Por favor lea la versión en español aquí.

September 6, 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope that your children enjoyed their first week back at school. I cannot tell you how inspiring it is to see our students so fresh, happy, and excited to be with their peers and teachers, completely ready to jump with both feet into the school year. 

I write today to follow up with information I spoke about in the parent/guardian orientation last night. In 2018, we created a formal Code of Conduct for Faculty and Staff (referred to as Branson’s Boundary Policy). Though it was published before we began our investigation, I am bringing it directly to your attention so that you understand our policies and procedures with regard to sexual misconduct as it concerns employee/student relationships. The policy is posted on our website here and I ask that you take time to read it as a family. We will go over our Branson Boundary Policy in Assembly on Thursday, and the students will have several opportunities to follow up if they have questions. In addition, Amy Wheeler and Jamie Forbes of Learning Courage, an organization that works with independent schools in the prevention of sexual abuse, will speak with students at Assembly on Monday, September 11.

I also want you to be aware of the formal training we do with our employees to further educate them on this topic. Surprisingly, independent schools are not required by law to conduct mandated reporter training every year. However, completing it annually is considered best practice. In addition to our work with the Boundary Policy, all of our employees undergo mandated reporter training each school year. We also have each employee read and acknowledge the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Law (P.C. 11166.5) and lastly, we do training on sexual harrassment and abusive conduct prevention every two years. This year, we were invited to take part in a CDC research study using Praesideum, a platform that provides training for all segments of the community: teachers, staff, coaches, parents, guardians, and students. It is very thorough and I am hopeful it will serve to even better protect our students. You can learn more about our training programs on the Student Safety page of our website.

The health and safety of your children is of paramount importance to us, and we aim to ensure that sexual abuse never again happens at Branson. This responsibility weighs heavily on me as the leader of the school, and I want to make sure that everyone in our community – employees, students, and parents/guardians – implicitly understands our expectations and knows where to go for assistance should they need it. I believe that preventing this kind of abuse is the responsibility of every member of this community, and addressing it head on and making sure everyone has the same information is of utmost importance. 

Please know that in sharing this message, I am not trying to alarm you, but rather to proactively engage all of us in the job of protecting your children. I’ve included an FAQ below to help answer some of the questions you may have. Thank you for your partnership in this important work. 

Sincerely, 

Chris Mazzola

Head of School

FAQ

What is a mandated reporter? Which adults at Branson are mandated reporters? 

A mandated reporter is any person who is required by law to report a particular category or type of abuse to the appropriate law enforcement or social service agency. At Branson, all teachers, staff, administration, and coaches are mandated reporters. This means that if we learn of or suspect abuse, we are required to call Child Protective Services or the police. Mandated reporters are required to give their names when making a report. However, the reporter's identity is kept confidential. Reports of suspected child abuse are also confidential. Mandated reporters have immunity from state criminal or civil liability for reporting as required

If I as a parent have concerns, or need to report something, what should I do? 

If you have concerns about the safety and well being of any student at Branson, or fear they are being sexually abused, you should reach out to me (Chris Mazzola), Kelsey Acevedo-Soto, our School Counselor, or Whitney Livermore, our Dean of Student Life, and we will determine the next steps. We generally work through these situations as a threesome, so you may contact whomever you feel most comfortable with. You may also contact law enforcement directly, but you are not required by law to do so.

What happens when the school files a report with the police or Child Protective Services?

After we have given the information to law enforcement, they are required to investigate the matter and reach out to anyone they need to speak with to complete the investigation. Cases may also be investigated by Child Welfare Services when allegations involve abuse or neglect within families. Once Branson has filed a report, the case is in the hands of the police. They will update us if needed during the investigation. 

Are parents, volunteers, or team parents mandated reporters?

School volunteers and parents, while not mandated reporters, should report any suspected cases of abuse and neglect to the appropriate people at the school, who will take it from there. 

Why can't a coach or teacher give my student a ride home from school, practices, or games?

Our Boundary Policy is meant to be preventative; we try to avoid any situations in which students would be alone with a single employee. Given this, coaches, teachers, and staff should not drive individual students home from games or practices. 

Por favor lea la versión en español aquí.

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