Q: What are our rights, and duties, for monitoring student (and staff) behavior “after-hours”?

If your school is on the smaller side, you might find yourself extended far beyond the traditional roles and responsibilities of Business Offer. You probably take on some of the duties of the HR person, and possibly even the Facilities Manager.

If a member of your faculty or staff is hospitalized, it may be appropriate for you, as Division Head, to visit the person. Your visit can offer support at a time when the employee feels most vulnerable, while showing him/her that you sincerely care.

In the private school world, social media objectives are commonly the responsibility of the Admission Office. However, social media is just as powerful for the Development Director as it is for the Admission Officer. If you’re not taking advantage of social media with your school’s constituuents and fans for fund raising and volunteering, then you’re ignoring one of your strongest sources for support.

When making personal solicitations during a capital/major gifts campaign, volunteers often end their visits by giving pledge cards to prospective donors. This can let a prospect “off the hook” because it eliminates the subtle pressure to act during the visit. Once the volunteer leaves, the pledge card may end up in a “to-do” pile on the person’s kitchen counter—or, worse, be misplaced or unintentionally tossed into the trash.

Last year’s Sandy Hook tragedy shook the nation. Since then, schools and districts have been trying to build risk management plans and drills to protect their students, faculty, and staff.

Every now and again, we like to put out a list of popular blogs relating to the world of education. As you know, blogs are a great way to stay current with trends as well as share your thoughts and ideas with the world. Here are a few we think are worth a look or two.

In anticipation of the Health Care Reform going into effect, Education News reports that public school districts are already cutting hours to less than 30 hours a week for teachers’ aides, cafeteria workers, substitute teachers, bus drivers, and other personnel. These changes raise a concern for student performance. The decision to limit full-time employees not only affects the people who are losing hours, but also the students who must adjust to varying teaching and authoritarian styles because of the limited hours allotted for positions.

In 2011, the World Wide Web celebrated its 20th anniversary. Seems hard to believe that it’s been around for that long, impacting research and the way we communicate with others, but it has. And, along with all the positives it has gifted us, there are some negatives, including identity theft, misleading information, psychological damages with cyberbullying cases on the rise, and security concerns that range from financial fraud to personal data breaches.

Q: Do you have an outline for Bullying & Misconduct training?