STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Developed Spring, 2009 / Updated 2011
PDF version

Clarence Fulton Secondary School’s Code of Conduct outlines school expectations and acceptable student behaviour as directed by the School Act 85(2)(c)(i). Student Voice, Parent Advisory Committee, as well as teaching and support staff have been included in the development of our Code of Conduct. Our Code of Conduct is annually reviewed to ensure it reflects Fulton’s community needs and aligns with the district and provincial school safety initiatives. Our Code of Conduct is communicated to all students, parents, staff, temporary staff, visitors and district staff. Acceptable conduct expectations are illustrated in our five C’s matrix and are in effect for all school functions, regardless of location or time of day. Our five C’s are Consideration, Cooperation, Caring, Courtesy, and Communication.

Clarence Fulton Secondary School’s Code of Conduct outlines school expectations and acceptable student behaviour as directed by the School Act 85(2)(c)(i). Student Voice, Parent Advisory Committee, as well as teaching and support staff have been included in the development of our Code of Conduct. Our Code of Conduct is annually reviewed to ensure it reflects Fulton’s community needs and aligns with the district and provincial school safety initiatives. Our Code of Conduct is communicated to all students, parents, staff, temporary staff, visitors and district staff. Acceptable conduct expectations are illustrated in our five C’s matrix and are in effect for all school functions, regardless of location or time of day. Our five C’s are Consideration, Cooperation, Caring, Courtesy, and Communication.

PURPOSE OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT

• Promotes the values expressed in the BC Human Rights Code respecting the rights of all individuals in accordance with the law – prohibiting discrimination 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.
• Establishes and maintains a safe, caring and orderly environment for purposeful and positive learning and teaching climate;
• Establishes and maintains appropriate balances among individual and collective rights, freedoms and responsibilities;
• Sets expectations for student conduct at school, in the community, while acting as school ambassadors or anytime when behaviour may affect the safe, caring, or orderly environment of the school.

CONDUCT EXPECTATIONS

• acceptable conduct is demonstrated by (see also the 5 C’s matrix):
• respecting oneself, others and the school facility;
• regular attendance and punctuality;
• use of acceptable and appropriate language;
• responding with cooperation to reasonable requests made by any staff member;
• informing an adult in a timely manner (in advance if possible) of an unsafe individual, behaviour or situation;
• seeking the assistance of an adult when having a conflict with another student that they are unable to resolve peacefully;
• modelling respectful and responsible behaviour at school, in the community and while acting as school ambassadors;
• cleaning up garbage after oneself and others both inside and outside the school;
• dressing in accordance with our school is 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
• attending and showing respectful audience manners in all school assemblies;
• responding to fire alarms and drills promptly and in accordance with school protocol and teacher instructions;
• having cell phones turned on at teacher discretion only. 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 the school campus, apply appropriate manners respecting surrounding people;
• following safety rules and expectations of bus supervisors and bus drivers while waiting for buses or riding the bus;
• following proper road safety and use extreme caution around the school community;
• showing respect and maturity 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, do so only in the designated area.

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 grades 8-12, behavioural expectations will rise so that:

• student levels of maturity, personal responsibility and self-discipline will improve;
• unacceptable conduct in senior grades 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 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 counselling 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;
• referral to City of Vernon RCMP Restorative Justice Program;
• 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 Clarence Fulton Secondary School Code of Conduct has used the structural setup, designated passages and terminology from the BC 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