As educators in this province, all Principals and Vice-Principals are held to the nine Professional Standards for BC Educators. The Commissioner for Teacher Regulation uses the Standards to address possible breaches, and for this reason, we remind our members of some of the specifics of the Standards that are a regular part of their daily work. Disregarding the Standards could be a risk for Principals and Vice-Principals.

Standard #1 states that “Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests”.

What can this look like for a Principal or Vice-Principal on the front lines?

We owe a duty of care to:

• protect students from reasonably foreseeable risk

• ensure students are appropriately supervised

• not abuse our position of power

• ensure the diversity in classrooms is respected and valued

• ensure students are treated with dignity and respect

• take care with student information and ensure confidentiality

In the role of school administrator, this means ensuring that you actively oversee the work of the staff at your site, and that district and Ministry of Education and Child Care policies and guidelines are followed. For example:

• ensure that there is adequate supervision on proposed field trips prior to approving
• ensure that student IEPs are implemented and appropriate to the student needs
• make decisions about supervision during unstructured time that prioritize student safety
• ensure that confidential information about students (including discipline outcomes) is not shared with anyone other than the immediate family and school support team, and is shared only on a need-to-know basis.  

Principals and Vice-Principals are gently reminded to seriously consider Standard #1 when making decisions, and when overseeing the operation of the school. Administrators are also encouraged to model professional behaviour that reflects the expectations of the Professional Standards. When a member of the community feels that there has been a breach of a Standard, a TRB complaint might be filed against the educator.  

While our hope is that members don’t find themselves in that situation, the MSS team is here to support and represent members through the process when a complaint is received. If you find yourself in that situation, please reach out to us as quickly as possible.