Protecting Students

Saint Ignatius College Prep begins by thoroughly evaluating the backgrounds of our employees and regular volunteers, including:

All employees of Saint Ignatius College Prep are “mandated reporters” as outlined in the State of Illinois’ Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, 325 ILCS 5/1, et seq. If a Saint Ignatius employee has reasonable cause to believe a student, known to them in his or her professional and official capacity, may be an abused or neglected child, he or she shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by contacting the Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE.

Saint Ignatius College Prep requires orientation and ongoing training for our employees and regular volunteers through VIRTUS, the National Catholic Risk Retention Group’s program that thoroughly addresses the issues of boundaries between adults and children.

Saint Ignatius College Prep’s “Standards for Faculty/Staff Interaction with Students” outlines appropriate and inappropriate interaction with students under the categories of general conduct, physical contact, discipline, communications, off-campus interactions, overnight trips, relations with former students and enforcement of the standards. All Saint Ignatius employees are required to sign an agreement indicating that they have read this document and are in compliance with all of its provisions.

If you are a Saint Ignatius alumnus or alumna and have been abused by an adult while at Saint Ignatius, no matter how long ago the abuse may have occurred, we strongly urge you to report this to law enforcement authorities, such as the Chicago Police Department and/or the Cook County State’s Attorney.

If you are a Saint Ignatius teacher, counselor, coach, staff member or administrator and you have reasonable cause to believe a student, known to you in your professional and official capacity, may be an abused or neglected child, you are required to make a report or cause a report to be made to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services at the Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE and to the Assistant Principal for Student Services.

If you are a Saint Ignatius student and feel that you have been the victim of any inappropriate behavior by an adult, who works or volunteers at Saint Ignatius, you should report it to your counselor, the Assistant Prefect of Mission, or any adult at Saint Ignatius or at home with whom you feel comfortable. You may also contact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and/or the Chicago Police Department.