, contractors) may be subject to corrective action or other appropriate consequences in accordance with applicable standards.

Reporting and Training

Allegations of possible violations of this section should be made the following office:

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access

Equalopportunity@illinoisstate.edu

Hovey Hall 310 - Campus Box 1280

(309) 438-3383  | (309) 438-7395 fax

http://equalopportunity.illinoisstate.edu

This reporting requirement is in additional to the individual’s requirements to report suspected child abuse under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA) and in compliance with Title IX of the Federal Educational Amendments of 1972.  The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will review the allegations pursuant to this section and applicable policy.

Individuals covered by this section are required to participate in annual training, including but not limited to, federal and state reporting requirements pursuant to Title IX, Clery Act, ANCRA, and the Illinois Ethics Act.
Information on annual trainings can be found at the following websites:

https://equalopportunity.illinoisstate.edu/training/

https://ethics.illinoisstate.edu/training/