SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS

General Guidelines
The pattern of staff supervision of students is determined by the program.  HEC utilizes both individual student and a team approach to supervision.  Staff members are assigned to a Student or a Team of students who are under their supervision.  All activities require consistency and routine.  When students are not involved in one-on-one instruction, Team participation and membership are stressed. Clinical strategies are outlined for each student in his/her individual CTP/IEP.
Students are not permitted to be alone and out of staff eyesight except when the need for privacy dictates.  Every attempt is made to engage each student in a positive way through a variety of educational, social and recreational experiences.
Students may be allowed a reasonable degree of privacy, for example, in bathrooms or in their bedrooms.  However, privacy can only be allowed if rooms have been checked to assure that no potentially harmful/dangerous objects or materials are present, if the student’s behavior and level are appropriate to the granting of privacy, and when no other students are in the room.   Even so, staff must be present outside the door of such areas and make checks at intervals to be determined by the Treatment Team and good child care practices.  If there are 2 or more students in the same room/area, then staff must be in a position to ensure all students in that area are in eyesight and ear shot.
Whenever students leave their campus, they must be accompanied by staff unless the student is being taken off-campus by an authorized visitor for an approved visit.
When supervisory responsibilities of a student are passed to another staff, it is mandatory that the staff turning over supervision and the staff taking on supervision * clearly acknowledge this transfer to one another so that misunderstandings can be avoided and student safety be maintained.
Teamwork and communication are necessary to provide close, effective supervision.  Any problems encountered in the supervision of students should be reported to the Child Care Supervisor.

Special Circumstance Guidelines

The Treatment Team, with the expressed documented permission of the Program Director, may develop a supervision structure which permits the student to engage in “non-direct supervised” On- or Off-campus academic, life-skill, and/or vocational experiences which are consistent with the student’s IEP and which are provided with the informed consent of the Parent/Guardian, School District and other funding agencies. This “supervision structure” should be time-limited, consistent with the student’s Treatment Level, subject to frequent routine reviews, and contain safeguards and conditions for the ultimate protection of the student.

These guidelines are designed to maintain the safety of the students. Full cooperation is expected from staff. Failure to supervise students properly may result in suspension and even termination from employment.