Protecting Our REACH Students

As a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of New York, Regis is required to comply with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which includes conducting criminal background checks of all our employees. To this end, Regis has contracted with First Advantage to conduct background checks of all prospective employees regarding criminal activity, including a search of the National Sexual Offenders data bank. Prospective candidates are offered employment only after a satisfactory report is received from the Archdiocese's clearinghouse office for background checks. Regis also maintains continuous background checks on active employees. Through this process, we are notified if there's a relevant update impacting someone’s status.

All full-time and part-time employees must undergo VIRTUS training at the beginning of their employment as well as annual ongoing training to promote the safety and care of students. Such topics include: establishing professional boundaries; mandated reporter responsibilities; contacting students outside of the school day; restrictions regarding the use of alcohol; and ensuring appropriate use of electronic communications, including social media.

Regis High School prohibits any and all forms of harassment, which include behaviors commonly recognized as grooming, bullying, hazing, sexual harassment and sexual abuse/assault. Harassment can take place in person or in writing and can be physical, verbal, or electronic. Regardless of its form, Regis prohibits it. This code of conduct applies to all students and employees.

Students, parents/guardians, and any other concerned party aware of a violation or suspected violation should report these to any member of the Regis faculty or staff with whom they are comfortable speaking. Those who are not comfortable reporting a violation to a Regis faculty or staff member may contact T&M USA using the information below. Regis encourages reporting incidents of harassment and boundary violations as soon as possible; however, there is no time limit on when such a report may be made.

All Regis employees who have reason to believe that any violation has or may have occurred are under an obligation to immediately report this information or suspicion to the indicated persons set forth in the Employee Handbook. A "reason to believe" may be predicated upon being told directly or indirectly that a violation has occurred, overhearing a rumor that a violation has occurred, or observing behavior which gives rise to a suspicion that a violation has occurred. This obligation is mandatory regardless of whether the alleged violation involves another faculty member, staff member, Jesuit, priest, or student as a victim or an offender. When in doubt whether they have sufficient reason to believe a violation has or may have occurred, faculty/staff members should always err on the side of caution by reporting what they know or suspect.

Any student, parent, guardian, or employee who is not comfortable reporting a violation of the Code of Conduct to a Regis faculty or staff member may contact T&M USA using the information below.

The full Code of Conduct can be found in the Employee Handbook distributed to all faculty and staff. All Regis employees are required to sign an annual agreement indicating that they have read this document and will comply with all of its provisions.

Under Section 413 of the New York State Social Services Law, all school officials, including, but not limited to, administrators, faculty, school counselors, coaches and health care professionals employed by Regis, have an affirmative duty to report when they have "reasonable cause to suspect" that a student has been abused or maltreated by a parent or legal guardian, faculty or staff member, or someone else legally responsible for their care and such information has come to the employee's attention in the course of his or her official or professional capacity. Such information may come to an employee's attention in a number of ways: from a student, from a parent, legal guardian, or another adult, or from something the employee has personally observed. "Abuse and maltreatment" include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.

"Mandated reporters," as defined above, must call the New York State Central Registry ("SCR") at 1-800-635-1522 upon having such "reasonable cause." This is a personal duty of the person who has such reasonable cause and is not satisfied by telling a supervisor at the school. Consulting with a supervisor at the school before making such a call, however, is allowable, and indeed advisable, but the consent or approval of such supervisor is never a requirement or substitute for making a call to the SCR.

This reporting duty applies to knowledge obtained during any out-of-school activity, as well as when on school premises, and indeed to any knowledge of abuse or maltreatment of a student "coming before them in their official or professional capacity" at any time or place. Thus, even if a Regis faculty/staff member learns of reportable abuse or maltreatment while on a retreat where students are encouraged to and often do make disclosures of close personal information, a report must be made to the SCR.

In using the internet, computers, mobile devices, and the various methods of electronic communication, employees who are working with students at Regis and in Regis-sponsored programs must maintain appropriate behavior, and serve as examples of Christian conduct. They must also take care to avoid any situation or conduct that might be misinterpreted, or that might be the source of scandal for themselves, the school, or others.

Employees must make sure that their use of electronic communication maintains a proper professional relationship with students, and does not create or give the appearance of an inappropriate relationship, or encourage inappropriate behavior. In using electronic communications, proper and healthy boundaries between employees and students must always be maintained. The use of a private email account or social media platform to communicate with a student is not permitted.

Regis's policy on electronic communications, outlined in Section 3 of the Employee Handbook, follows the guidelines established by the Archdiocese's Policy for "Electronic Communications, Internet and Computer Use."