Please Note: The full Code of Conduct can be found in the junior-senior high school handbook. Following focuses on general school behaviors and consequences.
POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS & SUPPORTS (PBIS)
Schoharie Jr./Sr. High School will implement a Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program for all students in grades 7-12. This program will be similar to the one currently in place in the elementary school. Students will be asked to meet or exceed expectations with regard to being safe, responsible, respectful, and a community. These expectations will be shared with them and posted throughout the school building.
General Statement -All possible infractions of proper school behavior are not listed in the following guidelines. The absence of any single infraction does not mean that disciplinary action will not be taken against the offending student(s). This is not an exhaustive list, but rather indicative of the type of conduct which will be considered unacceptable by the district.
In all cases requiring discipline, the school principal is empowered to evaluate the seriousness of each incident (or series of incidents) and to administer the consequences that he/she believes is appropriate under the given circumstances.
PROHIBITED STUDENT CONDUCT
Students may be subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including suspension from school, when they:
A. Engage in conduct that is disorderly. Examples of disorderly conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Running in hallways
- Engaging in any activity that puts other students’ or staff members’ safety in jeopardy, including running in the hallway or play fighting
- Making an unreasonable amount or type of noise
- Using language or gestures that are considered profane, lewd, vulgar, or abusive
- Obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic
- Engaging in any willful act that disrupts the normal operation of the school community
- Trespassing: Students are not permitted in any school building, other than the one they regularly attend, without permission from the administrator in charge of that building
B. Engage in conduct that is insubordinate. Examples of insubordinate conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Failing to comply with the lawful directions of teachers, school administrators, or other school employees in charge of students
- Acting in a disrespectful manner while engaging with teachers, administrators, or other school employees in charge of students
- Lateness to, missing from, or leaving class and/or school without permission.
Skipping detention
C. Engage in conduct that is disruptive. Examples of disruptive conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Failing to comply with the lawful directions of teachers, school administrators, or other school personnel in charge of students
- Being late for school or class
- Being unprepared for class
D. Engage in conduct that is considered violent. Examples of violent conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Committing an act of violence (such as hitting, kicking, punching or scratching) upon a teacher, Administrator, other school employee, student, or any other person lawfully on school property
- Possessing a weapon; authorized law enforcement officials are the only persons permitted to have a weapon in their possession while on school property or at a school function. “Weapon” means a gun, pistol, revolver, shotgun, rifle, machine gun disguised gun, dagger, dirk, razor, stiletto, switchblade knife, gravity knife, metal knuckle knife, box cutters, cane sword, electronic dart gun, Kung Fu star, electronic stun gun, laser pointer, pepper spray or other noxious spray, explosive or incendiary bomb, projectile, or other dangerous instrument that can cause physical injury or death.
- Displaying what appears to be a weapon
- Threatening to use any weapon
- Threatening an act of violence
- Intentionally damaging or destroying the personal property of a teacher, administrator, other district employee, student, or any person lawfully on school property, including graffiti or arson
- Intentionally damaging or destroying school district property
E. Engage in any conduct that endangers the safety, morals, health, or welfare of themselves or others. Examples of such conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Lying to school personnel
- Engaging in inappropriate public displays of affection (PDA). Acts of sexual harassment as defined in the district’s sexual harassment policy
- Selling, using, or possessing obscene material
- Smoking or possessing a cigarette, cigar, pipe, electronic cigarette, lighter, or possessing or using chewing or smokeless tobacco
- Possessing, consuming, selling, distributing, or exchanging alcoholic beverages or illegal substances, or being under the influence of either. “Illegal substances” include inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, LSD, PCP, amphetamines, heroin, steroids, look-alike drugs, and any substances commonly referred to as “designer drugs.”
- Inappropriately using or sharing prescription or over-the-counter drugs
- Harassment which does or may result in emotional distress, including but not limited to any act which tends to humiliate, alienate, demean, or disrespect any fellow student or school personnel
- Engaging in any act that discriminates against any individual based on race, religion, creed, or sex
- Using dice or other devices used for gambling
- Stealing the property of other students, school personnel, or any other person lawfully on school property or attending a school function
F. Engage in any form of bullying or cyberbullying /harassment /discrimination/hazing that is designed to or has the effect of interfering with one’s ability to be educated in a safe, non-hostile environment.
REPORTING VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT
All students are expected to promptly report violations of the Code of Conduct to a teacher, guidance counselor, the building principal or his or her designee. Any student observing a student possessing a weapon, alcohol or illegal substance on school property or at a school function must report this information immediately to a teacher, the principal, the principal’s designee or the Superintendent of Schools.
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES AND PENALTIES
Students who are found to have violated the district’s Code of Conduct may be subject to the following penalties, either alone or in combination with one another. The school personnel identified after each penalty are authorized to impose that penalty, consistent with the student’s right to due process.
1. Verbal warning -any member of the school staff (school staff includes teachers, administrators, bus drivers, aides, cafeteria staff and aides, custodians and other paraprofessionals)
2. Written documentation -any member of the school staff (school staff includes teachers, administrators, bus drivers, aides, cafeteria staff and aides, custodians and other paraprofessionals)
3. Written notification to parent -teachers, principal, superintendent
4. Detention -teachers, principal, superintendent
a. In school detention
b. After school detention
5. Suspension from transportation – principal, superintendent
6. Suspension from athletic participation — Athletic Director, principal, superintendent
7. Suspension from social or extracurricular activities – principal, superintendent
8. Suspension of other privileges — principal, superintendent
9. In-school suspension — principal, superintendent
10. Referral to building principal, teacher, bus driver, monitors, aides
11. Removal from classroom by teacher — teachers, principal, superintendent
12. Short-term (5 days or fewer) suspension from school — principal, superintendent, Board of Education
13. Long-term (more than 5 days) suspension from school – principal, superintendent, Board of Education
Students suspended from school or in ISS are not eligible to participate in any school activities during the period of the suspension.
PROCEDURES
The amount of due process a student is entitled before a penalty is imposed will depend on the type of penalty being imposed. In all cases, regardless of the penalty imposed, the school personnel authorized to impose the penalty must let the student know what misconduct the student is alleged to have committed, and must investigate the facts surrounding the alleged misconduct. All students will have an opportunity to present their version of the facts to the school personnel imposing the disciplinary penalty in connection with the imposition of the penalty. Students who are to be given penalties other than a verbal warning, written warning, written notification to their parents/legal guardians, or in school detention are entitled to additional rights before the penalty is imposed. These additional rights are explained below.
After-School Detention: Teachers, principals, and the superintendent may use after-school detention as a penalty for student misconduct. Detention will be held from 2:45 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week or from 3-5 p.m. as determined by the assigning administrator, student, and parent/guardian.
Suspension from Transportation: If a student does not conduct himself/herself properly on a school bus, the bus driver is expected to bring such misconduct to the building principal’s attention. Students who become a serious disciplinary problem may have their riding privileges suspended by the building principal or the superintendent. In such cases, the student’s parent or legal guardian will become responsible for ensuring that his or her child gets to and from school safely. A student subjected to a suspension from transportation is not entitled to a full hearing pursuant to Education Law § 3214. However, the student and the student’s parent/ legal guardian will be provided with a reasonable opportunity for an informal conference with the building principal to discuss the conduct and the penalty involved.
Suspension from Athletic Participation, Extra-Curricular Activities and Other Privileges: A student subjected to a suspension from athletic participation, extra-curricular activities, or other privileges is not entitled to a full hearing pursuant to Education Law § 3214. However, the student and the student’s parent will be provided with a reasonable opportunity for an informal conference with the district official imposing the suspension to discuss the conduct and the penalty involved.
In-School Suspension (ISS): A student may be subjected to in-school suspension (ISS) that removes the student from a classroom and places him/her in an alternative location. Students will be supervised at all times and will eat lunch at a set time. No other eating will be permitted. Students will be provided with academic assignments to be completed while in ISS. They may not leave their seats or talk without permission, and they must sit attentively (no sleeping allowed). Pass privileges will be limited to two bathroom passes (one in morning and one in afternoon). Students in ISS will not be permitted to attend any school or district functions or activities (including athletic and/or social events). Disruptive and uncooperative behavior while in ISS will be handled directly by an administrator, who may add additional days to the remaining ISS time, as well as out-of-school suspension days and/or a superintendent’s hearing, depending upon the severity of the behavior.
Suspension from School (OSS): Suspension from school is a severe penalty which may be imposed only upon students who are insubordinate, disorderly, violent, or disruptive, or whose conduct otherwise endangers the safety, morals, health, or welfare of themselves or others. A student suspended from school and under the compulsory education age of 17 must be provided with instruction. To fulfill this, the district will provide after-school tutoring for said students from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays for each day suspended from instruction. It is the parents’ or legal guardians’ responsibility to transport students to this alternative education setting.