Policy 20: Student Conduct / Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe

Background

The Board of Trustees is committed to providing each enrolled student and every employed staff member with a welcoming, caring, respectful, and safe learning environment.

The Board affirms the rights, as provided for in the Alberta Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms of each staff member employed by the board and each student enrolled in a school operated by the Board. Staff members and students will not be discriminated against as provided for in the Alberta Human Rights Act or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Board expects staff and students to model and reinforce socially responsible and respectful behaviors so that teaching and learning can occur in welcoming, caring, respectful, and safe learning environments.

The Board acknowledges that systemic bias, such as racism, exists in society and thus in our schools. The Board knows that it plays an important role in influencing and driving systemic change. Individuals experiencing racism at any level encounter barriers to positive relationships, learning, academic success, personal fulfilment and well-being. The Board recognizes the complexity of how racism is experienced by trustees, employees, students, families, volunteers, contractors and visitors, and commits to addressing racism through responsive and transparent processes.

The Board is committed to acknowledging and addressing discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying. The Board believes schools have the responsibility to ensure that students and their families feel safe to share these issues and concerns. Within a safe and caring environment, students and their families have the right and responsibility to bring these concerns to the attention of the school staff. The Board expects that school and Division staff will be respectful of the concerns of students and their families and will work with them to provide appropriate supports and resolve their issues in a timely manner.

The cultural diversity of Division Community members is a strength. The Board recognizes that respect for diverse cultural perspectives, traditions, languages, beliefs and values enriches the learning and working environment for everyone and is important to well-being and personal growth. The Board is committed to honouring cultural diversity, promoting intercultural understanding to enable reflection and growth, and fostering a sense of belonging.

Definitions

Safe:

Untouched or not exposed to danger; secure from damage, harm, or loss.

Caring:

Watchful attention, concern, custody, diligence, direction; to be concerned with and attend to the needs of others.

Secure:

Protected from unauthorized access.

Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe School:

A welcoming, caring, respectful and safe school is physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe for students and staff. It is an environment wherein everyone is accorded respect and dignity, and their safety and well-being are paramount considerations.

Critical Incident:

An event or condition with the potential to jeopardize the safety or security of persons and/ or to cause damage to Board property or reputation.

Threat:

A threat is defined as an expressed intention to harm someone or something.  Examples of threats may include but are not limited to: verbal threats, physical gestures, notes on walls, email messages, any social media, or any other means used to communicate an intention to harm.

Violence Threat Risk Assessment (in the future known as Assessment of Risk to Others):

A means of comprehensively examining the potential and magnitude of threatening behaviour that has the potential to impact the safety/health of individuals within the school.

Procedures

1. In educating its students, the goal of the Board is to develop responsible, caring, and respectful members of a just, peaceful and democratic society.
2. The Board believes that promoting a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe school system requires the support and assistance of all members of the jurisdiction’s community.
3. Discipline is an essential part of a positive school climate. A positive school climate contributes to the prevention and reduction of misconduct in schools.
4. The best educational interests of students and fundamental rights and safety of all school community members are paramount considerations.
5. The School Board shall:
   1. Ensure that all schools are welcoming, caring, respectful and safe by requiring schools to develop, implement and continually evaluate policies, programs, and practices to prevent and respond to incidents or situations that disrupt teaching and learning;
   2. Provide direction, support, and staff development opportunities to schools in the development and implementation of violence prevention programs and prevention and management of critical incidents.
6. The school Principal shall:
   1. Develop action plans in consultation with students, staff, parents, school council, and community resources that:
   2. Provide for management of critical incidents affecting the school;
   3. Establish criteria for implementing and evaluating violence prevention programs;
   4. Clarify roles and responsibilities of students, staff, parents, and community resources that support a safe and caring school;
   5. Provide information management and internal/external communication protocol;
   6. Provide for staff development and training.
7. The school staff shall:
   1. Establish learning environments wherein students feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe and secure.
   2. Be respectful of students’ human dignity;
   3. Seek to establish a positive professional relationship with students that is characterized by mutual respect, trust, and harmony;
   4. Model beliefs, principles, values, and intellectual characteristics outlined in the “Guide to Education, ECS to Grade 12” and programs of study, and guide students to do the same..
8. Students shall:
   1. Conduct themselves so as to reasonably comply with the following code of conduct:
   2. Be diligent in pursuing their studies;
   3. Attend school regularly and punctually;
   4. Co-operate fully with everyone authorized by the Board to provide education programs and other services;
   5. Comply with the rules of the school;
   6. Account to their teachers for their conduct;
   7. Respect the rights of others.
   8. Ensure that conduct contributes to a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging;
   9. Refrain from, report, and not tolerate bullying or bullying behaviour directed towards others in the school, whether or not it occurs within the school building, during the school day, or by electronic means;
   10. Positively contribute to the school and community;
   11. Demonstrate desirable personal characteristics and behaviours when interacting with others that are respectful, responsible, fair, honest, caring, loyal, and committed to democratic ideals.
9. Parents and School Council members shall:
   1. Advise and consult with the Principal on matters related to student conduct, discipline and consequences, and the safe and caring climate of the school.
10. Student Conduct Policy
    1. Schools must establish a student conduct policy which outlines expectations for student conduct and behaviour, school rules, and a range of consequences for noncompliance by students.
    2. The student conduct policy shall be communicated to students and parents each school year.
11. Prevention and Management of Critical Incidents
    1. A copy of the Hour Zero: School Emergency Response Plan (online and hardcopy) will be updated each school year and provided to each site in the Division.
    2. Schools must use the handbook and the online program as a guide to deal with the prevention and management of critical incidents.
    3. Schools will use Hour Zero Emergency Response Plan’s incident-specific functional protocols for their students, staff, building, and school community for critical incidents which should include: the establishment of a school prevention plan by completing the school checklist and assigning staff to the Incident Command System (ICS) response team and training assignments; a comprehensive communications plan; drills; emergency equipment; evacuation centers; emergency evacuation, lock-down, hold and secure, shelter-in-place, etc., and crowd/traffic control procedures; staff and student medical information; training and practices; adapting emergency procedures to the school; hazardous materials; recovery procedures (online and hardcopy).
    4. Depending on the scope of a critical incident, schools may need to activate the division Incident Command System (ICS) and/or community-wide Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) action plan or response, e.g., Regional Emergency Services Regional Emergency Operations Centre (REOC).