Mater Dei High School

Mater Dei High School Tutoring Policy

As an entity within the Diocese of Orange, Mater Dei High School is required to implement the Tutoring Policy issued from the Department of Catholic Schools.

It is important that a teacher who tutors Mater Dei students is in compliance with the directives established by the Diocese of Orange/Department of Catholic Schools. To ensure that teachers have opportunity to be in compliance with this policy, Mater Dei has implemented the following procedures related to tutoring of MD students which will go into effect January 27, 2009.

1. A MD teacher may never tutor any of his/her students for a monetary fee.
2. Any MD teacher who wishes to be considered as a tutor of Mater Dei students is required to do so on the MD campus between the hours of 3:00 p.m.and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. When tutoring is arranged for a Saturday, it is to take place on the MD campus. The teacher may choose the hours and is required to notify the Assistant Principal/Faculty Services of the hours. Tutoring may not take place on Sundays.
3. MD teacher-tutors must sign a written employment agreement in order to tutor on campus. This agreement is available from the office of the Assistant Principal/Personnel & Faculty Services.
4. Tutoring is to take place in the classrooms in the grotto area. A teacher may sign up to use one of the 500 or 600 rooms through the office of Assistant Principal/Faculty Services
5. Teachers are to be paid through the MD Business Office. Parents of tutored students should make the check payable to Mater Dei High School. The maximum amount that a teacher may charge for tutoring a MD student is $55.00 per hour. Appropriate taxes will be taken out of this amount which will leave the teacher with $50.00 payment.
6. Parents and students who need to contact a teacher for tutoring should do so in person on the MD campus, through the teacher’s MD email or phone system. It is not appropriate for teachers to give students personal cell phone numbers.
7. MD security personnel will walk through the grotto area and classrooms where tutoring is taking place on a regular basis to ensure that both teacher and student are provided a safe environment.

The intent of these procedures is to enable teachers to tutor and students to be tutored within the framework of the Diocesan policy. If you have any questions regarding these procedures, please see Charisse Kitsinis.

Thank you for your cooperation with this new policy and the procedures provided to implement it.

Diocese of Orange Tutoring Policy

Exempt and non-exempt school employees may not provide tutoring services for individual students or small groups of students enrolled at their employment site unless such services are provided within a program that is school-approved and school-administered according to the following guidelines. These directives apply to all non-classroom educational programming and include private music lessons and athletic training camps.

If a school seeks to establish a school-approved tutoring program, the school must publish:

1. a local tutoring policy consistent with the guidelines established herein,
2. an hourly rate for services provided,
3. directives for teachers involved in such services,
4. a written employment agreement for participating teachers,
5. a bi-weekly time card used by the teacher to record tutorial hours and request compensation and
6. a tutoring services contract co-signed by the instructor and the parent/guardian and student which indicates the rate, schedule and proposed duration of services to be provided.

As a school-approved program, such services will be provided on campus in a supervised setting. These directives apply to all paid tutoring, including during summer vacation and periods of academic recess. All professional standards and diocesan regulations regarding student-teacher relationships are applicable to such programs.

Since the school provides facilities, utilities and liability coverage for services provided within school programs, such overhead expenses are to be considered in establishing the tutorial rate and the rate of compensation paid to the teacher.

All compensation will be paid through regular payroll procedure. Payments must be made directly to the school business office.

As noted In Service of The Body of Christ, Employee Handbook for Lay Personnel, Diocese of Orange (Sections 222.1 and 222.2), exempt and non-exempt employees may not have any outside employment that presents an actual or perceived conflict of interest. Therefore, under no circumstances shall any faculty/staff member:

1. receive compensation for tutorial assistance offered to students currently enrolled in their own classroom.
2. establish off-campus tutorial appointments with any student, except in the case of student infirmity, without prior approval of the school administration.
3. receive direct compensation from a student or family.
4. act as an independent contractor for tutorial services without prior approval of the school administration.
5. provide tutoring at the instructor’s residence or the student’s home.

Violation of these directives may incur disciplinary action or termination.