Students AP 350: Student Rights and Responsibilities

Background

Discipline starts in the home and the school has a secondary role in teaching and reinforcing appropriate student behaviour. Within this context, the basic purposes of developing a conduct procedure are to provide conditions which make effective learning possible; to ensure the safety of persons and property; and to promote personal development, as well as the social behaviours and attitudes for appropriate participation in an adult democratic culture.

Definitions

Behaviour - The manner in which one conducts oneself in specific circumstances.

Discipline/Classroom Management - Training that is expected to produce a specified character or pattern of behaviour, especially that which is expected to produce moral or mental improvement, controlled behaviour that results from training.

Punishment and Consequence - The penalty imposed for wrongdoing or misbehaviour.

Procedures

1. The roots of good behaviour are education, consistency and control. Since the District's primary purposes are educational in nature, the major efforts to implement this Administrative Procedure are to focus on positive educational approaches to student conduct.
2. Parents/Guardians must be involved in helping to resolve any major problems. Other expectations of parents/guardians include communicating and cooperating with the school, ensuring student health, modeling positive behaviours, providing a moral foundation, setting parameters and being actively involved with the school. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to become involved in setting procedures at school through appropriate channels.
3. Students must make every effort to learn expected school and classroom behaviours and their appropriateness to various situations.
4. Teachers must teach social skills and problem-solving, model self-control and other socially acceptable behaviours, provide student supervision when students are under school auspices, motivate students through effective instructional procedures, exhibit and exercise strong classroom management skills.
5. Consequences for inappropriate behaviour are to be logically related to the nature and severity of the misbehaviour, individually applied, firm, fair, consistent, and timely. The level of consequence for inappropriate behaviour will reflect the age, maturity and individual circumstances of the student.
6. The following are prohibited in the schools:
   1. Guns or offensive weapons;
   2. Alcohol, cannabis, drugs, or other intoxicants; and
   3. Tabacco and tabacco like products.
7. Principals will establish, within their schools, codes of standard conduct and stated student behaviour expectations.
8. Expectations
   Students are expected to exhibit appropriate behaviours of a personal and interpersonal nature. As well, students, particularly older students, are expected to exhibit the ability to reason through socially difficult situations.
   1. Personal Factors - Each student is expected to:
      1. Show consideration for how others feel;
      2. Maintain good grooming i.e. neat and clean appearance;
      3. Accept responsibility for their actions;
      4. Express feelings in a positive, appropriate manner;
      5. Show initiative; and
      6. Control Anger.
   2. Interpersonal Factors - Each student is expected to:
      1. Understand and help others;
      2. Share and cooperate with others;
      3. Explain opinions, beliefs and feelings;
      4. Show a reasonable amount of assertiveness;
      5. Be complementary to others for things done well;
      6. Actively listen to others;
      7. Ask questions;
      8. Participate in group activities;
      9. Accept people who are different; and
      10. Compromise where it seems appropriate.
      11. Demonstrate tolerance and understanding of others.
   3. Social Reasoning - Each student is expected to:
      1. Recognize unusual aspects of social situations;
      2. Understand why things have happened as they have;
      3. Resolve problems;
      4. Make decisions thoughtfully;
      5. Choose the best alternative; and
      6. Show curiosity.
   4. Classroom Behaviours - Each student is expected to:
      1. Attend;
      2. Work independently;
      3. Persevere at an activity for an appropriate length of time;
      4. Contribute to discussions;
      5. Do homework on time;
      6. Follow classroom procedure;
      7. Listen to the teacher giving directors;
      8. Complete tasks;
      9. Be on time; and
      10. Use time efficiently.