What in loco parentis demands
The most difficult part about being an educator is taking on the moral and legal responsibility that comes with being “in loco parentis” for every child enrolled in the school. Under this doctrine, teachers and school administrators assume parental authority and duty to supervise, discipline, and protect students while they’re on campus. For those in school leadership, this also means being accountable for the decisions, including the missteps, of the faculty and staff.
This has weighed on me in the wake of the tragic deaths of the two Ateneo basketball players. As someone who has been heading a school for the past 18 years and was tasked with doing so at a very young age, I found myself asking how many educators truly understand and have properly equipped themselves for what in loco parentis actually demands.
Whenever we witness another person or institution go through a crisis, it can seem easy to spot the weaknesses in their decisions, name their failures, and criticize those who fell short. Much of that clarity, of course, comes from hindsight, and from the emotional distance of not being the one inside the crisis as it unfolds.
Viktor Frankl once wrote, “No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same.” This does not remove accountability, nor does it lessen the need to demand it with vigilance. But perhaps it reminds us to hold accountability together with a sober awareness of human fragility. Rather than assessing the situation through the lens of superiority or complacency, assuming we would have handled it better, it should compel us to scrutinize what still needs to be strengthened within ourselves, our systems, and our communities.
Schools devote great effort to forming students. We build whole frameworks around the idea that virtues must be deliberately cultivated because they do not simply emerge on their own. But how well do we form the adults entrusted to lead and protect them?
Schools can begin by revisiting how faithfully we implement our duty of care. In an open letter to the university president, signed by 400 members of the Ateneo faculty, the signatories noted that the school has strict guidelines governing out-of-town activities. They asked if these were followed by the basketball coaching team, including securing consent from the athletes’ parents.
This reveals a common, but serious, implementation challenge. Faced with the tedious work of complying with policies and safety protocols, some teachers and staff members may be tempted to take shortcuts simply to make the process easier.
I have seen in my own organization how easily this can happen in small ways. After one field trip, a teacher agreed to drop off some students at a mall instead of bringing them back to school, because their parents said they would meet them there and had given their verbal approval. We had to reiterate that verbal approval was not enough and we needed a formal written request. Because until a child is turned over to a parent or guardian, the school remains responsible for their safety every second in between.
What seems like a minor lapse can have a profound impact on someone’s life. These school policies exist precisely because some kinds of harm can be prevented, but cannot be undone.
Every school must ask: Are our policies known and understood by everyone? Do our people know when and how to escalate concerns, and do junior members of the team feel empowered to speak up when something feels wrong, even if it involves a senior leader? Do we treat near-misses as warnings and lessons, or do we just move on because nothing terrible happened? A culture grounded in duty of care ensures that everyone understands the deeper reason these policies exist and why they must be consistently enforced. Leaders must continually assess and swiftly address the gaps.
Second, and equally important, is the need for school leaders to invest in their own development. The sound judgment, moral reflexes, and communication skills we need in a moment of crisis are the product of habits, practices, and ongoing self-examination that must never stop, regardless of one’s rank or title.
This is what I find myself sitting with. Not judgment of another institution, but a question directed inward: What am I doing, regularly and intentionally, to ensure that I remain the kind of leader who would be able to navigate a crisis effectively? And when I fall short, will I be able to listen to difficult feedback and pursue reparation?
In loco parentis is an educator’s vocation and a moral obligation. The parents who send their children to us are entrusting us with the most important person in their lives. How, then, do we live that responsibility daily, excellently, and with humility? How do we ensure that in moments of crisis, we draw not only from manuals and legal advice, but from who we have formed ourselves to become?
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eleanor@shetalksasia.com
