Policies & Procedures: Discipline Policy
Return to the Policies & Procedures Home
Page
DISCIPLINE POLICY
May 2009
All school rules related to safety and security rules are in effect at all times. Rules and Expectations Supporting the Orderly Operation of the School and Educational Process Rules and expectations covered in this section are designed to meet the following goals:
- Maintain an orderly school operation.
- Maintain optimal learning opportunities for students. School facilities and classrooms must be free of behaviors that interfere with teaching and learning.
- Help students develop skills and behaviors necessary for healthy social interaction, both present and future.
- Help students learn how their decisions affect the quality of their lives and the lives of others.
- Help students develop responsibility and character.
We see each student as one who bears the image of God, and one who therefore is a unique individual with unique personal, social, and educational needs. As a result, every disciplinary situation becomes unique in nature. Consequences for misbehavior provide the best learning value when matched to the unique student and the unique situation. The odds for children learning from their mistakes increase dramatically when children see a reasonable connection between their behavior and the resulting consequences.
Our school staff dedicates itself to following a set of core beliefs that provide a guide for dealing with student discipline. The core beliefs guide our attempts to individualize disciplinary procedures and to help students see reasonable connections between their behavior and the resulting consequences.
Since these core beliefs provide the guiding light for our professional decisions, the staff encourages parents to bring concerns and questions to us in the event we operate in ways that appear to be inconsistent with these core beliefs.
Love and Logic Core Beliefs for Agia Sophia AcademyThe following list of core beliefs outlines the professional actions and attitudes of all staff members in this school:
- Every attempt will be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both the student and the teacher.
- Students will be guided and expected to solve their problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else.
- Students will be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
- Misbehavior will be handled with natural or logical consequences instead of punishment, whenever possible.
- Misbehavior will be viewed as an opportunity for individual problem solving and preparation for the real world as opposed to a personal attack on school or staff.
- Students are encouraged to request a ―due process‖ hearing whenever consequences appear to be unfair.
- School problems will be handled by school personnel. Criminal activity will be referred to the proper authorities.
- Treat others with the same respect with which you are treated by the adults in this school.
- Your actions, dress, possessions, etc., may not cause a problem for anyone else.
- If your actions, dress, or possessions cause a problem for anyone else, you will be asked to solve that problem.
- If you cannot or choose not to solve the problem, appropriate consequences will be imposed by staff members. These consequences will depend upon the situation and the person or persons involved. Staff members will use their best judgment based upon the information they have at the time.
- If students and/or parents feel that the consequences appear not to be fair, request a “due process” hearing. A due process hearing does not need to be formal in nature. It is simply a time for concerned individuals to meet together and share information related to the situation in question. In the event that this discussion provides additional information that sheds different light on the situation, or shows the consequences to be unfair, the consequences may be changed or eliminated to better fit the unique situation.
- We realize that expelling a student from school is a very serious matter and should always be carefully dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Forgiveness and restitution are fundamental to our total discipline policy however, should the student be unable to eliminate the behavioral problems, the student will be expelled.
- a. Should a student, at any time, commit a serious act of misconduct (see below), the discipline process may be bypassed and suspension or expulsion could be imposed immediately. Students may be subject to discipline for acts of gross misconduct even if those acts take place after school hours. Some examples of gross misconduct are:
- Endangering the life of another
- Gross violence or vandalism
- Violations of civil or federal law
- Violations of spiritual laws
- b. Should the expelled student desire to be readmitted to ASA at a later date, the school board, or its delegated subcommittee, will make a decision based on the student’s attitude and circumstances at the time of reapplication.
- Treat me, as your teacher, with the same respect with which I treat you.
- Your actions may not cause a problem for anyone else.
- If you cause a problem, you will be asked to solve it.
- If you cannot solve the problem or choose not to, I will do something. What I do will depend upon the situation and the person involved.
- If I do something that appears to be unfair, whisper to me, “I’m not sure that’s fair,” and we will talk about it.
Return to the Policies & Procedures Home
Page
You
will need Adobe Acrobat to view these files. If you do not have
this program installed on your computer, you can download a free copy at
www.adobe.com
