At Spaulding School of The Arts we believe that every student / participant is truly unique.  We as a group celebrate the uniqueness of each student and participant involved.  This includes teachers, children as well as parents and entire families. 
We believe in freedom of personal expression through art and any means necessary so long as two basic foundational principles are observed at all times:
1) A student or teacher may not force their beliefs or biases on another
2) Every party must conduct themselves in ways that do not hurt or intend to do harm to another individual or group.

With this foundational understanding, students are free to be themselves, express themselves and share their feelings, thoughts and values without concern.   We believe every student and participant should be celebrated, embraced and encouraged in their personal, emotional and even spiritual development without encroaching upon those beliefs in any way.  We believe in free, open and honest communication between students and staff and we also believe in challenging one another to grow through safe communication and collaboration.  This includes conversations where contrasting opinions can be fielded in a safe and open environment.  All communication will always be conducted with the utmost of patience, respect and consideration for all parties involved. 
We believe that teaching the ability to debate in a scholarly way (especially in the higher grades) leads to the development of critical thinking, problem solving and further success in the life of every student. 
We do not believe in stifling creativity or limiting another’s expression or communication so long as the above two main foundations of expression are adhered to. 

Anti-bullying:

As the community in Spaulding openly communicates, challenges, debates and supports one another, we believe that each student should feel safe to express themselves without ridicule, bullying or other negative repercussions.  As mentioned before, bulling or intending to do harm in any way will no be tolerated at Spaulding School of The Arts.  Our desire is to maintain a safe working, learning and collaborative environment at all times.  We realize that many ‘bullied’ kids choose the Spaulding School of The Arts as a refuge from negative experiences at other establishments.  We believe in creating a safe and supportive environment for such students.  We also understand that kids that tend to bully other kids, do so as a result of being bullied themselves somewhere in their personal development.  At Spaulding we work hard to help even those that might have hurt another in their past as we all work toward reconciliation and positive growth. 
At Spaulding, every student is important and we will always to our best to generate the safest learning environments possible for all that are involved.