What Is Grooming in Schools? A Guide for Educators

Educators are often the trusted adults who first notice when something isn’t right for a student.

Grooming rarely looks like danger. It looks like attention, trust, and favors. Knowing what to look for (and what to do next) is something every student deserves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is grooming something educators need to know about?

Yes. Research shows grooming behaviors follow a recognizable pattern and those who know the signs are better positioned to notice it early and act. (Jeglic, Winters & Johnson, 2023)

What is grooming?

Grooming is a pattern of behavior through which an adult builds trust with a student (and with the people around that student) gradually, over time. It often looks like mentorship, special attention, or genuine care. That’s what makes it important to understand.

Who can groom students?

Anyone with regular access to students. In school settings that could include teachers, coaches, aides, administrators, substitutes, volunteers, and support staff. In most cases, the person is already known and trusted by their colleagues, students and families.

What does grooming look like?

Common patterns include excessive attention, gift-giving, seeking one-on-one time, and private communication outside school channels. Grooming that happens online follows the same pattern and can move quickly.

Is grooming a crime?

Many states have now passed laws defining or criminalizing grooming, with most of those states criminalizing it as a felony. (Enough Abuse Campaign, June 2026) A growing number of states now require grooming prevention training for all school employees.

Grooming has no place in our schools. Every student deserves to be safe.

What can schools do?

Schools that provide grooming prevention training give every staff member shared language, a clear sense of what to watch for, and confidence in how to respond. Training works, and it starts with awareness.

Free Grooming Prevention Training for Your School

Professional Learning Board (PLB) is offering its one-hour online course, Recognizing Grooming in Schools, FREE to every K-12 school in the United States.

Whether your school signs up as a whole or you enroll on your own — the course is free.

👉 Schools: Sign Up your Whole School at NO COST

👉 Individual educators: ENROLL NOW

For more information: PLB Offers Free Grooming Prevention Training to Every K-12 School in the United States

Published August 2026

About the Author
Ellen Paxton is a respected expert in education and best known as the Chief Learning Officer of Professional Learning Board. As a two-time National Board Certified Teacher, Ellen has successfully published and customized online professional development courses and Learning Management Systems for 20 years to help teachers meet their state continuing education renewal credit requirements. Through ProfessionalLearningBoard.com, RenewaTeachingLicense.com, and ConnectedPD.com. Ellen has established solutions and maintained partnerships with several accredited universities, higher education institutions, teachers’ unions and state Departments of Education while setting strategic direction that makes a difference and overseeing implementation of popular online PD.