Trustees at the San Ramon Valley Unified School District are set to discuss a proposed update to district policy on acceptable behavior between adults and students as part of an overhaul to policies and practices amid sex crime charges against a now-former teacher in the district.

The proposed board policy update on "maintaining appropriate adult-student interactions" is set for a first reading at the district's monthly board meeting, along with a number of other proposed policy updates including those on safety, campus security, and emergency schedules.

First readings and discussions at the upcoming meeting are informational only, with final versions of the proposed updates set to come before the board at their April 25 meeting.

The proposed update seeks to clarify and emphasize expectations for "the highest personal and ethical standards" from all adults in the district who interact with students.

"These standards include maintaining appropriate boundaries in their interactions with students both within and outside the educational setting," the draft policy update said. "Such adults shall not engage in unlawful or inappropriate interactions with students and shall avoid boundary-blurring or 'grooming' behaviors that undermine trust in the adult-student relationship and lead to the appearance of impropriety."

The draft policy goes on to specify that romantic and sexual relationships and harassment between adults and students are prohibited, "including sexual advances, flirtations, requests for sexual favors, inappropriate comments about a student's body or appearance, or other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature," with the penalty for violation being "up to and including dismissal."

In addition to prohibiting sexual misconduct by adults in the district against students, the proposed update prohibits a number of other behaviors that could lead to or exemplify overly close relationships with students, such as visits at a student or adult's home, personal contact with "no legitimate educational purpose," social media activity and any electronic communication that intentionally bypasses district record collection.

The draft policy would also prohibit a number of "social and other interactions" such as sending students on personal errands, removing them from class without legitimate educational reasons, invading their privacy, or providing them with controlled substances. Other prohibited social interactions include "disclosing personal, sexual, family, employment concerns or other private matters to one or more students," and "sharing personal secrets with a student."

Reports of any boundary violation under the new policy would result in a thorough investigation and immediate intervention if appropriate, with disciplinary measures including suspension and dismissal, as well as prohibition from working in the district for a defined period of time. Adults with knowledge of violations who failed to report them could also be subject to disciplinary measures.

The proposed policy update comes following outcry from parents and concerned community members about the district's failure to substantially investigate and fire former teacher Nicholas Moseby before his arrest in September on felony charges for lewd acts against one 14-year-old and one 15-year-old. Other alleged victims came forward following the arrest, with Moseby now facing a total of four felony charges and three misdemeanor charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled to be set on April 5.

Moseby, who was also a cheer coach based out of San Ramon, was hired as a biology teacher at San Ramon Valley High School in 2021, and was teaching at Diablo Vista Middle School at the time of his arrest last fall. When he was hired, he was facing criminal charges for furnishing alcohol to minors and soliciting prostitution.

As details of the scandal have emerged, SRVUSD officials are seeking to prevent future incidents, with changes to hiring and investigation practices being the subject of a board workshop on Feb. 21.

The SRVUSD board is set to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday (March 14). The agenda is available here.