Recently there have been some incidents that have drawn the attention of students to the need for mutual respect and protection of privacy between teachers and students on campus.
We at The Scroll believe that strong ties between students and teachers are essential to the Deerfield community. Transparency in these relationships is key. However, lately it seems that while the administration addresses student infractions of the respect policy in a transparent, disciplinary fashion, faculty aren’t always held to the same standard. Student actions often become quickly public to the community while the faculty does not seem to run the same risk.
We see Deerfield as our home, a place where we will grow up, make mistakes and learn from them. It seems unfair that the respect policy is not applied equally to students and faculty, specifically that the privacy of students is not regarded as valuable compared to the privacy of faculty. While direct communication between community members does continue to be one of the most valued practices of Deerfield, the recent inconsistency in the degree of openness of communication, depending upon whether the offender of a school value is a student or a teacher, has left students feeling as if they are not regarded as equal members of the community.
We at The Scroll understand there is a difference in expectations and responsibilities between adolescents and adults in many cases. But in the case of respect, the expectations and responsibilities should be the same. In order for students to trust adults on campus and vice versa, the administration must respond to infractions of the respect policy in a consistent manner, whether the offender is a student or a teacher. Complete transparency and equality of treatment in response to infractions of the respect policy are essential steps towards making this campus feel equally safe for all its members.