Code of Conduct

CODE OF CONDUCT

The purpose of École Red Bluff/Lhtako’s code of conduct is to establish and maintain a safe, caring and orderly school that will enable purposeful learning and positive social development for all students.

Expected Behaviours

At École Red Bluff/ Lhtako students are taught expected behaviours following the school beliefs. Students are reminded to show expected behaviours. They learn that when they do unexpected behaviours, it affects how other people feel and think about them and may have negative consequences. While our emphasis is on teaching, encouraging and recognizing appropriate student behaviour, we also have to plan for situations where students do not behave appropriately. It is expected that all students will comply with the rules and regulations of École Red Bluff/Lhtako and that school staff, in a kind, firm and judicious manner, will administer intervention and correction. This applies to all situations related to school, including: travel to and from school; in classrooms; in the school building and on school grounds; at school functions and on school buses. If an incident occurs outside of school hours, or off the site that could have a negative impact on students at the school, it may be dealt with by either the classroom teacher or the principal.

 

We believe

  • effective discipline is about teaching the students to be kind and caring citizens.
  • in focusing on ways to fix the problem and taking action to make amends for the incident.
  • in teaching students ways to face up to their mistakes- that is how we learn
  • in the importance of working together and involving parents in planning for the success of their children

Cooperation - get along with each other, play safely, share with others, follow the rules, be friendly, be fair, work together, do what adults ask without talking back, help others when needed  Acceptance - appreciate differences in others, look past outer appearance, let others join in with games and activities, seek out new friendships, show people you care, encourage others, let others have a turn.

Respect - behave in kind ways, treat others the same as you would like to be treated, be polite and use manners, listen to others, care for your belongings, the school and the environment, obey adults in school.

Responsibility - care for and look after each other, show sportsmanship, think first, stand up when someone is being treated unkindly, use proper talk, do your work to the best of your ability, be a good role model for others, be trustworthy, be reliable, take on a helping role in your classroom, school or community, accept responsibility for your mistakes. 

 

Unexpected behaviours are those that do not follow the school beliefs

These are behaviours that interfere with learning of others, interfere with an orderly school, or are unsafe. Teachers have the discretion of dealing with a situation in the classroom before referring the student to the office. At École Red Bluff/Lhtako we use MyEd to track individual and school-wide student behaviours. The Principal or Teacher in Charge makes a record of the incident, the event and the action taken.

 

Minor Behaviours

  • Cheating and lying
  • Pushing and hands-on
  • Inappropriate or unsafe behavior
  • Possession of replica weapons
  • Non-compliance
  • Cell phone or camera use during school
 hours
  • Rudeness
  • Inappropriate use of computers
  • Disrespecting others
  • Snowball – rock throwing
  • Swearing
  • Absenteeism                           
  • Teasing
  • Talking out of turn
  • Inappropriate language
  • Defacing school property                   
  • Bystander to bullying
  • Dress code violation (no footwear; obscene or inappropriate slogans, gang or hate related;
 sexist or homophobic; with drug or alcohol references, dangerous or revealing clothing)

Major Behaviours

For persistent minor behaviours the classroom teacher will have already contacted the student’s parent. Major behaviours are referred directly to the Principal or Teacher in Charge. In the case of serious offenses the Principal or Teacher in Charge, will make every effort to have the parents involved with the school before interventions are finalized.

  • Persistent minor behaviour
  • Bullying
  • Consistent pattern of defiance or non-compliance
  • Racism
  • Vandalism
  • Weapons
  • Theft
  • Smoking
  • Threats
  • Bystander encouraging bullying
  • Fighting
  • Sexual behaviour
  • Fieldtrip misbehaviour
  • Drugs/Alcohol
  • Swearing at others
  • Harassment
  • Off school grounds
  • Acts of retaliation
  • Electronic/web bullying – including sending or forwarding inappropriate text messages or emails
  • Behaviour that disrupts the learning of others and is unsafe for that child or others

 

Possible actions or consequences could include:

  • Child Sent to the office: Meeting with the principal where the child will have a problem solving conversation. The principal may require that the student complete a problem solving sheet, do a written or verbal apology; including what and why they did it, how the other person may have felt and what they would do next time, or complete community service specific to the infraction. Developing caring behaviours is part of our discipline process. Depending on the incident it may also include confiscation of property.

 

  • Time-out: If the situation is appropriate, a student may be assigned a time-out, in or outside of class. A student may be excluded from the school routine with the knowledge of the parent.

 

  • Lunch Hour/Recess Restriction: A student's free time may be restricted if they are assigned an in-school suspension, where a student attends classes as usual, but is assigned a time-out during free time periods. A student may also be restricted as a consequence of being unable to behave appropriately without supervision. Time-outs of this type are usually served in or near the office.

 

  • Parent Contacted: A student's parents will be contacted by telephone if a type of behaviour or situation is becoming common or persistent for this student. A teacher or principal may contact the parent.

 

Or if the incident is more serious: Fighting, smoking, assault, violence, threats of violence, bullying (physical aggression, social alienation, verbal aggression, intimidation), weapons, alcohol, drugs, vandalism, harassment(intimidation, racial or sexual), disrespect of an adult in the position of authority, etc.

 

  • Sent Home: When a child’s behavior is out of control to the point they are a danger to themselves or others, or they are not complying with adult requests in the building, they may be sent home under their parent’s supervision. Upon the student’s return they will be expected to meet with the principal with an idea of how to make amends for their behaviour, possibly a formal apology or plan of how to avoid repeating the same behaviour in the future.

 

  • Restitution: Students, parents and other parties may be invited to participate in mediation or a restorative justice circle to allow all parties to air their feelings and begin to heal the relationships. This develops an understanding of the impact of the offence on the victim and their family. If a student victimizes another student or property damage occurs, the offending student must provide adequate compensation. This requires effort on the part of the offender and discourages further offences.

 

  • Referral to the School-Based Team: A student may be referred to the School-Based Team if further intervention by the School Counselor or Youth Care Worker is warranted, or functional assessment of the student's behaviour is necessary to develop an individual behavior plan for the student.

 

  • Suspension: A student may be suspended from school for serious incidents as listed above. The Principal may suspend students out of school for definite periods up to ten (10) days according to School District policy #305. In extreme cases, the Principal may suspend for an indefinite period, with a resulting referral to the District Code of Conduct.

 

  • Removal: Under section 177 of the School Act of British Columbia, the Principal, Vice-Principal or designate in charge of the school is authorized to require the removal of any person creating a disturbance or interrupting the proceedings of the school or school function. (including students, former student, parents, or community members)

 

  • Notification: Depending on the situation, the Principal, or TIC may have the responsibility to advise other parties of serious breaches of the Code of Conduct. For example:
    • Parents of student offender(s)
    • Parents of student victim(s)
    • School District Officials – as required by District Policy
    • Police and/or other agencies – as required by law
    • All Parents – when deemed to be important to reassure members of the school community that the school staff are aware of a serious situation or incident and are taking appropriate action to address it.

Considerations: Each incident be treated on its own merit and will take into consideration

  • Age and maturity of student
  • Severity of incident
  • Frequency of behaviours
  • Special needs of students involved

 

Bullying is:

  • When a person is the target, over time, with repeated negative actions.
  • When one person has more power, so the person being victimized feels that they can’t defend him/herself
  • When a person, who is the target, may feel embarrassed, hurt, scared, and/or angry.
  • Rooted in forms of discrimination such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and rejection of people with disabilities or talents

Acts of bullying may include:

  • physical aggression (pushing, grabbing, hitting, 
pinching, spitting, tripping)
  • social alienation (gossiping, embarrassing others, homophobic or ethnic slurs, excluding others)
  • verbal aggression (name calling, put-downs, swearing at others, threatening others)
  • cyber-bullying (emails, chat rooms, text messages), retaliation against someone who has reported bullying 

For a comprehensive definition of Bullying Behaviours see the following link on the School District #28 Website http://www.sd28.bc.ca/district/departments/studentservices/bullying

École Red Bluff/Lhtako 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, religion, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, sex, gender identity and expression or sexual orientation.