Community guidelines

a. Respect for cultural, sexual, gender, social, and economic diversity. Both the teaching–learning process and all school activities are framed in mutual respect among all BCNLIP members. Our differences—an expression of diversity and multiculturalism—shape the school’s profile, and its educational principles and values are based on recognizing others’ dignity and their integration.
b. Conduct, verbal expressions, or gestures that attack the dignity of any person—student, teacher, administrative staff, or any other member of the institution—will not be permitted or accepted. Physical violence will not be allowed within the school facilities nor outside them, at the street entrance, or in the surrounding area. A student who engages in such acts—individually and/or in a group, spontaneously and/or premeditatedly—will be sanctioned and, depending on the seriousness of the case, may be immediately expelled from the institution if so decided by the Management after evaluation of the case.
c. Requests to change teacher will not be accepted. The school organizes courses, assigns teachers, and merges groups according to its criteria and needs—an institutional prerogative based on pedagogical criteria. Only in exceptional and serious situations will management assess and decide whether a change of course or teacher is necessary.
We start from the premise that our students are:
🔹 Social Agent The student does not learn a language only for themselves, but uses it to interact in real contexts. As a social agent, they participate actively in social, cultural, and professional life, using the language to solve tasks, collaborate, negotiate meaning, and build relationships.
🔹 Autonomous Learner The student is responsible for their own learning. This implies making decisions about how, when, and what to learn; setting personal goals; using learning strategies; self-assessing; and seeking resources outside the classroom. Autonomy fosters motivation and continuous learning.
🔹 Intercultural Speaker The student not only acquires linguistic competence but also intercultural competence. This means being able to understand, respect, and mediate between different cultures, overcoming stereotypes and facilitating communication among people of different backgrounds.

You must enter the classroom at the agreed time. In case of delays or exceptional circumstances that prevent this, inform the relevant teacher in advance. Entry to the classroom will not be allowed between 15 and 30 minutes after the class has started.

Phones may not be used in class, unless the teacher requests them for a didactic activity and for exclusively pedagogical purposes. Recording classmates or teachers during class or outside of it, within the school facilities and without their consent, or covertly for dissemination, is not allowed.
WhatsApp groups have a strictly pedagogical and didactic function. Their use is regulated by current regulations. Their use and manipulation to extract information (phone numbers, profiles, and personal data) or to communicate with teachers outside their working hours—invading their privacy—will not be permitted.
The classroom, like all school facilities, is a private space. Any student who commits these infractions will be sanctioned immediately according to the criteria and decisions deemed appropriate, applying the provisions of Article 197 of the Criminal Code, as well as data protection and digital rights laws.

All students who participate remotely via Zoom are required to turn on their camera and remain visible to the teacher and group throughout the entire class and/or workshop. A switched-off camera or a participant’s absence from the screen will be counted as “absent.”
If there are technical problems with proper connection, inform the teacher immediately. If they originate in the educational space or its IT system, the necessary steps will be taken to resolve them.
Zoom classes may be recorded if necessary and for pedagogical purposes, within the school and by authorized staff. This will likewise be done with prior notice and consent from students. Remote attendance is the second option students have to participate, but it is not the general or usual format for courses and/or workshops. Using Zoom does not replace the obligation to attend in person.

a. Students with and without a visa.
For the issuance of the final Certificate of Achievement for a course, the student must consider the following:
Certificates of achievement will be issued by assessing attendance, attitude in class, and the final exam, which will be expressed in points. Consequently, continuous engagement with the teacher and group, as well as regular in-person attendance, will be essential for obtaining it. Students may receive a certificate of achievement or, failing to reach sufficient points, only accreditation of the course level by taking an official exam (SIELE/DELE).
The school will assign a course to the candidate and propose issuing the corresponding final certificate of achievement, which will be granted according to the teacher’s criteria and report.
b. At least 80% of the course classes must be attended to be considered a regular student. Otherwise—failure to attend in person and/or to attend continuously via Zoom without prior justification presented and accepted by the teacher and/or school administration; attending sporadically with unsubstantiated excuses; and/or repeatedly leaving workshops and courses early—the student will automatically lose their “regular” status and the possibility of continuing.
The promotion, support, and inclusion of students with diverse profiles—cultural, religious, and/or social—does not exclude or justify failure to comply with the institution’s rules or with regular, organized attendance at the courses they are enrolled in.
If the minimum requirements for language learning and practice are not met—those that accredit them as such—and if there is persistence in deceptive, intimidating, and/or falsely accusatory conduct, communications, and/or strategies toward teachers, administrative staff, and/or management that undermine the educational community and its normal functioning, they will be sanctioned with automatic expulsion. If necessary, the relevant authorities will be informed of the loss of their regular-student status and all pertinent measures will be taken as appropriate.
c. In-person attendance may be checked, if requested, by the Immigration Department and the Police for administrative, criminal, and/or background-check purposes unrelated to the institution, such as permit renewals.
d. Work–life balance will be taken into account by allowing flexibility in in-person attendance for those students with newborns and minors in their care if circumstances require it. For this purpose, class may be attended remotely via Zoom.
e. Children will not be allowed to enter classrooms during class hours, nor remain anywhere in the school facilities. The school will not be responsible for unaccompanied minors under any circumstances.
f. Any conduct or strategy aimed at identity impersonation in school activities, class attendance, and/or exam taking, as well as falsification or theft of academic documents, private data of a member of the educational community, and/or theft of the organization’s IT data, will be sanctioned with immediate expulsion and the corresponding report to authorities.

During courses and workshops, the language being studied will be spoken. The school’s methodology, didactics, and pedagogy will be respected. Our methodology is based on communication, task-based learning, and immersion. Our goal is to facilitate the adaptation and integration of our students into the Catalan community and its culture.

Self-assessment and weekly skills assessment will inform both the teacher and the student about progress, strengths, and difficulties.
Final exams are mandatory, in-person, and will be conducted using technological support.
The teacher’s judgment and assessment are unquestionable. Level grading and subsequent approval will be based on a point system designed for this purpose.
Translators or technological support for plagiarism or for producing texts not written manually by the student will not be accepted. Any situation or element intended to deceive that is discovered by the teacher will result in its immediate nullification.

Behavior in the classroom must be appropriate, with respect among students and with the teacher. Otherwise, the student may be expelled from the classroom.
Food in class: eating during regular class and/or workshop is prohibited, except for activities that include it and are proposed and organized by the school, the teacher, and the group.
Classrooms will be kept clean and tidy for proper class development and everyone’s enjoyment.

The space and its facilities, bathrooms, and furniture—as well as all materials and items provided by the school for optimal language training—must be used appropriately. Willful damage or theft will be sanctioned immediately.
Attending class with pets will be allowed as long as the group and corresponding teacher agree. People may have different reactions and feelings about this. Pets will not be allowed in without prior consent, and when a new classmate joins, they will also be consulted, in favor of the physical and emotional well-being of all group members. This consultation will be repeated with each new student.
Bringing objects or substances that are dangerous to the health and personal integrity of members of the educational community is not permitted.
Scooters, bicycles, and/or any means of transport may not be brought into the facilities; they must remain outside the school without blocking or obstructing access routes to the center or free movement along the sidewalk.

BCNLIP UP is aware of the need to promote respect for the environment and the practice of responsible consumption. Its immediate objectives are:
– Promote energy-saving and efficiency measures, both thermal and electrical.
– Raise awareness of the urgent need for responsible water consumption within the facilities.
– Encourage responsible consumption of all types of products and services within the school and its surroundings: the cafeteria, care and respect for plants and nearby trees, smoking outside the facilities and away from the school entrance.
– Commit to a waste-management system based on minimizing, reusing, and recycling.
– Identify and reduce other relevant environmental impacts associated with educational activity.

– Repeated and unjustified lateness or absence from class.
– Acts and behaviors that disrupt the normal development of classroom activities. Systematic lack of collaboration by the student in carrying out curricular activities.
– Improper treatment of other members of the educational community.
– Minor damage to facilities, furniture, educational material, and/or the property of other members.

Applicable sanctions:

– Oral or written warning.
– Appearance before the Academic Director and, if deemed necessary, referral to the Mediator.
– Carrying out tasks that contribute to improving school activities or repairing the damage caused.
– Suspension of the right to participate in extracurricular or complementary school activities.

– Acts of insubordination, serious insults, or offenses against members of the educational community.
– Repetition of behavior contrary to the school’s coexistence rules within the same school year.
– Physical, emotional, or moral aggression against members of the educational community or third parties.
– Negative attitudes that harm coexistence in the educational environment.
– Discrimination on the grounds of race, culture, sex, gender, appearance, disability, politics, or religion.
– Identity impersonation in school activities and the theft or falsification of academic documents.
– Serious damage caused by intentional misuse of facilities, furniture, educational materials, school documents, or the property of other members.
– Improper use of electronic devices during class hours that disrupt academic life or infringe the rights of the educational community.
– Recording, publicizing, or disseminating through any medium or electronic device any aggression or humiliation of other students and/or members of the educational community. Failure to comply with previously imposed sanctions.
– Use or introduction into the school of objects or substances that are dangerous and/or harmful to health.

Applicable sanctions:

– Carrying out tasks that contribute to improving school activities or repairing the damage caused.
– Suspension of the right to participate in extracurricular activities for up to three months.
– Change of group and/or campus.
– Expulsion from certain classes for a period of two weeks to one month.
– Suspension of the right to attend the school for up to one month.
– Expulsion without refunds or financial compensation.

According to Article 7.1 of Organic Law 3/2007, of March 22, on effective equality between women and men, and without prejudice to the provisions of the Criminal Code, for the purposes of a protocol, sexual harassment consists of any behavior, verbal or physical, of a sexual nature that has the purpose or produces the effect of violating a person’s dignity, particularly when it creates an intimidating, degrading, or offensive environment.

Conduct constituting sexual harassment

Verbal conduct:

Examples of verbal conduct constituting sexual harassment include, among others: sexual innuendo, propositions or pressure for sexual activity; offensive flirting; suggestive or indirect comments or obscene remarks; unwanted phone calls or private contacts via social networks; jokes or comments about sexual appearance.

Non-verbal conduct:

Displaying sexually suggestive or pornographic photos, objects, or writings; lewd looks; gestures; offensive letters or messages via email or social networks with clear sexual content.

Physical behaviors:

Deliberate and non-consensual physical contact; unwanted hugs or kisses; excessive and unnecessary physical closeness; touching without consent.

“Quid pro quo” sexual harassment or sexual blackmail

Among behaviors constituting sexual harassment, “quid pro quo” sexual harassment or sexual blackmail can be distinguished, which consists of forcing the victim to choose between submitting to sexual demands or losing or seeing certain benefits or working conditions harmed—affecting access to professional training, continued employment, promotion, pay, or any other related decision. As it involves an abuse of authority, the perpetrator will be someone who has, directly or indirectly, the power to grant or withdraw a benefit or working condition.

Hostile-environment sexual harassment

In this type of sexual harassment, the harasser creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for the victim as a result of unwanted attitudes and behaviors of a sexual nature. It may be carried out by any member of the organization, regardless of position or status, or by third parties located in the work environment.

According to Article 7.2 of the Organic Law of March 22, gender-based harassment is any behavior carried out based on a person’s gender with the purpose or effect of violating their dignity and creating an intimidating, degrading, or offensive environment.
All gender-based harassment will be considered discriminatory. It requires the concurrence of a series of constituent elements of a common denominator, among which the following stand out:
• Harassment: any intimidating, degrading, humiliating, and offensive conduct that originates externally and is perceived as such by the person who suffers it.
• Objective violation of the victim’s dignity, perceived subjectively by them as such.
• Multi-injury result: gender-based harassment does not preclude damage to other fundamental rights of the victim.
• It is not an isolated act.
• The motive for such behavior must be related to being a woman or to reproductive and caregiving roles that, due to social discrimination, are presumed inherent to women. In this sense, gender-based harassment may also be suffered by men when they perform tasks or activities associated with roles historically attributed to women.

Certain hostile actions that may occur sporadically at work may not, in themselves, constitute gender-based harassment if they occur in isolation and without repetition. However, if such hostile actions are detected, the school must act decisively to stop them and prevent possible recurrence. When the motive of the harassment behavior is related to gender roles traditionally assigned to women due to historical social discrimination, it will likewise constitute gender-based harassment, regardless of whether the harassed person is male or female.
Below is a list of conduct constituting gender-based harassment which, meeting the requirements set out above, serve as examples without being exhaustive or limiting.
Actions intended to isolate the victim:
• Ignoring the person’s presence.
• Not speaking to them.
• Restricting colleagues’ ability to talk to that person.
• Not allowing that person to express themselves.

Activities that affect the victim’s physical or mental health:
• Threats and physical aggression.
• Verbal or written threats.
• Shouting and/or insults.
• Intimidating phone calls.
• Provoking the person, forcing them to react emotionally.
• Damaging their belongings.
• Belittling their work.

Attacks on private life and personal or professional reputation:
• Manipulating personal reputation through rumor, denigration, and ridicule.
• Implying that the person has psychological problems.
• Mocking gestures, voice, physical appearance, and disabilities; giving nicknames, etc.
• Criticizing nationality, attitudes and political and/or religious beliefs, private life, etc.

When studying sexual and/or gender-based harassment, international, European, and national regulations must be taken into account.

International scope

ILO Convention No. 111 concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation (1958) (addresses sexual harassment in the workplace as a form of discrimination against women workers).
Article 1 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, 1979) (defines “discrimination against women”).
Articles 1 and 2 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) (defines “violence against women” and offers a specific concept of sexual harassment and intimidation in the workplace and educational institutions as forms of violence against women).

European Union scope Commission Recommendation 92/131/EEC of 27 November on the protection of the dignity of women and men at work (includes a Code of Conduct on measures to combat sexual harassment).

Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Nice, 2000) with binding effects from the Treaty of Lisbon of 2009 (prohibits all discrimination, in particular that on the grounds of sex and sexual orientation). Directive 2006/54/EC on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (includes definitions of sexual harassment, harassment based on sex, and other issues applicable to any discriminatory act or conduct. Recital 6 states that harassment based on sex and sexual harassment are contrary to the principle of equal treatment between men and women and constitute discrimination based on sex).

Communication from the Commission on the European social partners’ agreement on harassment and violence at work (COM (2007) 686 final), signed by European social partners (sets out different types of harassment based on scope and effects, manner of expression, subjects involved, and how it materializes).

National scope (Spain)
– Spanish Constitution (CE), arts. 1.1, 14, and 9.2 proclaim equality as a supreme value of the legal system, as a fundamental right, and as a mandate to public authorities.
– CE, art. 10.1 proclaims human dignity as a supreme value of the legal system and an interpretative framework along with recognition of the free development of personality in the rest of the provisions on fundamental rights.
– CE, art. 15 proclaims the right to life and to physical and moral integrity and not to be subjected to degrading treatment.
– CE, art. 18.1 proclaims the right to honor, personal and family privacy, and one’s own image.
– CE, art. 27 proclaims the right to education.
– CE, art. 35 cf. art. 43 proclaims the right to work and to occupational health.
– Law 31/1995, of 8 November, on the Prevention of Occupational Risks. Its preamble refers to the constitutional mandate derived from Article 40 CE to develop a policy to protect workers’ health through the prevention of risks arising from work, including psychosocial risks.
– Organic Law 10/1995, of 23 November, of the Criminal Code, especially Article 184.
– Organic Law 1/2004, of 28 December, on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence, especially Articles 33–41. It defines gender violence as a violation of human rights and as a form of discrimination. Organic Law 3/2007, of 22 March, for effective equality between women and men, especially Articles 7, 8, 9, 48, 51, and 62.
– Technical Criterion No. 69/2009 of the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate on actions regarding harassment and violence at work. The absence of assessment and preventive measures for gender-based violence in the workplace is considered an infringement in matters of prevention.

Other reference regulations on sexual and gender-based harassment include:
1) General Health Law 14/1986, of 25 April (Article 18.9).
2) Royal Legislative Decree 1/1995, of 24 March, approving the revised text of the Workers’ Statute (Articles 4.2.e), 54.2, and 95.14).
3) Royal Legislative Decree 2/1995, of 7 April, approving the revised text of the Labor Procedure Law (Articles 175–182).
4) Law 29/1998, of 13 July, regulating the contentious-administrative jurisdiction (Article 19.1.i).
5) Civil Procedure Law 1/2000, of 7 January (Article 11 bis) regarding legal standing.
6) Royal Legislative Decree 5/2000, of 4 August, approving the revised text of the Law on Social Order Offenses and Sanctions (Article 8).

The phases and maximum time limits for the procedure are as follows:
• Submission of complaint: the complaint is submitted and the corresponding administrative file is opened.
• Activation of the harassment protocol (maximum period: 2 to 3 working days).
• Informative file (maximum period: 10 working days).
• Resolution of the harassment file (maximum period: 3 to 4 working days).
• Follow-up (maximum period: 30 calendar days).

A – Submission of the complaint, activation of the protocol, and processing of the administrative file.
Any member of the MONLIP educational community (staff and/or students) may submit a complaint, which will be forwarded to the academic management of BCNLIP UP, or to BCNLIP Language School, to the director of IBP, International Business Programs, or to the director of the BCNLIP Educational Foundation—the other three organizations that make up the educational community.
If they are absent from their workplaces for any reason, all related information will be sent to the people they have designated for this purpose. The organization’s complexity, its different campuses and activities mean that, on a day-to-day basis, complaints may be received by different administrative and/or teaching staff members.
For better organization and in line with the principles of confidentiality and professional secrecy, management will assign different group members to this task and inform the entire educational community of their names and of the oral and written communication channels designated for this purpose (email, available phone number, etc.).
The complaint cannot be anonymous and must be submitted by the person who feels harassed or by someone who has knowledge of the situation.
The principles of confidentiality, professional secrecy, and data protection will be present at all stages of the protocol, as well as in all actions of those involved in the case.

B – Activation of the protocol
Upon receiving a complaint of sexual and/or gender-based harassment, the investigating committee will be convened to open a file, notify the start of an investigation, conduct the relevant interviews with the parties, and monitor and analyze the case. The investigating committee will be formed by members of the educational community.
If any member is absent due to illness, vacation, or any other legal reason, substitutes will be designated. Within a maximum of 2 to 3 working days, the procedure will be activated for processing. Any complaint or claim filed will have a presumption of veracity.

C – Informative file
The person designated by the investigating committee will carry out a swift and confidential investigation within 10 working days, hearing the affected parties and any proposed witnesses and requesting any necessary documentation, without prejudice to provisions on personal data protection and confidential documentation, ensuring the impartiality of their actions. Those required to do so must cooperate with the greatest possible diligence.

During processing, the victim will be heard first and then the reported person. The hearing may be in person or online, as agreed by the parties. The procedure should be as agile and effective as possible and protect the privacy, confidentiality, and dignity of the people involved, as well as the reported person’s right to a defense.
Throughout the procedure, strict confidentiality will be maintained, and all internal investigations will be conducted tactfully and with due respect both for the complainant—who in no case may be treated unfavorably for this reason—and for the reported person, whose guilt will not be presumed.

During processing, the management team will adopt the necessary precautionary measures leading to the immediate cessation of the harassment situation, without such measures causing a permanent and definitive detriment to the working conditions of those involved. Among other precautionary measures, management will separate the alleged harasser from the victim.

D – Resolution of the harassment file
Once the investigation is completed, the investigating committee will draw up a report summarizing the facts, interviews, testimonies, and evidence collected, concluding whether, in its opinion, there are indications of sexual and/or gender-based harassment.

If it is concluded that there has been no situation of imbalance, inequality, abuse, harassment, or discrimination, the protocol may be closed. For this, the assessment report must include an agreement by all members and be signed by them. If, although harassment is not found, any inappropriate action or conflict is identified which, if repeated over time, could lead to harassment, it will be communicated to school management, suggesting the adoption of appropriate measures to put an end to such conduct. If the evidence indicates signs of harassment, the investigating committee will urge the BCNLIP Group management to adopt appropriate sanctions, and in very serious cases may propose disciplinary dismissal or expulsion of the aggressor (whether a member of the study centers’ or foundation’s staff or a student).

E – Follow-up
The investigating committee will monitor the case, depending on its seriousness and circumstances, for 30 days. If necessary, new precautionary measures will be taken and/or the procedure will continue. When the sanction applied is not disciplinary dismissal, the committee will have an obligation to supervise and follow up on the sanctioned person. A sanction alone is not sufficient; the sanctioned person must be monitored in the performance of their tasks and/or behavior within the educational community.

In accordance with the international, EU, and national legal framework, abuse, harassment, or discrimination are prosecutable by law and, depending on the seriousness of the case, the situation may be reported to Social Services, the Education Inspectorate (for Vocational Training), the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office, the Civil Guard, and/or the Police.

In addition to intervention by law enforcement or educational authorities, the MONLIP educational community will encourage the victim of harassment, abuse, or discrimination to receive guidance on self-protection behaviors, assertiveness, and support.

The BCNLIP Group undertakes to carry out:
• Preventive measures, with a declaration of principles, a definition of sexual and gender-based harassment, and identification of conduct that may constitute these types of harassment.
• Proactive or procedural measures to address harassment, to channel complaints that may arise, and to apply precautionary and/or corrective measures.
• Identification of reactive measures against harassment and, where appropriate, enforcement of the disciplinary regime.

With this protocol, the MONLIP educational community declares zero tolerance throughout its organization for conduct constituting sexual or gender-based harassment. By adopting this protocol, it wishes to underscore its commitment to preventing and addressing harassment in all its forms, informing all personnel who provide services in the organization—whether own staff or from other companies, including people without an employment relationship who provide services or collaborate with the organization, such as trainees, non-labor interns, or volunteers—of its application.

The protocol applies to situations of sexual or gender-based harassment that occur during work, in relation to work, or as a result of work, and includes:
a. Personnel of the educational community and the Foundation: management, teachers, administrative staff, commercial and/or external service providers, transport staff, maintenance, and cleaning.
b. Students, families, and/or host guardians.
c. All premises of the BCNLIP GROUP campuses, including break areas, eating spaces, and bathrooms.
d. Public and private spaces when they constitute an extension of the workplace and/or leisure area; spaces surrounding the campuses.
e. Travel, trips, events, or social, cultural, and/or training activities related to work and educational activity.
f. Communications related to work, including those carried out through information and communication technologies (online harassment or cyberbullying).
g. Accommodation, student flats, and/or family homes owned and/or managed by the MONLIP educational community.
h. Commutes between home and the workplace.

The MONLIP educational community will take a proactive attitude both in preventing harassment—raising awareness and informing about behaviors not tolerated by the organization—and in disseminating good practices and implementing whatever measures are necessary to manage complaints in this regard, as well as to resolve them, as appropriate, in each case. This protocol complies with Articles 46.2 and 48 of Organic Law 3/2007, of March 22, on effective equality between women and men; Royal Decree 901/2020, of October 13, regulating equality plans and their registration and amending Royal Decree 713/2010, of May 28, on the registration and deposit of collective bargaining agreements and agreements; and Article 14 of Law 31/1995, of November 8, on the prevention of occupational risks.