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Student Code of Conduct – Alternate Programs

Revised – Dec. 07, 2016

Alternate Programs' code of conduct follows School District #22 Code of Conduct (Policy 9.14.0) and includes school expectations. Acceptable conduct expectations are in effect for all school functions, regardless of location or time of day.  These expectations apply to behaviour at school, during school organized or sponsored activities, and behaviour beyond these times (including on-line behaviour) that negatively impacts the safe, caring and orderly environment of the school, and/or student learning. Our Code of Conduct is communicated to all students, parents, staff, temporary staff, visitors and district staff. Acceptable conduct expectations are in effect for all school functions, regardless of location or time of day.

Statement of Purpose

• to promote the values expressed in the B.C. Human Rights Code respecting the rights of all individuals in accordance with the law – prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, colour, ancestry place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation – in respect of discriminatory publication and discrimination in accommodation, service, and facility in the school environment;
• to establish and maintain a safe, caring and orderly environment for a purposeful and positive learning and teaching climate;
• to establish and maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective rights, freedoms and responsibilities;
• to clarify and publish expectations for student conduct at school, in the community and while acting as school ambassadors.

Statement of Acceptable Behaviour

• respect oneself, others and the school facility;
• regular attendance and punctuality;
• use of acceptable and appropriate language;
• respond with cooperation to reasonable requests made by any staff member;
• inform an adult in a timely manner (in advance if possible) of an unsafe individual, behaviour or situation;
• seek the assistance of an adult when having a conflict with another student that they are unable to resolve peacefully;
• model respectful and responsible behaviour at school, in the community and while acting as school ambassadors;
• clean up garbage after oneself and others both inside and outside the school;
• dress in accordance with our school being a place of learning. Clothing should: – be clean and neat in appearance – not display offensive or illegal messages – cover your body so as not to expose underwear, cleavage, midriff, or buttocks
• attend and showing respectful audience manners in all school assemblies;
• respond to fire alarms and drills promptly and in accordance to school protocol and teacher instructions;
• have cell phones turned on vibrate mode and taking calls outside of the school.  In cases where exceptions may be needed to class expectations, ask permission from teachers or the administration. While using cell phones in the school building or on school campus, apply appropriate manners respecting surrounding people;
• follow safety rules and expectations of bus supervisors and bus drivers while waiting for buses or riding the bus;
• follow proper road safety and use extreme caution around the school community;
• show respect to all neighbours, both residential and commercial, and conduct oneself in a manner that maintains a positive relationship with our community;
• If smoking within the surrounding school community, to do so only in the designated area.

Statement of Unacceptable Behaviour

• interfering with the learning and teaching environment of other school members;
• creating an unsafe or dangerous learning environment, including acts of violence or intimidation;
• any behaviour or communication that discriminates based on race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, or sexual orientation, age, and unrelated criminal or summary convictions. (prohibited grounds set out in the BC Human Rights Code);
• a lack of caring for oneself, others, and the school community. This includes unkind words or hurtful behaviour towards others;
• bullying or harassment.
  
  School District 22 Policy No. 9.14.0 Appendix B states; bullying as a systematic abuse of power. Bullying can occur in many contexts in school and the workplace. Bullying can be overt and demonstrated by behaviour such as physical aggression, shoving, poking, taking things, choking, punching, kicking, and beating. Bullying can also be covert and be demonstrated by behaviour such as taunting, gossiping, teasing, exclusion, and silent treatment;
• inappropriate use of the internet. School District 22 Policy No. Reg 8.10.0 states; (SD22Net) access is a privilege not a right, and is made available only so long as the account holder abides by certain rules which are important for the proper use of the SD22Net system. These rules are listed in the…SD22Net Acceptable Use Policy.
• inappropriate behaviour on any technology-based activities occurring inside or outside our school that negatively impacts at school on students and/or staff. This includes "cyber" hate messaging and websites created in the student's home or other settings;
• the possession and/or use of weapons on or near school property represents a serious threat to the safety and security of students and staff and are therefore prohibited. A weapon is defined as any instrument designed to inflict injury or to intimidate another person, or any instrument that is used in that manner. Toy or replica weapons are by their very nature intimidating and therefore classified as weapons. Laser pointers and knives are considered unsafe and are therefore also prohibited;
• the use and/or sale of any tobacco product at any time, including non-school hours, is prohibited on school property. This is in line with The Tobacco Sales Amendment Act, 2007 (Banning Tobacco and Smoking in Public Places and Schools);
• the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is not permitted on school grounds as they may contain nicotine and have not been proven to be a safe and effective method for smoking cessation;
• participating in trafficking, using, or associating with drugs or alcohol. School District 22 Policy No. 9.15.0 states; the board expects students to be free of alcohol and other illicit drugs while under the jurisdiction of the School District. Every student shall be subject to this policy while on the school premises, going to and returning from school, and at all school sponsored games and functions, whenever and wherever held. For purposes of this policy, 'using' includes being under the influence of alcohol or other illicit drugs at any time when the student is under the jurisdiction of the School District. The Board expects students not to be in possession of drug paraphernalia, in association with individuals using, nor smelling of, dealing or supplying these substances;
• theft or vandalism of school or other's property;
• use of lighters and open flames;
• skateboarding and use of scooters on school property, including the bus zone;
• throwing snowballs on the school grounds or on the side streets around our building. This includes throwing snowballs at passing cars on the city streets;

  Behaviours cited above are only some examples and are not an all-inclusive list.

   
  Consequences

   School District Policy No. 9.14.0 states; Administrative Officers…are authorized to suspend students in accordance with this policy and to take other disciplinary action to that of a kind, firm, and judicious parent.

   

  As students progress through their time at Alternate Programs, behavioural expectations will rise so that:

• student levels of maturity, personal responsibility and self-discipline will improve;
• unacceptable conduct in senior students, repeat offenders and adult learners will likely result in more severe consequences.

Consequences will be applied to unacceptable student conduct. Consequences will be implemented on a case-by-case basis, based on the severity and the frequency of the behaviour. Progressive discipline methods will be implemented to alter the inappropriate and/or unsafe behaviour. Consequences and support will be restorative, wherever possible and appropriate. Some of these methods include:

• parent/guardian meetings;
• referral to school based team for possible counseling or behaviour plans;
• participating in meaningful consequences for the unacceptable behaviour;
• completion of an educational discipline package;
• community service;
• conflict resolution strategies including small group mediations;
• informal suspension or "timeouts" – at school or home;
• partial day school programs;
• suspension of student property to be returned to the parent if the property either poses a threat to students or disrupts the learning environment;
• formal suspension:
• referral to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools for possible placement to another school, district suspension program, or a district alternate program. Special considerations may apply to students with special needs if they are unable to comply with the Code of Conduct due to having a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature. The school will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation by a person against a student who has made a complaint of a breach of this code of conduct.

NOTIFICATION

Depending on the nature of the unacceptable behaviour, the school staff will contact the following people:

• parents or guardians of the student offender(s) will be contacted;
• parents or guardians of the student victim(s) will be contacted;
• a copy of the written notification to parents of any suspension will be forwarded to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools;
• RCMP and other agencies as required by law;
• school staff and school community as deemed appropriate by the school and/or district administration.

The Alternate Programs' Code of Conduct has used the structural set up, designated passages and terminology from the B.C. Ministry of Education Standards Department Safe, Caring and Orderly Schools Document: A Guide. Publisher: National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data, British Columbia, Ministry of Education. ISBN 0-7726-5120-5 The Safe, Caring and Orderly Schools Document can be found on the Internet at www.bced.gov.bc.ca

School District 22 Code of Conduct ​can be found on the Internet at www.sd22.bc.ca