Expectations

Board

It is a requirement of this policy that the Board shall:

1. Recruit staff with a personal and professional set of beliefs that are supportive of the policy;
2. Provide opportunities for all staff to acquire the knowledge, skills and values necessary to implement this policy and to develop and maintain a welcoming and safe school environment;
3. Require that each school establish a Safe School Team to ensure that school practices and procedures are in place to respond to serious incidents in the school;
4. Provide schools with the Board's "Discipline in Peel Schools" pamphlet. This shall be distributed annually in September to each parent, student and staff member and communicated to the community as appropriate;
5. Require that, annually in September, each school distribute to students, staff, parents or guardians, volunteers and the community, the school Code of Conduct which has been developed co-operatively with staff, students, parents and the school council and is reflective of and consistent with the Peel District School Board Safe Schools Policy;
6. Provide to schools a list of requirements for inclusion in all school Codes of Conduct (Appendix 1);
7. Require that each school's Code of Conduct be reviewed in collaboration with students, staff, parents or guardians and the school council every two years and be submitted to the superintendent of schools;
8. Support schools in developing proactive and responsive interventions to discipline concerns in schools;
9. Build on its early identification practices and procedures to help children at risk of being bullies and/or victims;
10. Provide a variety of supports and programs for students who require proactive intervention to address behavioural needs;
11. Support the school's use of a range of consequences including suspension for infractions outlined in the Safe Schools Act, 2000 5.306(1 );
12. Support the expulsion of students for infractions outlined in the Safe Schools Act, 2000 5.309(1 );
13. Ensure that victims, potential victims, witnesses and perpetrators are provided with the needed support and resources to deal with violent acts and the aftermath.

Students and Staff

It is a requirement of this policy that students and staff:

1. Shall not harass and for act in a violent manner of any kind, including bullying, physical or verbal assault, threatening or intimidation;
2. Develop and practice the self-control necessary to prevent violence and to deal appropriately with violent and potentially violent situations;
3. Shall not use, possess and/or display weapons, replicas of weapons, ammunition or attachments on any Peel District School Board property or in any incident that is in any way related to the school. Weapons include guns, knives, including packet knives, air guns, slingshots, machetes, clubs, or any other object carried or used with the intent to injure;
4. Honour the rights of others by refraining from acts of hatred against identifiable groups defined by race, ethnicity, faith, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status such as the wearing of hate or racist symbols, distributing hate information, producing hate-related vandalism including graffiti or uttering discriminatory remarks;
5. Shall not use, traffic in or possess for the purposes of trafficking, drugs and/or alcohol;
6. Demonstrate, when utilizing electronic resources, appropriate on-line conduct/manners (netiquette) and refrain from improper/unethical use of technology, including computer hacking. Internet use for any purpose which is contrary to the intent of a school's Code of Conduct is strictly prohibited. This includes all forms of violence, threats and harassment directed at the staff, students or school. This applies to school, work and home internet use;
7. Show respect for the property of others by refraining from theft, vandalism, gang- related activities, including graffiti, and other inappropriate behaviours;
8. Demonstrate commitment to the learning process by coming to class prepared to learn and by contributing to a positive, orderly, peaceful learning environment;
9. Practice academic honesty and personal integrity by not participating in or encouraging plagiarism, theft, misrepresentation of original work, Iying, cheating, theft of evaluation instruments, use of unauthorized aids or false representation of identity;
10. Abstain from smoking on school and Board property;
11. Demonstrate respect for the Trespass to Property Act and Access to School Premises Regulation 474/00 by visiting other schools for school-authorized purposes only;
12. Use respectful language and refrain from using profanity while in the school building, on school or board property, and at all school-sponsored activities.

Schools

It is a requirement of this policy that each school:

1. Establish a Safe School Team to ensure that school practices and procedures are in place to respond to serious incidents in the school;
2. In co-operation with students, staff, parents or guardians and the school council, will develop a Code of Conduct which shall include the requirements provided by the Board for each school Code of Conduct (Appendix 1);
3. Shall have their Code of Conduct reviewed by students, staff, parents or guardians and the school council at least every two years;
4. Shall inform students and parents through the Code of Conduct, of the regulations and requirements regarding visitors to the school. Included in the Code of Conduct shall be the procedure for reporting to and registering with the main office of the school;
5. As part of planning for school success, will develop an implementation plan that outlines the steps to be taken in meeting the intended goals of their Code of Conduct;
6. Will distribute to students, staff, parents or guardians, volunteers and the community, annually in September, the school Code of Conduct and the Board's "Discipline in Peel Schools" pamphlet;
7. Will offer programs that emphasize early intervention, conflict prevention and intervention, counselling and social skills development;
8. Will establish clear and fair consequences for unacceptable behaviour and will take appropriate action based on the circumstances of each incident. Consequences for unacceptable behaviour should include a variety of intervention strategies, including the use of suspension when deemed necessary;
9. Should investigate any underlying causes of behavioural incidents and develop a plan to respond to any issues;
10. 10. Shall develop guidelines for supervision to ensure the safety of staff, students and visitors at all school-sponsored activities. These guidelines will be consistent with the school's Code of Conduct;
11. Shall follow the "Police and School Response Protocol" as developed cooperatively by the Peel District School Board, Dufferin Peel C.D.S.B., the Peel Regional Police and OPP Caledon detachment;
12. Shall inform students and parents that the school Code of Conduct applies when visiting other schools for school authorized events including co-curricular activities and field trips and may be applied to any other incident connected to the school.

Parents or Guardians

It is a requirement of this policy that parents or guardians:

1. Follow the guidelines of this and other Board policies and the school Code of Conduct when in attendance at school functions and be encouraged to support students by reinforcing and modeling appropriate social skills;
2. Be requested to support students by demonstrating appropriate academic, social and emotional behaviour through co-operative school and parent partnerships;
3. Be involved in each school as an integral part of the development and review of the Code of Conduct;
4. Be requested to support schools when consequences are needed to reinforce and assist students' understanding of their behaviour;
5. Be requested to actively support the school and co-operate with Board personnel and other social agencies as recommended when it is determined that interventions such as counseling are necessary;
6. Be encouraged to ensure that their children are prepared for learning;
7. Ensure that their children attend regularly and on time;
8. Promptly report to the school their child's absence or late arrival.