We expect everyone who works, learns, or volunteers at Code Platoon to follow all Equal Employment Opportunity laws, the General Services Administration Anti-harassment Policy, and this Code of Conduct.
CREATING A SUPPORTIVE CULTURE
Code Platoon aspires to create a culture where our students, instructors, and supporters work joyfully, communicate openly, and learn/work in a supportive, welcoming environment. We strive for our team and our students to reflect and celebrate the diversity of the communities we serve.
EMPOWERING OTHERS
Our students, staff, and supporters should consider what we can do to encourage and support others. We invite everyone to share their knowledge but also be cognizant about making room for quieter voices to contribute. We ask that everyone offers support and enthusiasm for their colleagues’ ideas, and take care to acknowledge the original source, not just the most recent or loudest contributor. We seek to prioritize access for and input from those who are traditionally excluded from the conversation.
CREATING BOUNDARIES
Everyone in the Code Platoon community should create boundaries for their behavior, and consider how we can help prevent unacceptable behavior from others. Each individual can define what is appropriate for them. Impact matters more than intent, and ensuring that our behavior doesn’t have a negative impact is our responsibility. Problems happen when we assume that our way of thinking or behaving is okay with everyone. This is particularly problematic when we are in positions of power or privilege.
UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT
To help our students and team understand the kinds of behaviors that are illegal or run counter to our organization’s culture, we’ve listed examples of unacceptable conduct that violate the law or Code Platoon policy. Here are the examples:
- Offensive or unwelcome remarks or behaviors based on race, religion, color, sex (with or without sexual conduct and including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information (including family medical history), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, parental status, marital status, socioeconomic status or background, mental health, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, or clothing.
- Touching people without their affirmative consent.
- Sustained disruption of meetings, talks, or discussions, including on Slack.
- Patronizing language or behavior.
- Aggressive and micro-aggressive behavior, such as unconstructive criticism, providing corrections that do not improve the conversation (sometimes referred to as “well actually”s), repeatedly interrupting or talking over someone else, feigning surprise at someone’s lack of knowledge or awareness about a topic, or any acts of subtle prejudice.
- Referring to people in a way that misidentifies their gender and/or rejects its validity; for instance by using incorrect pronouns, dead names, or other misgendering language.
- Mocking someone’s name, perceived accent, or first language.
- Retaliating against anyone who files a formal complaint against someone who violated the Code of Conduct.
RESPONDING TO INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR
Should someone catch themself behaving disrespectfully or be confronted for such behavior, they are expected to own up to their behavior and apologize accordingly. No one is perfect, and even well-intentioned people make mistakes. What matters is how we handle our mistakes and that we avoid repeating them.
REPORTING INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT
Students who feel they have been subjected to inappropriate conduct should notify the Executive Director or the Lead Instructor. Team members experiencing inappropriate conduct should report it to a manager. Code Platoon will investigate all reports and respond appropriately. We will protect the confidentiality of anyone who reports inappropriate conduct or who participates in an investigation to the greatest possible extent.
CREDITS
- Code Platoon’s Code of Conduct was influenced by 18F’s Code of Conduct. 18F attributes some of its Code of Conduct to:
- Bridge Foundry Code of Conduct used for RailsBridge, and other related workshops and open source projects
- Open Hatch Project Codes of Conduct
- Yes and Yes Yes Code of Conduct
- Ada Initiative: HOWTO design a code of conduct for your community
- PyLadies Code of Conduct
- Hacker School User’s Manual: The Environment
- Geek Feminism Code of Conduct
- Geek Feminism Wiki: Codes of Conduct Evaluations
- Python Code of Conduct
- Code for America Code of Conduct
Other relevant legal considerations include: