Santa Barbara City College Looks to Update Rules on Student-Teacher Sexual Relationships
2019 Incident Involving Astronomy Instructor and Former Student Spurs College to Create Stricter Policy
Santa Barbara City College is looking to formally put a stop to relationships between students and staff or teachers.
A new policy is underway that prohibits faculty or other employees from “engag[ing] or seek[ing] to engage in a sexual relationship or sexual behavior with a student enrolled in the college.” It also prohibits the “use of illegal drugs in the presence of a student” and that they can’t “participate in, encourage or allow an underage student to drink alcohol,” among other similar restrictions.
“There is currently an instructor out on administrative leave because he did drugs and slept with a student,” SBCC Academic Senate President Raeanne Napoleon said at a senate meeting. “And I’m sorry if that is shocking for people, but that’s where this is coming from. Unfortunately we need to create policies to tell people very obvious things.”
