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Rutherford’s Code of Conduct

 

A.  Statement of Purpose

§  To establish and maintain safe, caring and orderly environments for purposeful learning at Rutherford School

§  To establish and maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective rights, freedoms and responsibilities

§  To clarify and publish expectations for student behaviour while at school, while going to and from school, and while attending any school function or activity at any location.

 

B. Conduct Expectations

               Expected Behaviours

§  Respecting self, others, the school, the learning environment, and the natural environment.

§  Help to make the school a safe, caring and orderly place

§  Report to an adult, in a timely manner (in advance, if possible), incidents of bullying, harassment or intimidation

§  Attending school regularly and on time

§  Accept responsibility for your own learning

§  Act in a manner that brings credit to the school, their family and community

Unacceptable Conduct

The following points are example only and are not an all-inclusive list,

§  Behaviours that:

o   Interfere with the learning of others

o   Interfere with an orderly environment

o   Create unsafe conditions

§  Acts of:

o   Bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment or intimidation

o   Physical violence

o   Retribution against a person who has reported incidents

o   Inappropriate use of computers, cellular phones, cameras and/or other communication / wireless devices

§   Acts of academic dishonesty, such as:

o   Lying, plagiarism, or cheating

§  Illegal acts, such as:

o   Theft of or damage to property

o   Possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances such as firecrackers, fireworks, drugs, or alcohol

o   Possession or use of weapons

 

These expectations apply to behaviour at school, during school organized or sponsored activities, and behaviour beyond these times (including on-line behaviour) that negatively impacts the safe, caring, or orderly environment of the school, and/or student learning.

 

Bullying                                                           

Rutherford School believes that all students, staff and volunteers should be provided a safe, secure and welcoming learning and working environment.  To that end, acts of bullying and harassment will not be tolerated.

Bullying is any pattern of persistent unwelcome or aggressive behaviour intended to make others feel uncomfortable, scared or hurt. Bullying often involves an imbalance of power and often results in feelings of distress on the victim.

Bullying can occur in a group phenomenon and adults must be aware of the importance of the roles that bystanders play in incidents of bullying. While many students report that witnessing bullying makes them feel uncomfortable, 88 percent of bullying takes place in the presence of youth other than the bully and the victim.

A hurtful bystander will support the bullying by laughing, cheering, or making comments that further encourage the bully. In other instances, bystanders join in the bullying once it has begun. Most bystanders will passively accept the bullying by watching and not doing anything.

Bystanders do have the power to play a key role in preventing or stopping bullying. They need to accept the responsibility of reporting incidences to teachers or supervisors.

 

Bullying takes four main forms:

Physical bullying - includes hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching and pushing, or damaging property.

 

Verbal bullying - using words to hurt or humiliate others.

 

Relational bullying - includes behavioural actions designed to harm a child’s reputation or cause humiliation, like lying and spreading rumours, playing mean jokes to embarrass or humiliate a child, mimicking the child in a mean way, encouraging social exclusion of a child, etc.

Cyber bullying - includes taunting or humiliation through social media sites or the Internet, cruel websites targeting specific youth, humiliating others while playing online games, verbal or emotional bullying through chat rooms, instant message or texting, posting photos of other youth on rating websites, etc.

 

Risk/Threat Assessment

SD 68 takes all threats seriously.  What parents and students need to know?  Students and parents need to be aware of the steps the school district will take in responding to a threat:

• Any threats must be reported to the school principal, counselor, or some other responsible adult.
• Nanaimo-Ladysmith schools will follow up on every reported threat.
• Follow-up may involve the police.
• Interviews will be held with the threat-maker and any other students who may have information about the threat.
• Threatening behaviour may result in discipline for a student.

Intervention plans may be developed for the student making the threat and a support plan developed for any students who are the target of threats

 

C. Rising Expectations

Expectations will increase for students as they become older and more mature, and as they move through successive grades.  Students are expected to exhibit increased personal responsibility and self-discipline and there will be increasing consequences for inappropriate behaviour.

 

D. Consequences

Disciplinary action will be preventative, educative and restorative, rather than merely punitive. The goal for the student is:

• to take ownership for his/her choices.

• to reflect on the options that could have been chosen.

• to fix any damage that may have occurred if possible.

• to prevent the problem from reoccurring.

• to have direct involvement so that the consequences are purposeful and meaningful. This could include participating in working through a “Think Sheet.”

This process is intended to strengthen both the victim and the offender.

Special considerations may apply to students with special needs if these students are unable to comply with this code of conduct due to a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature.

The severity and frequency of unacceptable conduct, as well as the age and maturity of the student will be considered in choosing appropriate consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

 

Specific Consequences – 3 Step Process

Step 1

Discussion between student and staff member.  When students choose not to meet behavioural expectations, there will be natural, logical and consistent consequences.  Minor indiscretions are handled by staff.  It may  involve completion of a “Think Sheet” where students can reflect upon their actions and consider better choices next time.  Parents are often informed and are required to sign the “Think Sheet”.

 

Step 2

Office Referral Forms are issued for major offences (i.e. rough play, bullying, fighting, physical abuse of others, throwing objects, defiance of authority, disrespectful/abusive language) and continual defiance of school rules.  Students are referred to Administration.  Parents are informed. Students may lose morning recess or lunch playtime privileges.

 

Step 3

Parents are contacted for serious incidents of misbehaviour or if minor incidents persist beyond step two.  Depending on the severity or frequency of the misbehavior, students may be given in-school or home suspensions for persistent inappropriate behavior, which disturbs, interrupts or disquiets the usual, orderly operation of the school and/or inappropriate behaviour judged to have a harmful effect on the safety of other pupils.

 

E. Notification

In cases of serious breaches of the Code of Conduct, the school will advise other parties, including:

§  Parents of student offender(s) – in every instance

§  Parents of student victim(s) – in every instance

§  School district officials – as required by school 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 school officials are aware of a serious situation or incident and are taking appropriate action to address it.

 

Our school's Code of Conduct is also guided by the BC Human Rights Code and specifically includes the guidelines pertaining to discrimination as stated below:

 

Discriminatory publication

7  (1)  A person must not publish, issue or display, or cause to be published, issued or displayed, any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that

(a) indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate against a person or a group or class of persons, or

(b) is likely to expose a person or a group or class of persons to hatred or contempt because of the race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation or age of that person or that group or class of persons.

  Discrimination in accommodation, service and facility

8  (1)  A person must not, without a bona fide and reasonable justification,

 (a) deny to a person or class of persons any accommodation, service or facility customarily available    to the public, or

 (b) discriminate against a person or class of persons regarding any accommodation, service or facility    customarily available to the public because of the race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status,    family status, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation of that person or class of persons.​