All educators are expected to keep themselves informed of and abide by all Tenement Museum policies and protocols. The Education Associate for Educator Management will make all policies and protocols available to educators at the beginning of their employment. These include this document, the Emergency Response and Recovery Plan, the Code of Ethics, the Employee Handbook, and the Staff Manual. Educators who do not have copies of these documents should get them immediately from the Education Associate for Educator Management.

The key policies and protocols that are especially important for educators are outlined below.

1. Code of Ethics: Educators must review and sign the Code of Ethics prior to beginning employment. Key points in the Code of Ethics are below:
   1. Employment by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a public trust and involves great responsibility. In all activities, Museum employees must act with integrity and in accordance with stringent ethical principles as well as with the highest standards of objectivity, as outlined in the Museum's Code of Ethics. All educators must read and sign the Museum's Code of Ethics, a copy of which will be placed in their personnel files. No educators who have not signed the Code of Ethics will be placed on the schedule.
      
      
   2. Educators should not accept any fees, royalties, honoraria, or other payments, such as tips, for any presentations, materials, or items that they developed either alone or with other staff while carrying out their responsibilities as employees of the Museum.
      
      
   3. No person may use the Museum's collections, facilities, personnel, or services in any non-Tenement-Museum matter or context without express prior consent of the President.

2. Arriving to Work on Time: It is extremely important for educators to arrive to work on time. Educators should arrive to work fifteen minutes before their first tour is scheduled to begin and sign in when they arrive; educators will receive their regularly hourly rate for the wait time before their first tour (up to but no more than fifteen minutes.) If an educator is going to arrive late, it is essential to call the Education Assistant or, on the weekends, the appropriate weekend coordinator. If an educator is late for a tour shift more than twice, the educator will be subject to dismissal, at the discretion of the Education Associate for Educator Management.

3. Cancelled Programs: If a tour is cancelled before 5:00 PM the day before the tour and the educator is notified before 5:00 PM, the educator scheduled to lead the program will not be paid for the cancelled tour. If it is cancelled after 5:00 PM the day before the tour, the educator will be paid for the program. The Education Assistant will contact the scheduled educator regarding cancellations by telephone or email. When a program is cancelled on the same day, if the educator is on the premises s/he should report to the Education Associate for Educator Management to find out if there is training and/or other work for the Education Department that can be done during this time.

4. Dismissal: Paid and unpaid employment is "at will" and can be terminated at any time for any reason, determined solely by Museum management. Staff may be immediately discharged without notice for violation of the Museum's rules or other reasons deemed appropriate by Museum management. Alternately, the Education Associate for Educator Management may choose to put the staff member on probation for a specific period of time if s/he determines that the problem with an Educator's work performance may be correctable and prefers to work with the Educator to resolve the problem. During this probationary period, the Education Associate for Educator Management will determine, at his/her sole discretion, whether or not the Educator should remain on the schedule. At the end of the probationary period, the Education Associate for Educator Management will determine whether or not the Educator's employment should continue.

5. Dress code: The dress code for the Museum is "business casual." As educators are the face of the Museum, they must always wear professional attire. The dress code is as follows: "Staff, volunteers, and interns must be neat and sober, reflecting a respect for the visitor and the families whose stories we tell. They must also make sure not to wear shorts, blue jeans, sneakers, flip flops, undershirts, military garb, revealing clothing, ball caps, sunglasses, or clothing bearing large or excessive slogans, advertisements or commentary." If an educator's attire is not in compliance with the dress code, the educator may be asked to leave and will not be paid for the remainder of the day. Violating the dress code on more than one occasion is grounds for termination, at the discretion of the Education Associate for Educator Management.

6. Emergencies: Educators should review the Museum's Emergency Response and Recovery Plan for detailed instructions about what to do in the case of an emergency.

7. Evaluations: After passing the initial tour evaluation, all educators are evaluated periodically by a representative from the Education Department. Evaluations take place several weeks after the educator's first tour, and at least twice a year thereafter. The evaluator will give the educator a written evaluation form with recommendations for improvement. The educator is expected to make the recommended changes to her/his tour right away, and to let the Education Associate for Educator Management know if there is additional training/support s/he needs.

8. Guidelines for Dealing with the Press:
   1. Educators should never assume that the PR and Marketing Department knows that a reporter is on a tour. If an educator learns that a reporter is a member of his/her tour, s/he should tell the Visitors Center staff to let the PR and Marketing Department know so one of their department members can meet the press person after the tour. On Saturdays, educators should notify the Saturday tour coordinator (Education Associate for Contemporary Immigrant Perspectives), and on Sundays, notify the Sunday coordinator (Education Associate for Access). Educators should not single out the press person for any reason on the tour; they should be treated like the other visitors. Educators should not announce to the other visitors that there is a press representative on the tour.
      
      
   2. No one is allowed to film or photograph in any of our properties without the permission of the PR and Marketing Department. All film and photo shoots are to be scheduled in advance. Educators should check with a representative of PR and Marketing if in doubt, and never allow anyone to take photographs on a tour unless someone from PR and Marketing has given permission. Regardless of what the would-be photographer says, if the educator has not spoken with either the Director of PR and Marketing or the PR and Marketing Coordinator, s/he should ask the would-be photographer to refrain from taking pictures and to contact a member of the PR and Marketing Department to obtain slides or digital images or to schedule a photo shoot.
      
      
   3. Educators must not agree to participate in an interview as a representative of the Tenement Museum without the permission of the PR and Marketing Department. Educators may answer questions that fall within the scope of the tour scripts and general information about the Museum's ticket prices, tour times, and location, but should not discuss or answer any questions relating to the Museum's past eminent domain issues or any other legal issues. If it's a weekday, please contact the PR staff so that they may answer these questions. If it is a weekend, the educator should get the reporter's contact information so that the PR and Marketing staff can follow up during the week.
      
      
   4. All interview requests for the Museum's President should go through the PR and Marketing Department. Reporters should contact PR to schedule an interview with the President. Educators may not give out the President's extension under any circumstances.
      
      
   5. In the event that an educator is asked about their work at the Museum as part of an interview outside the Museum on another subject, additional guidelines should be followed:
      1. The educator should inform either the Director of PR and Marketing or the PR and Marketing Coordinator that the interview will be taking place. If the educator knows in advance what Museum-related topics or questions will be covered, s/he should let them know this, as well, in case there are sensitivities of which the educator should be aware. If the educator is not able to let the PR and Marketing Department know ahead of time that s/he will be discussing issues related to the Museum, s/he should tell Alex or Nikia as soon as possible afterward.
         
         
      2. Educators may discuss with the press any factual information contained in tour outlines as well as basic information such as Museum ticket prices, tours times, and location. If asked any questions relating to the Museum's past eminent domain issues, other legal issues, or anything outside of the script of basic visitor information, the educator should get the reporter's contact information and let him or her know that the PR and Marketing staff will follow up as soon as possible. If an educator is asked about his/her work, s/he should make clear to the interviewer that any opinions s/he expresses are personal opinions not those of the Museum.

9. Illness: If an educator is sick, s/he should call the Education Assistant. If s/he can't reach the Education Assistant s/he should leave a message and also call the Office Manager or Administrative Assistant at 212-431-0233 ext. 210. On the weekends, the educator should call the Visitors Center at 212-982-8420. If a costumed interpreter cannot fulfill a program assignment due to illness, she must telephone the Education Associate for Access at least three hours prior to her first scheduled program.

10. Keys: Educators will be given a key to the front and back doors of 97 Orchard Street upon signing in. At the end of the day all educators must sign out and return keys to the Visitors Center.