Child Protection Commitment

The security and well being of Mazapan School’s students constitutes the highest priority of Mazapan School. We believe that a safe environment is a right of each individual. The Board of Directors, the Superintendent, the Administration, the faculty, support staff, parents, and volunteers recognize each boy’s, girl’s, and adolescent’s individuality and their right, in general, to a complete safeness, and, in particular, to the security of their educational environment; and we are firmly committed to providing and guaranteeing them a safe place for their education and growth as human beings and committed citizens. We expect respect, care, and mutual support from all members of our educational community so that our students may fully develop their abilities and feel, as they are, valuable members of our school.

Child abuse and neglect are concerns throughout the world. Child abuse and neglect are violations of a child’s human rights and are obstacles to the child’s education as well as to their physical, emotional, and spiritual development. Mazapan School endorses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which our host country, Honduras  is a signatory.

Schools fill a special institutional role in society as protectors of children. Schools need to ensure that all children in their care are afforded a safe and secure environment in which to grow and develop, both at school and away. Educators, having the opportunity to observe and interact with children over time, are in a unique position to identify children who are in need of help and protection. As such, educators have a professional and ethical obligation to identify children who are in need of help and protection, and to take steps to insure that the child and family avail themselves of the services needed to remedy any situation that constitutes child abuse or neglect.

All staff employed at Mazapan School must report suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect whenever the staff member has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered, or is at significant risk of suffering abuse or neglect. Reporting and follow up of all suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect will proceed in accordance with administrative regulations respective to this policy. Furthermore, cases of suspected child abuse or neglect may be reported to the appropriate employer, to the respective consulate in Honduras,to the appropriate child protection agency in the home country, and/or to local authorities.

Mazapan School seeks to be a safe haven for students who may be experiencing abuse or neglect in any aspect of their lives. As such, Mazapan School will distribute this policy annually to all parents and applicants, will communicate this policy annually to students, will provide training for all staff, will make every effort to implement hiring practices to insure the safety of children, and will review the policy annually for compliance and effectiveness. In the case of a staff member reported as an alleged offender, Mazapan School will conduct a full investigation following a carefully designed course of due process, keeping the safety of the child at the highest priority.

For detailed information on the Convention on the Rights of Child see the following link:

http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_30160.html

About the School

Mazapan School is a Nursery-12 co-educational bilingual school Founded in 1928 and located in La Ceiba, Honduras, offers an U.S.-style college preparatory instruction program. The students attending Mazapan School become fluent in both English and Spanish and receive a U.S. High School diploma and a Honduran Baccalaureate degree.

Address and phone numbers

Mazapan School
6th Street, Beckman Avenue
Zona Mazapan
La Ceiba, Honduras
Phone: +(504) 2443-2716
+(504) 2443-1001 ext 2600