Westbrook ISD
Student
Handbook
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Student Code
of Conduct Acknowledgment
Dear Student and Parent:
As required by state law, the board of trustees
has officially adopted the Student Code of Conduct in order to
promote a safe and orderly learning environment for every student.
We urge you to read this publication thoroughly
and to discuss it with your family. If you have any questions about
the required conduct and consequences for misconduct, we encourage
you to ask for an explanation from the student’s teacher or campus
administrator.
The student and parent should each sign this
page in the space provided below, and then return the page to the
student’s school.
Thank you.
Mr. Todd Burleson, WISD Superintendent
We acknowledge that we have received a copy of
the Westbrook ISD Student Code of Conduct for the 2007–2008 school
year and understand that students will be held accountable for their
behavior and will be subject to the disciplinary consequences
outlined in the Code.
Print name of student:
__________________________________________________
Signature of student:
___________________________________________________
Print name of parent:
___________________________________________________
Signature of parent:
____________________________________________________
Date: _________________________________
School:
______________________________________________________________
Grade level: ___________________________
Please sign this page, remove it, and return it
to the student’s school. Thank you.
The Student Code of Conduct is the district’s
response to the requirements of Chapter 37 of the Texas Education
Code.
The Code provides methods and options for
managing students in the classroom and on school grounds,
disciplining students, and preventing and intervening in student
discipline problems.
The law requires the district to define
misconduct that may—or must—result in a range of specific
disciplinary consequences including removal from a regular classroom
or campus, suspension, placement in a disciplinary alternative
education program (DAEP), or expulsion from school.
This Student Code of Conduct has been adopted
by the Westbrook ISD Board of Trustees and developed with the advice
of the district-level committee. This Code provides information to
parents and students regarding standards of conduct, consequences of
misconduct, and procedures for administering discipline.
In accordance with state law, the Code will be
posted at each school campus or will be available for review at the
office of the campus principal. Parents will be notified of any
conduct violation that may result in a student being suspended,
placed in a DAEP, or expelled.
Because the Student Code of Conduct is adopted
by the district’s board of trustees it has the force of policy;
therefore, in case of conflict between the Code and the student
handbook, the Code will prevail.
Please Note: The discipline of students
with disabilities who are eligible for services under federal law
(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973) is subject to the provisions of those
laws.
School District Authority and Jurisdiction
School rules and the authority of the district
to administer discipline apply whenever the interest of the district
is involved, on or off school grounds, in conjunction with or
independent of classes and school-sponsored activities.
The district has disciplinary authority over a
student:
1.
During the regular school day and while the student is going
to and from school on district transportation;
2.
During lunch periods in which a student is allowed to leave
campus;
3.
While the student is in attendance at any school-related
activity, regardless of time or location;
4.
For any school-related misconduct, regardless of time or
location;
5.
When retaliation against a school employee or volunteer
occurs or is threatened, regardless of time or location;
6.
When criminal mischief is committed on or off school property
or at a school-related event;
7.
For certain offenses committed within 300 feet of school
property as measured from any point on the school’s real property
boundary line;
8.
For certain offenses committed while on school property or
while attending a school-sponsored or school-related activity of
another district in Texas; and
9.
When the student commits a felony, as provided by Texas
Education Code 37.006 or 37.0081.
10.
When the student is required to register as a sex offender.
The district has the right to search a vehicle
driven to school by a student and parked on school property whenever
there is reasonable cause to believe it contains articles or
materials prohibited by the district.
The district has the right to search a
student’s locker when there is reasonable cause to believe it
contains articles or materials prohibited by the district.
School administrators will report crimes as
required by law and will call local law enforcement when an
administrator suspects that a crime has been committed on campus.
The district has the right to revoke the
transfer of a nonresident student for violating the district’s Code.
Each student is expected to:
·
Demonstrate courtesy, even when others do not.
·
Behave in a responsible manner, always exercising
self-discipline.
·
Attend all classes, regularly and on time.
·
Prepare for each class; take appropriate materials and
assignments to class.
·
Meet district and campus standards of grooming and
dress.
·
Obey all campus and classroom rules.
·
Respect the rights and privileges of students,
teachers, and other district staff and volunteers.
·
Respect the property of others, including district
property and facilities.
·
Cooperate with and assist the school staff in
maintaining safety, order, and discipline.
·
Adhere to the requirements of the Student Code of
Conduct.
The categories of conduct below are prohibited
at school and all school-related activities, but the list does not
include the most serious offenses. In the subsequent sections on
Suspension, DAEP Placement, Placement and/or Expulsion for Certain
Serious Offenses, and Expulsion, severe offenses that require or
permit specific consequences are listed. Any offense, however, may
be serious enough to result in Removal from the Regular Educational
Setting as detailed in that section.
Students shall not:
·
Fail to comply with directives given by school
personnel (insubordination).
·
Leave school grounds or school-sponsored events
without permission.
·
Disobey rules for conduct on school buses.
·
Refuse to accept discipline management techniques
assigned by a teacher or principal.
·
Use profanity or vulgar language or making obscene
gestures.
·
Fight or scuffle. (For assault see DAEP Placement and
Expulsion)
·
Threaten a district student, employee, or volunteer,
including off school property if the conduct causes a substantial
disruption to the educational environment.
·
Engage in bullying, harassment, or making hit lists.
(See glossary for all three terms)
·
Engage in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment
or sexual abuse, whether by word, gesture, or any other conduct,
directed toward another person, including a district student,
employee, or volunteer.
·
Engage in conduct that constitutes dating violence,
including the intentional use of physical, sexual, verbal, or
emotional abuse to harm, threaten, intimidate, or control another
person with whom the student has or has had a dating relationship.
·
Engage in inappropriate or indecent exposure of
private body parts.
·
Participate in Hazing. (See glossary)
·
Cause an individual to act through the use of or
threat of force (coercion).
·
Commit extortion or blackmail (obtaining money or an
object of value from an unwilling person).
·
Engage in inappropriate verbal, physical, or sexual
conduct directed toward another person, including a district
student, employee, or volunteer..
·
Record the voice or image of another without the prior
consent of the individuals being recorded or in any way that
disrupts the educational environment or invades the privacy of
others.
·
Damage or vandalize property owned by others. (For
felony criminal mischief see DAEP Placement or Expulsion)
·
Deface or damage school property—including textbooks,
lockers, furniture, and other equipment—with graffiti or by other
means.
·
Steal from students, staff, or the school.
·
Commit or assist in a robbery or theft even if it
does not constitute a felony according to the Texas Penal Code. (For
felony robbery and theft see DAEP Placement and Expulsion)
·
Possess or use:
·
fireworks of any kind, smoke or stink bombs, or any
other pyrotechnic device;
·
a razor, box cutter, chain, or any other object used
in a way that threatens or inflicts bodily injury to another person;
·
a “look-alike” weapon;
·
an air gun or BB gun;
·
ammunition;
·
a stun gun;
·
a pocketknife or any other small knife;
·
mace or pepper spray;
·
pornographic material;
·
tobacco products;
·
matches or a lighter;
·
a laser pointer for other than an approved use; or
·
any articles not generally considered to be weapons,
including school supplies, when the principal or designee determines
that a danger exists. (For weapons and firearms see DAEP Placement
and Expulsion)
·
Possessing a cellular telephone or other
telecommunications device at school during the school day. Cell
phones at school will be taken up and turned in to the Principal’s
office. To get it back, there will be a $25.00 charge. Cell phones
are not to be brought to school. Cell phones have become disruptive
in classes, as well as students text messaging tests, assignments,
or just visiting while classes are being conducted. DO NOT BRING
CELL PHONES TO SCHOOL.
·
Possess or sell seeds or pieces of marijuana in less
than a usable amount. (For illegal drugs, alcohol, and inhalants
see DAEP Placement and Expulsion)
·
Possess, use, give, or sell paraphernalia related to
any prohibited substance. (See glossary for “paraphernalia”)
·
Possess or sell look-alike drugs or attempt to pass
items off as drugs or contraband.
·
Abuse the student’s own prescription drug, give a
prescription drug to another student, or possess or be under the
influence of another person’s prescription drug on school property
or at a school-related event.
·
Have or take prescription drugs or over-the-counter
drugs at school other than as provided by district policy.
·
Be under the influence of prescription or
over-the-counter drugs that cause impairment of the physical or
mental faculties. (See glossary for “under the influence”)
·
Have or take prescription drugs or over-the-counter
drugs at school other than as provided by district policy.
·
Violate computer use policies, rules, or agreements
signed by the student or the student’s parent.
·
Attempt to access or circumvent passwords or other
security-related information of the districts, students, or
employees, or upload or create computer viruses, including off
school property if the conduct causes a substantial disruption to
the educational environment.
·
Attempt to alter, destroy, or disable district
computer equipment, district data, the data of others, or other
networks connected to the district’s system, including off school
property if the conduct causes a substantial disruption to the
educational environment.
·
Use the Internet or other electronic communications to
threaten district students, employees, or volunteers including
off school property if the conduct causes a substantial disruption
to the educational environment.
·
Send or post electronic messages that are abusive,
obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to
another’s reputation, or illegal, including off school property if
the conduct causes a substantial disruption to the educational
environment.
·
Use e-mail or Web sites at school to encourage illegal
behavior or threaten school safety.
·
Possess published or electronic material that is
designed to promote or encourage illegal behavior or that could
threaten school safety.
·
Engage in verbal (oral or written) exchanges that
threaten the safety of another student, a school employee, or school
property.
·
Make false accusations or perpetrating hoaxes
regarding school safety.
·
Engage in any conduct that school officials might
reasonably believe will substantially disrupt the school program or
incite violence.
·
Throw objects that can cause bodily injury or property
damage.
·
Discharge a fire extinguisher without valid cause.
·
Violate dress and grooming standards as communicated
in the student handbook.
·
Cheat or copy the work of another.
·
Gamble.
·
Falsify records, passes, or other school-related
documents.
·
Engage in actions or demonstrations that substantially
disrupt or materially interfere with school activities.
·
Repeatedly violate other communicated campus or
classroom standards of conduct.
The district may impose campus or classroom
rules in addition to those found in the Code. These rules may be
posted in classrooms or given to the student and may or may not
constitute violations of the Code.
Discipline will be designed to improve conduct
and to encourage students to adhere to their responsibilities as
members of the school community. Disciplinary action will draw on
the professional judgment of teachers and administrators and on a
range of discipline management techniques. Discipline will be
correlated to the seriousness of the offense, the student’s age and
grade level, the frequency of misbehavior, the student’s attitude,
the effect of the misconduct on the school environment, and
statutory requirements.
Because of these factors, discipline for a
particular offense (unless otherwise specified by law) may bring
into consideration varying techniques and responses.
The discipline of students with disabilities is
subject to applicable state and federal law in addition to the
Student Code of Conduct. To the extent any conflict exists, state
and/or federal law will prevail.
In accordance with the Education Code, a
student who is enrolled in a special education program may not be
disciplined for conduct meeting the definition of bullying,
harassment, or making hit lists (see glossary) until an ARD
committee meeting has been held to review the conduct.
In deciding whether to order suspension, DAEP
placement, or expulsion the district will take into consideration a
disability that substantially impairs the student’s capacity to
appreciate the wrongfulness of the student’s conduct, but only as
required by federal law and regulations related to discipline of
students with disabilities.
The following discipline management techniques
may be used—alone or in combination—for behavior prohibited by the
Student Code of Conduct or by campus or classroom rules:
·
Verbal correction oral or written.
·
Cooling-off time or “time-out.”
·
Seating changes within the classroom.
·
Temporary confiscation of items that disrupt the
educational process.
·
Rewards or demerits.
·
Behavioral contracts.
·
Counseling by teachers, counselors, or administrative
personnel.
·
Parent-teacher conferences.
·
Grade reductions for cheating, plagiarism, and as
otherwise permitted by policy.
·
Detention.
·
Sending the student to the office or other assigned
area, or to in-school suspension.
·
Assignment of school duties such as cleaning or
picking up litter.
·
Withdrawal of privileges, such as participation in
extracurricular activities, eligibility for seeking and holding
honorary offices, or membership in school-sponsored clubs and
organizations.
·
Penalties identified in individual student
organizations’ extracurricular standards of behavior.
·
Withdrawal or restriction of bus privileges.
·
School-assessed and school-administered probation.
·
Corporal punishment.
·
Out-of-school suspension, as specified in the
Suspension section of this Code.
·
Placement in a DAEP, as specified in the DAEP section
of this Code.
·
Placement and/or expulsion in an alternative
educational setting, as specified in the Placement and/or Expulsion
for Certain Serious Offenses section of this Code.
·
Expulsion, as specified in the Expulsion section of
this Code.
·
Referral to an outside agency or legal authority for
criminal prosecution in addition to disciplinary measures imposed by
the district.
·
Other strategies and consequences as determined by
school officials.
The principal or appropriate administrator will
notify a student’s parent by phone or in writing of any violation
that may result in a suspension, placement in a DAEP, or expulsion.
Notification will be made within three school days after the
administrator becomes aware of the violation.
Parental questions or complaints regarding
disciplinary measures should be addressed to the teacher or campus
administration, as appropriate, and in accordance with policy
FNG(LOCAL). A copy of the policy may be obtained from the
principal’s office or the central administration office or through
Policy On Line at the following address:
http://www.westbrookisd.com
Consequences will not be deferred pending the
outcome of a grievance.
In addition to other discipline management
techniques, misconduct may result in removal from the regular
educational setting in the form of a routine referral or a formal
removal.
A routine referral occurs when a teacher sends
a student to the principal’s office as a discipline management
technique. The principal may then employ additional techniques.
A teacher or administrator may remove a
student from class for a behavior that violates this Code to
maintain effective discipline in the classroom. A teacher may
also initiate a formal removal from class if:
1.
The student’s behavior has been documented by the teacher as
repeatedly interfering with the teacher’s ability to teach his or
her class or with the student’s classmates’ ability to learn; or
2.
The behavior is so unruly, disruptive, or abusive that the
teacher cannot teach, and the students in the classroom cannot
learn.
A teacher or administrator must remove a
student from class if the student engages in behavior that under the
Education Code requires or permits the student to be placed in a
DAEP or expelled. When removing for those reasons, the procedures
in the subsequent sections on DAEP or expulsion will be followed.
Otherwise, within three school days of the formal removal, the
appropriate administrator will schedule a conference with the
student’s parent; the student; the teacher, in the case of removal
by a teacher; and any other administrator.
At the conference, the appropriate
administrator will inform the student of the misconduct for which he
or she is charged and the consequences. The administrator will give
the student an opportunity to give his or her version of the
incident.
When a student is removed from the regular
classroom by a teacher and a conference is pending, the principal
may place the student in:
·
Another appropriate classroom
·
In-school suspension
·
Out-of-school suspension
·
DAEP
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