Code of Student Conduct
Procedures for Addressing Student Misconduct and Violations of the Code of Student Conduct
XVI. Procedures for Addressing Student Misconduct
and Violations of the Code of Student Conduct
A. Discipline is most effective when it deals directly with
the problem at the time and place it occurs and in a way that students
view as fair and impartial.
B. In determining the appropriate disciplinary action, school
personnel authorized to impose disciplinary penalties will consider
the following:
1. The student's age.
2. The nature of the offense and the
circumstances that led to the offense.
3. The student's prior disciplinary
record.
4. The appropriateness of other forms
of discipline.
5. Information from parents,
teachers, staff and/or others, as appropriate.
6. Other extenuating circumstances.
C. As a general rule, discipline will be progressive, meaning
that a student's first violation will usually merit a lighter penalty
than
subsequent violations. However, school personnel may impose a
more severe penalty for a first violation depending on the specific
facts and circumstances of the incident.
D. Any weapon, alcohol or illegal substance found shall be
confiscated immediately, if possible, followed by notification to the
parent of the student involved and the appropriate
disciplinary sanction if warranted, which may include permanent
suspension
and referral for prosecution.
E. The building principal or designee will consult with the
appropriate local law enforcement agency regarding violations that
constitute a crime. Notification may be made by telephone,
followed by a letter mailed on the same day as the telephone call is
made. The notification must identify the student and explain
the conduct that violated the code of conduct and constituted a
crime.
F. If the conduct of a student is related to a disability or
suspected disability, the students shall be referred to the Committee on
Special Education, when required by law. Discipline, if warranted, shall be
administered consistent with the separate
requirements of this code of conduct for disciplining students with a disability or
presumed to have a disability. A student
identified as having a
disability shall not be disciplined for behavior related to his/her
disability, except to the extent permitted
by law.
G. Reporting Violations
1. All students are expected to
promptly report violations of the code of conduct to any staff member or
administrator.
2. Any student observing another
student possessing a weapon, alcohol or illegal substance on school
property or at a school
function shall report this
information immediately to any staff member or administrator.
3. All school district personnel who
are authorized to impose disciplinary sanctions are expected to do so in
a prompt, fair and
lawful manner. School district
personnel who are not authorized to impose disciplinary sanctions are
expected to promptly
report violations of the code of
conduct to their supervisor, who shall in turn impose an appropriate
disciplinary sanction, if so
authorized, or refer the matter to a
staff member who is authorized to impose an appropriate sanction.
H. Removal of a Disruptive Student from the Classroom
1. A student's behavior can affect a
teacher's ability to teach and can make it difficult for other students
in the classroom to
learn. In most instances, the
classroom teacher can control a student's behavior and maintain or
restore control over the
classroom by using good classroom
management techniques. These techniques may include practices that
involve the teacher
directing a student to briefly leave
the classroom, to give the student an opportunity to regain his or her
composure and self-
control in an alternative setting.
2. Time honored classroom management
practices may include, but are not limited to:
a. Short-term
"time-out" in an elementary classroom or in a school administrator's
office;
b. Sending a
student into the hallway briefly;
c. Sending a
student to the building principal's office for the remainder of the
class time only;
d. Sending a
student to a school counselor or other district staff member for
counseling.
3. Note: If a time frame in this
section would expire on a day that is not a school day, the time period
will be extended to the
corresponding time on the next school
day.
4. On occasion, a student's behavior
may become disruptive. For purposes of this code of conduct, a
disruptive student is a
student who is substantially
disruptive of the educational process or substantially interferes with
the teacher's authority over
the classroom.
5. A substantial disruption of the
educational process or substantial interference with a teacher's
authority occurs when a
student demonstrates a persistent
unwillingness to comply with the teacher's instructions or repeatedly
violates the teacher's
classroom behavior rules.
6. A removal of a student from class
at the secondary level will be for up to three days. The removal from
class applies to the
class of the removing teacher only. A
removal at the elementary level will be for up to two days. The removal
from class applies
to the specific instructional setting
of the removing teacher only.
7. If the disruptive student does not
pose a danger or ongoing threat of disruption to the academic process,
the teacher must
provide the student with an
explanation for why he or she is being removed and an opportunity to
explain his or her version of
the relevant events before the
student is removed. Only after the informal discussion may a teacher
remove a student from
class.
8. If the student poses a danger or
ongoing threat of disruption, the teacher may order the student to be
removed
immediately. The teacher must,
however, explain to the student why he or she was removed from the
classroom and give the
student a chance to present his or
her version of the relevant events within 24 hours. (If the 24-hour
period does not end on a
school day, the time period will be
extended to the corresponding time on the next school day.)
9. The teacher must complete a
disciplinary removal form and meet with the building principal or
designee as soon as possible,
but no later than the end of the
school day, to explain the circumstances of the removal and to present
the removal form. If
the building principal or designee is
not available by the end of the same school day, the teacher must leave
the form with the
secretary and meet with the principal
or designee prior to the beginning of classes on the next school day.
10. Within 24 hours after the
student's removal, the building principal or designee must notify the
student's parents, in writing,
that the student has been removed
from the class and why. The notice must also inform the parent that he
or she and the
student have the right, upon request,
to meet informally with the principal or designee to discuss the reasons
for the removal.
(If the 24-hour period does not end
on a school day, the time period will be extended to the corresponding
time on the next
school day.)
11. The written notice must be
provided by personal delivery, express mail delivery or some other means
that is reasonably
calculated to ensure receipt of the
notice at the last known address for the parents within 24 hours of the
student's removal.
Where possible, notice should also be
provided by telephone if the school has been provided with a telephone
number (s) for
the purpose of contacting parents.
(If the 24-hour period does not end on a school day, the time period
will be extended to
the corresponding time on the next
school day.)
12. The informal meeting, if
requested by the parents/guardians, must be held within 48 hours of the
student's removal. The
timing of the informal meeting may be
extended by mutual agreement of the parent and building principal. The
building
principal will require the teacher
who ordered the removal to attend the informal conference. If at the
informal meeting the
student denies the charges, the
building principal or the assistant principal must explain why the
student was removed and
give the student and the student's
parents a chance to present the student's version of relevant events.
13. The building principal or the
assistant principal, if designated by the building principal, may
overturn the removal of the
student from class if the building
principal finds any of the following:
a. The
charges against the student are not supported by substantial evidence.
b. The
student's removal is otherwise in violation of law, including the code
of conduct.
14. The conduct warrants suspension
from school pursuant to Education Law Section 3214 and a suspension will
be imposed.
15. The building principal or
designee may overturn a removal at any point between receiving the
referral form issued by the
teacher and the close of business on
the day following the 48-hour period for the informal conference, if a
conference is
requested. No student removed from
the classroom by the classroom teacher will be permitted to return to
the classroom
until the building principal makes a
final determination or the period of removal expires, whichever is less.
16. Any disruptive student removed
from the classroom by the classroom teacher shall be offered continued
educational
programming and activities until he
or she is permitted to return to the classroom.
17. Each teacher must keep a complete
log (on a district-established form) for all cases of removal of
students from his or her
class. The building principal must
keep a log of all removals of students from class.
18. Removal of a student with a
disability, under certain circumstances, may constitute a change in the
student's placement.
Accordingly, no teacher may remove a
student with a disability from his or her class until he or she has
verified with the
building principal that the removal
will not violate the student's rights under state or federal law or
regulation.