The Taipei American School child protection policy is derived from the child protection laws of Taiwan and best practices from the United States, along with guidance from safeguarding experts. TAS follows a safeguarding reporting protocol, and employees who suspect child abuse must report it immediately to their supervisor, counselor, or divisional principal. Any member of the community may report suspected abuse to any TAS employee or the Taiwan authorities directly. Additionally, the School has a suicide prevention policy with procedures in place to identify, address, and prevent mental health issues, assess suicide risk, intervene in cases of potential suicide, and to respond after a suicide has occurred. 

All TAS employees must immediately report suspected incidences of child abuse or neglect whenever there is a good faith suspicion that a child has suffered or is at significant risk of suffering abuse or neglect. TAS employees who suspect child abuse or neglect must report it immediately to their supervisor, counselor, or divisional principal. Following the chain of command, the divisional principal must be notified of concerns and report them immediately to the Head of School and to the Chief Operating Officer. If suspected abuse or neglect has occurred, the School will assess the need for immediate intervention. With the involvement of the Head of School, the Compliance and Regulatory Manager will report suspected incidents of abuse or neglect to the relevant authorities as required: 

• Center for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at Department of Social Affairs 
• Taiwan Ministry of Education 
• Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare 

Protecting the health and well-being of all students is of utmost importance to Taipei American School. The school board has adopted a suicide prevention policy which will help to protect all students through the following steps:

• Students will learn to recognize and respond to warning signs of suicide by identifying and sharing emotions, developing a range of coping and problem-solving skills, and by learning and practicing ways of seeking support for themselves and others. This curricular content will be presented during classroom guidance lessons (Lower School), homeroom and health classes (Middle School), and during advisory and health classes (Upper School), not just in response to a death or suicide.
• The encouragement of help-seeking behavior will be promoted at all levels of the school leadership and by all TAS stakeholders.
• When a student is identified as being at-risk, a risk assessment will be completed by a school psychologist or counselor who will work with the student to connect them with appropriate local mental health resources.
• Students will have access to local private and community resources that they can contact for additional support, such as:

The Community Services Center

• Email: counseling@communitycenter.org.tw
• Phone: 02-2836-8134 or 02-2835-6907

Mental Health Emergency 24 Hour Line (English)

• Phone: 0932-594-578

Taiwan Mental Health/Suicide Hotline (Mandarin)

• Phone: 1995 or 1925

All school personnel and students are expected to help create a school culture of respect and support in which students feel comfortable seeking help for themselves or friends. Students are encouraged to tell any faculty member if they or a friend are having suicidal thoughts or are in need of help.

While confidentiality and privacy are important, students should know that when there is risk of suicide, safety comes first.

Each student at TAS has the right to participate fully in the life of the School without experiencing harassment, hazing, sexual harassment, bullying, or cyber-bullying. The School recognizes and respects individual differences and does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination or permit unwarranted interference in the education of its students. Students must not engage in hazing, harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, or retaliation directed at another student at any time, whether at school or outside of school.

More information is available in the Parent Zone.

Hazing and Bullying

Hazing means any conduct or method of initiation into any student group that endangers the physical or mental wellbeing of a student or other person. Bullying may include such conduct as physical intimidation or assault, oral or written threats, teasing, put-downs, name-calling, stalking, unkind rumors, false accusations, social isolation, or threatening looks, gestures, or actions.

Harassment

Harassment includes, but is not restricted to, insulting comments or gestures that pertain to sex, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ethnic origin or ancestry, creed, nationality, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected status.  Harassment violates TAS policy whether or not it rises to the level of bullying.

Sexual Harassment

Conduct which may be considered sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1)   Verbal – Offensive sexual language; suggestive sexual comments, insults or threats; sexual jokes; or sexually degrading or insulting words.

(2)   Nonverbal – Sexually suggestive objects or pictures in or on books, lockers or clothing; suggestive obscene or insulting sounds, whistles, gestures, leers; graffiti or other writing that is sexually insulting.

(3)   Physical – Unwanted physical contact including touching, pinching, or brushing against someone, pressuring someone to have sexual relations, or assaulting someone.

(4)   Sexual – Inappropriate and/or unwelcome sexual advances, or pressure for sexual favors from anyone.

Reporting Hazing, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Bullying, or Retaliation

Any student who believes that he or she is a victim of hazing, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, or retaliation for reporting or providing information about any such behavior, should report the concern to their counselor, the principal, the head of school, or any other faculty member with whom the student feels comfortable.

Taipei American School is committed to fostering an educational environment that is safe, welcoming, and free from stigma and discrimination for all students, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To that end, the School seeks to meet or exceed the requirements of both Taiwanese and American laws concerning bullying, harassment, privacy, and discrimination, including as they relate to transgender and gender nonconforming students. The School seeks to ensure that all students have the opportunity to express themselves and live authentically, and will therefore respect students’ gender identity and expression to the greatest extent possible, consistent with both the law and the policies of external governing organizations, such as the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS).

For students who have questions, are transitioning, or are simply unsure about their gender identity, it can be a complex experience. Our teachers and counselors are here to support students, and students are encouraged to reach out to their counselor for advice and support regarding gender identity and their options on campus. 

The TAS Photography, Video, and Social Media Guidelines set forth the overarching framework for safe use of student images. These guidelines apply to the School and individual members of our community - parents, faculty and staff, and guests who have an opportunity to attend school-sponsored activities and events and take photographs and record videos of our students. The full text of these guidelines are available to community members through the Parent Zone and Employee Zone.

In general, visitors are discouraged from using their camera or camera phones while on campus in order to safeguard our students' privacy. However, at school-sponsored events such as school performances, sporting events, student assemblies, graduation, PTA events, and other school sponsored activities, parents and students, and invited guests are permitted to photograph, film, or record activities, if the purpose is for personal use only.

In the event that a parent or student wishes to have an image removed from the official school website or social media platforms, they may contact the communications office at communication@tas.edu.tw. If a parent or student has a concern regarding photography at school events, they should report such concerns to their divisional principal, associate principals, or faculty present at the event

Personal information that TAS community members submit and the School has on record is protected, regulated, and managed in accordance with provisions under Taiwan’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and the information privacy policies and practices of TAS. 

Taipei American School admits all students, including those of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin, to all the same rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected under U.S. or Taiwan law, including on the basis of race, color, and national or ethnic origin, in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered program, with the exception that the School is only able to support, and therefore will only admit, students with no more than mild learning differences.

Digital citizenship is an important part of learning for the 21st century learner. At Taipei American School, students are expected to make smart choices use technology to aid their learning in a safe, responsible, ethical, and respectful manner. The TAS values—honesty, respect, responsibility, kindness, and courage—should guide our students in all that they do, including when using technology and navigating the digital world.

Students provided with a school network account may store and retrieve files and print documents using network file servers. Users of the school system should know that network administrators may review files and communications to ensure that users are using the system responsibly, and should not expect that files stored on the school network will be private. Administrators, faculty, and staff also have the right to access student files, communications, or folders at any time and monitor computer activity in all areas of the School. TAS systems should generally be used for academic purposes only.  Disciplinary action may result from inappropriate, destructive, or irresponsible use of technology. Furthermore, students and parents should remember that certain sharing of information or comments in any electronic communications, social media posts, or files, may be a violation of not only school policies, but also have legal consequences, whether or not it is done using TAS systems.

TAS strongly recommends that students exercise great care and judgment in posting any personal information about themselves or others to social media services in order to protect TAS students' safety and confidentiality. Further, students and parents should remember that certain sharing of information or comments about other students may violate TAS’s harassment, sexual harassment, and/or bullying policies, whether or not it is done using TAS systems.