Penalties for Misconduct

Informal discipline is an ongoing process in which teachers talk to and counsel a student before taking action.

Formal discipline requires that parents be notified of any disciplinary action being taken by a teacher or administrator. Such action may include keeping a student after school or in from recess, etc.

Office referral: When a student’s behavior is judged to require immediate action, or jeopardizes the order or safety of the class, the student is sent to the office.

Restitution: Students and their parents will be held responsible for payment or replacement of property willfully or carelessly damaged.

Restriction: Students placed on restriction or not permitted to attend or participate in any extra-curricular activities during the time or restriction. Activities include intramural sports, athletic programs, dances, parties, ceremonies, or other activities for which student attendance is optional. Students on restriction are not eligible for honors or awards for the duration of their restriction.

In School Discipline: An in school discipline entails assignment to a quiet supervised setting removed from other students. Students assigned an in school discipline are supplied with appropriate homework and study assignments. The length of an assignment to in school discipline ranges from part of a school day to multiple school days.

Suspension: The principal may suspend a student, for an act of gross misconduct for up to ten school days, providing certain steps have been followed: (1) the student has been told what the reason for the suspension is, including what, if any, rules have been broken; (2) the student is given an opportunity to present his view; (3) parents are given verbal notification, followed immediately by written confirmation, including description of the reason for the suspension. Parents of a suspended student will be granted a hearing with the superintendent’s office if they request it. Students suspended for violence or threats of violence may be required to participate in a threat assessment screening by mental health and/or law enforcement personnel. Police intervention may also result from such an incident.

Temporary withdrawal from school: In response to some problems that may arise, the parents and the principal may decide that the best procedure is to withdraw the student from school for one to five days.

Expulsion: The Board of Education may expel a student for an act of gross misconduct for a period of time not to exceed two full calendar years. The school must follow the steps described above for a suspension, except that a hearing must be provided by the Board of Education. At the hearing the student may have legal counsel, the opportunity to question the person who recommended that the board expel him, the right to present and question witnesses, and the right to make a statement on his own behalf.