CODE OF CONDUCT: student Discipline

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND SCHOOLS

The St. Mary Parish School Board and the State of Louisiana have adopted laws and policies for every teacher to hold every student to a strict accountability for any disorderly conduct in school or attending school events, on the street or bus going to or returning from school, or during intermission or recess.

School discipline includes options of counseling, student conferences, corporal punishment, student adjustment centers, suspension, and/or expulsion.  In all cases, the discipline should be positive, constructive, and directed toward serving educational ends.  While the individual rights of a student must be considered, the order and stability of the educational institution must be preserved.  The ultimate responsibility of a student's conduct rests with the student and his or her parent.

 

**NOTE- Franklin Junior High School will utilize the PBIS Rewards System to notify and communicate with parents regarding minor discipline issues. In order for the system to work effectively and for parents to be notified of minor discipline issues, the PBIS Rewards app must be downloaded and parents must be registered. Please go to https://www.pbisrewards.com/blog/pbis-rewards-family-app/ to download the app and register. **IF YOU DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE APP AND REGISTER, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE REAL-TIME UPDATES REGARDING YOUR STUDENT'S MINOR DISCIPLINE INFRACTIONS.

 

Reports to the Principal

Any teacher or other school employee may report to the principal any student who acts in a disorderly manner or is in violation of school rules, or any misconduct or violation of school rules by a student who may or may not be known to the teacher or employee.

 

• Incidents of alleged discipline violations shall be reported on the School Behavior Report form/School Bus Behavior Report form provided by the Louisiana Department of Education.
• The forms shall be submitted in accordance with procedures outlined by the School District, the Superintendent, and school system personnel. The principal shall review and act upon such information submitted, to determine if suspension or other disciplinary action is necessary.

 

Should the principal fail to act on any report of misconduct or school violation, he/she shall explain the reasons for doing so to the Superintendent or his/her designee and to the teacher or school employee, student, parent, or legal guardian reporting the violation.

 

RECUSAL OF ADMINISTRATOR IN DISCIPLINE MATTERS

Any school administrator or administrator's designee who is required to make a recommendation, decide an issue, or act in a matter involving the discipline of a student shall recuse himself/herself whenever a member of the immediate family of the administrator or administrator's designee is involved in any manner in the discipline matter.  In case of recusal, the action to be taken shall be done so by the Superintendent or an impartial designee of the Superintendent. Immediate family means the individual's children, brothers, sisters, parents, and spouse and the children, brothers, sisters, and parents of the spouse.

 

CLASS I BEHAVIORS

 

Disciplinary actions appropriate for Class I violations shall include but are not limited to:  in school suspension (between classes, at recess or lunch time, after school); extra written  work; warnings; written and/or oral reprimands; student-teacher  conference; time-out/isolation; lower conduct grade; parent-teacher conferences; parent-teacher phone conference; loss of classroom, playground, co-curricular activities, or extra-curricular activities; restoration of facilities to original condition; referral to SWAT; referral to school counselors; and any reasonable action that has been approved by the principal.

 

Each classroom/duty teacher shall seek to correct general classroom/school disruption by taking appropriate suggested disciplinary action.  Only when the actions taken by the teacher are ineffective or the disruption is sufficiently severe should a student be referred to the principal.

 

Under no circumstances should academic grades be used for maintaining order in a classroom, nor shall student behavior be included in calculating academic grades.  An academic grade shall reflect the teacher's most objective assessment of the student's academic achievement.

 

Class I Violations

 

1. Any conduct and/or behavior that is disruptive to the orderly educational process in the classroom or any similar grouping for instruction.
2. Harassment or intimidation of other students -- the continued annoyance, teasing, or tormenting of another student.
3. Gambling -- any participation in games of chance for money and/or other things of value.
4. Unexcused absences and unexcused tardiness—after all reasonable efforts by the principal and the teacher have failed to correct the habitual absences or tardiness by the student the following shall take place:
   After the fifth unexcused absence or the fifth unexcused occurrence of being tardy within one month or if a pattern of five (5) absences a month is established, the principal or designee, with the aid of the teachers shall file a written report showing dates of absences or tardiness, dates and results of school contacts with the home, and such other information as may be needed by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.  Child Welfare and Attendance shall report the student to the family or juvenile court of the parish as a truant child pursuant to the Louisiana Children's Code Relative to families in need of services.
5. Non-conformity to dress code. A student enrolled in grades prekindergarten through five shall not be suspended from school for a uniform violation that is not tied to willful disregard of school policies.

5. Minor disruption on a school bus.
6. Inappropriate public displays of affection.
7. Intentionally providing false information to School Board employee including, but not limited to, giving false student information, forgery of school notes (including report cards), and concealment of information directly relating to school business.
8. Any other violation that the principal (or designee)/ teacher may reasonably deem to fall within this category.  (Failure to do class work, lack of necessary supplies, littering, loitering and/or sitting in parked cars, failure to return required forms/report cards, parking in prohibited areas, "horse play," not participating in class, sleeping in class, electronic games/devices, any act judged by school personnel to be unsafe to self or others, any behavior judged by school personnel to be disruptive or destructive, failure to follow any class or school rules.)