SCHOOL DISTRICT
NO. 78 (FRASER-CASCADE)
POLICY NO: 7200 DATE: 1998-02-24 REVISED: 2002-04-23
2007-01-23
SUBJECT: SUSPENSIONS - STUDENTS
===============================================================================
The Board of School
Trustees believes that the suspension of students should occur only after all
other available measures have been considered.
In recognition that suspensions may be necessary from time to time,
however, the Board gives general authorization to Administrative Officers to
suspend a student, or to remove a suspension, in accordance with the
regulations of this policy.
SCHOOL DISTRICT
NO. 78 (FRASER-CASCADE)
REGULATIONS NO:
7200 DATE: 1998-02-24 REVISED: 2002-04-23
2007-01-23
SUBJECT: SUSPENSIONS - STUDENTS
===============================================================================
1. Each school shall formulate a Code of
Conduct for pupils that is consistent with this policy, other School Board
policies, and the School Act and Regulations.
i) It is recommended that parents and/or
pupils be consulted during the formulation of the Code of Conduct.
ii) A copy of the Code of Conduct should be
filed with the School Board upon formulation and after each revision.
iii) At the beginning of each school year,
or upon registration in the school, each student should be provided with a copy
of the Code of Conduct.
2. The Board of School Trustees authorizes
the Administrative Officers of a school, or his/her designate, to suspend a
student when he/she concludes that:
a)
alternative
means for dealing with the student in school (as per page 4 list of suggested
interventions) have not worked or would not be appropriate in the particular
situation;
b)
the student is
willfully disobedient to a teacher or any other employee of the Board carrying
out responsibilities approved by the Board;
c)
the behaviour
of the student has a harmful effect on the character or persons of other
pupils; or
d)
suspension is
an agreed upon learning tool as specified within the Individual Educational
Plan (IEP) for students designated with behavioral disorders.
3. Where the Administrative Officer of a
school, or his/her designate, feels that a student should be suspended for five
(5) days or less, he/she may suspend the student as follows:
a) for informal suspensions of less than
one day,
i)
Parents/guardians
shall be contacted by telephone and informed that their son/daughter is being
sent home. They shall also be advised of
the
circumstances precipitating the informal suspension.
ii) The student shall be sent directly home
and instructed to return to school at a designated time. The school administration may require that
the student be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
iii) If the parents/guardians cannot be
contacted, the student is not to be sent home.
iv) No formal written contact needs to be
made with the parents/ guardians.
b) for
formal suspensions of five (5) days or less,
i) Parents/guardians shall be contacted
by telephone and/or personal interview prior to the student leaving the school.
ii) A confirming letter informing the parents/guardians of the circumstances of the suspension and the anticipated date of return shall be dispatched immediately. The letter shall include a statement informing the students that they have a right to appeal the decision in accordance with Bylaw #21 - Student Appeals. A copy shall be sent to the Superintendent of Schools with supporting documentation of progressive discipline attempts and referral to any IEP as pertinent.
iii) The student shall be readmitted to
school by the authorized person who imposed the suspension. It is recommended that the student and/or
parent/guardian meet with a member of the school administration prior to readmittance
to school.
4. In the case
of a very serious violation of the Code of Conduct where the Principal of a
school, or his/her designate, feels that a student should be suspended for more
than five (5) days, the principal will:
a) Suspend the student for a period of six
(6) to ten (10) days;
b)
Refer the
student to the District Review Committee for recommended suspensions of up to
ten (10) days; or
c)
Refer the
student to the Board of School Trustees for recommended suspensions exceeding
ten (10) days.
The Principal
shall proceed as follows:
i)
Inform the
superintendent of his/her decision in writing and attach all
pertinent documentation as per
3.b)ii) above.
ii)
Parents/guardians
shall be contacted by telephone and/or personal interview prior to the student
leaving the school.
iii) A registered letter shall be sent to
the parents/guardians informing them of the circumstances of the suspension and
advising them of either a, b or c above. If b or c, the letter shall advise
parents that they will be contacted by the superintendent of schools.
The
Superintendent shall proceed as follows:
i) Convene a meeting of the District
Review Committee or the Board of School Trustees, as required, at the earliest
opportunity to consider the circumstances and recommendation.
iii) Notice of the time and place of the
meeting shall be given to all parties involved at least twenty-four hours prior
to the meeting.
iv) The attendance of the student at this
meeting is mandatory. The attendance of
the parents/guardians at this meeting is encouraged but is not mandatory.
v) After considering the information given
by school personnel and the student or parents/guardians, the District Review
Committee, or the Board, may suspend the student for a period of time deemed
appropriate to the offence. In special
circumstances, when the Board or the District Review Committee feel that it is
appropriate, alternatives to suspension from school may be considered.
vi) It is recommended that the student
and/or parent/guardian meet with a member of the school administration prior to
readmittance to school.
5. A decision
of the Principal or District Review Committee may be appealed as provided for
in Bylaw No. 21.
6. During the
period of the suspension, schools shall ensure that students have an
opportunity to pick up assignments and return completed assignments for
marking.
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number of
times intervention/response used |
sample
methods of intervention/response |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Class
conference/meeting |
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Restricted
access to facilities/activities |
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Reduced
day length (permanent or temporary) |
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Educational
program change |
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Peer
counseling (not including mediation) |
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Mentoring
program/asset building |
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Functional
behavioural assessment and behaviour plan |
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Daily/weekly
monitoring |
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Self-reflective
exercise or research project in related topic |
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Special
education procedural change |
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Restitution
to school/community/victim |
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Family
group conference/justice circle (restorative justice) |
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School-based
team involvement |
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Mediation/conflict
resolution including peer mediation |
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Counselling
(in-school or referral to out-of-school professional) |
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Police
involvement (no charges) |
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Criminal
charges |
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Service
to school (e.g. garbage pick-up) |
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Reminder/reprimand |
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Detention(s) |
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Suspension
(in school) |
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Suspension
(out of school more than 5 days) |
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Suspension
(out of school 5 days or fewer) |
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Other
(please specify |