Staff Guidelines

Schools and teachers may need to interact with students and the school community online and remotely. It’s important there is clarity around how everyone’s safety can be supported.

This template can help schools and kura describe the way digital technology and online spaces are used in their school community.

These Guidelines can be used by any school or kura, and we encourage you to customize them to reflect the needs of your school and staff.

Ideally, the Guidelines will be co-created with staff, or involve a level of consultation and the opportunity for leadership and staff to unpack the Guidelines together.

Staff signatures are not required for the Guidelines to be used in disciplinary processes. However, a school must be confident that all staff have been made aware of the expectations and responsibilities and what each means in practice.

These Guidelines need to be consistent with existing legal and ethical responsibilities for educators such as those outlined in the NZ Education Council’s Our Code, Our Standards (2017), and individual employment agreements for staff. It is strongly recommended that any staff guidelines be reviewed and updated annually.

How often should Staff Guidelines be updated?

Netsafe recommends the Guidelines be reviewed annually and updated where appropriate to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities.

Keeping a record

Whilst you can't make staff members sign the guidelines, it's recommended that this document is kept with other policies and guidance that support employment information.

Guidelines that are not communicated and explained are not easily enforced and are of limited value to building a culture of safe digital technology use.

Therefore, the school should help staff to understand the Guidelines by supporting them with appropriate information and opportunity to discuss aspects of it.