Teachers often act as mentors and parent figures to students, whether they offer homework help or support through personal difficulties. These bonds can encourage friendship between faculty and students, as they discuss everything from professional football to the latest installment of The Biggest Loser.

When campus math teacher Mike Fenton announced to his classes that his wife is expecting their first child, the overwhelmingly joyful reaction displayed the connection between Fenton and his students. In this scenario, mutual regard for each other’s daily lives creates an overall sense of value.

However, when this friendship exceeds normal boundaries, teacher-student relationships can be called into question. In high schools across the country, teachers and students engage in illegal sexual relations ? a stark contrast to the positive relationship they can maintain.

In late January, a music teacher at University High School was arrested for child molestation and exhibition of lewd material. As an authority figure, he abused the trust of his pupils and crossed the thin line between friendship and indecency.

Because students spend the majority of their high school lives interacting with teachers and other figures, they must understand the difference between innocent friendships and inappropriate behavior ? whether sexual or not. These relationships guide how they learn to relate to adults.

Skills learned from high school often determine a person’s ability to communicate decorously in work and social circumstances later in life. This opportunity to practice interpersonal proficiency requires a balance between cordiality and discretion ? and teachers’ positions in schools make them a great place to start.

For more opinions from The Feather staff, read the Feb. 18 article, Extracurriculars rival core class value.