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Student Safety and Well-Being

Our Commitment to Student Safety and Well-Being

Pingry takes seriously its duty to continuously and proactively ensure the safety of students, and to take swift and decisive action if that safety is compromised. Confronting our history with sexual abuse is troubling, yet it is an important part of our identity as an institution. Understanding and reckoning with our difficult past helps us move forward with clarity and confidence as we continuously outline clear expectations, policies, and boundaries that support healthy connections between students and trusted adults. 

Our history serves as a constant reminder that we must do better every single day. Pingry is confident that the sampling of work outlined below will strengthen our foundation and enable us to maintain our culture of safety for all.

For our Students:

  • Safe spaces that support healthy connections between students and trusted adults (CAST Suite, affinity groups, advisory).
  • Lower School homeroom (“Morning Meeting”) provides a consistent daily opportunity for students to check in with a trusted adult and strengthen routine connections.
  • Lower School students participate in Speak Up Be Safe from Child Health, an evidence-based child abuse prevention curriculum.
  • The Grade 8 Health curriculum teaches students how to identify and respond to sexual harassment and assault.
  • In the mandatory Wellness class for Grade 10 students, teen Mental Health First Aid educates about sexual harassment and abuse.
  • Protection and Reporting policies are reviewed regularly and fully outlined in the Family Handbook.
  • The School has identified employees as “Point People” who share responsibility for receiving, responding to, and investigating sexual harassment reports.

For our Employees:

  • All employees undergo a criminal background check as a condition of employment.
  • Before the start of school annually, all employees are trained/re-trained in supporting a culture of safety as well as establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries with students. These practices are reinforced with employees throughout the year.
  • On an annual basis, employees are trained in how to report suspected incidents of abuse or misconduct.
  • All student safety and protection policies are reviewed annually and fully outlined in the Employee Handbook.