Section I – Role of Teachers, Administrators, The Board of Education and Parents

The Board of Education, administrators, teachers, and parents will model appropriate standards of conduct, dress, language, and respectful treatment of others.

A. Role of Principal

• Promote a safe, orderly and stimulating school environment, supporting active teaching and learning.

• Ensure that the students and staff have the opportunity to communicate regularly with the principal and approach the principal for redress and grievances.

• Evaluate on a regular basis all instructional programs.

• Support the development of and student participation in appropriate extracurricular activities.

• Enforce school rules and maintain order in a fair and consistent manner.

• Communicate and work with parents to help modify student behavior and to make referrals when appropriate.

• Take the leadership in establishing rules of conduct and communicating these rules to students, staff, and parents.

B. Role of Superintendent

• Promote a safe, orderly, and stimulating school environment, supporting active teaching and learning.

• Review with district administrators the policies of the board of education and state and federal laws relating to school operations and management.

• Inform the board about educational trends relating to student discipline.

• Work to create instructional programs that minimize problems of misconduct and will endeavor to resolve all cases promptly and fairly.

C. Role of Teachers and Staff

The role of teachers and staff in maintaining a safe and orderly environment is as follows:

• Explain rules of behavior to students.

• Enforce school rules and maintain order.

• Exhibit fairness and consistency in enforcing school rules.

• Reinforce desired behavior.

• Seek out appropriate services for students through the building administrators or his/her designee.

• Be prepared to teach.

• Demonstrate interest in teaching and concern for student achievement.

• Communicate to students and parents:

  • Course objectives and requirements

  • Making/grading procedures

  • Assignment deadlines

  • Expectations for students

  • Classroom discipline plan

• Communicate regularly with students, parents, and other teachers concerning growth and achievement.

D. Role of Guidance Counselors

• Cope with students dealing with peer pressure and emerging personal, social and emotional problems.

• Initiate teacher/student/counselor conferences and parent/teacher/student/counselor conferences, as necessary, as a way to resolve problems.

• Regularly review with students their educational progress and career plans.

• Provide information to assist students with career planning.

• Encourage students to benefit from the curriculum and extracurricular programs.

E. Role of The Board of Education

• Collaborate with student, teacher, administrator, and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel to develop a code of conduct that clearly defines expectations for the conduct of students, district personnel and visitors on school property and at school functions.

• Adopt and review at least annually the district’s code of conduct to evaluate the code’s effectiveness and the fairness and consistency of its implementation.

• Establish board policy objectives for a safe and productive learning environment.

• Authorize administration to enforce policies within legal boundaries.

• Lead by example by conducting board meetings in a professional, respectful, courteous manner.

F. Role of Parents

• Recognize that the education of their child(ren) is a joint responsibility of the parents and the school community.

• Send their children to school ready to participate and learn.

• Instill respect of the law, authority, rights of others.

• Know the rules of school conduct and the consequences and encourage student compliance.

• Ensure regular and punctual student attendance.

• Ensure absences are excused.

• Insist their children be dressed and groomed in a manner consistent with the student dress code.

• Help their children understand that in a democratic society appropriate rules are required to maintain a safe, orderly environment.

• Convey to their children a supportive attitude toward education and the district.

• Build good relationships with teachers, other parents and their children’s friends.

• Help their children deal effectively with peer pressure.

• Inform school officials of changes in the home situation that may affect student conduct or performance.

• Provide a place for study and ensure homework assignments are completed.

G. Role of Home School

• Maintain positive flow of communications and support between receiving and sending programs.

• Continue to support student as needed.

Section 2 – Role of Students in the School Community; Responsibilities, Privileges, and Rights

A. Student Responsibilities and Privileges

“A responsibility is an obligation one has because it is right.”

• Attendance

• Respect for self and the rights, property and feelings of others

• Respect for authority and the law

• Self-discipline, self-control, and self-reliance

• Honesty and integrity

• Fostering a safe and productive learning environment

Protect the rights of others to study and learn – Parents send their children to school for an education. An individual may decide not to take advantage of that opportunity. However, no one has the right to interfere with the education of others.

Attend school daily unless ill or legally excused – In New York, a student is required by law to attend school through the age of 16. Schools cannot educate students who do not attend class, and they will not promote or allow those to graduate who do not. Children who turn 16 during the school year must remain in school until the end of that school year. (A school year begins July 1 and ends June 30).

Be on time for all classes – Students who enter a classroom after a lesson has begun are interfering with the rights of others to learn and study. Punctuality is a habit. Future employers are not going to take the time to teach it.

Obey school rules – Rules are designed to allow a school to meet its obligation to educate students. The schools cannot achieve this task if they must spend much time maintaining order.

Volunteer information and cooperate with staff in disciplinary cases – There is a difference between being a squealer and a responsible person. Every community depends on the willingness of citizens to play a part in upholding the rules by which everyone has agreed to live. It is wrong to expect help when your rights have been violated, but refuse to help others protect theirs.

Complete all in-class and homework assignments and meet deadlines – The full responsibility for learning cannot be transferred from the student to the teacher. There can be no effective education when students are free to decide whether they will do the assigned work. Everything that must be learned cannot be accomplished during the school day. Education is not an 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. job.

Respect public property and carefully use and return all materials and equipment – Schools are a community’s investment to its young people. It is wrong to abuse that investment. It forces the people to spend additional money in order to provide the same opportunities for those students who come after you.

Come to class with necessary books and materials  – A teacher should not have to delay starting because a student has become unprepared to begin work. This is interfering with the rights of others to learn and study. Getting an education is more than being in class, just as keeping a job requires more than showing up for work.

See that school correspondence to parents reaches home – Education requires partnership between the home and the school. For a partnership to work, everybody must know what is happening – good and bad. Sometimes, students are asked to be the messenger. More often, students are merely asked to meet their responsibility to be honest and not intercept and destroy progress reports, attendance information, and report cards. One requires little effort, the other a little integrity.

Student dress – Wearing short shorts, sunglasses, short skirts, and hats is unwarranted and impermissible interference with the orderly classroom process. Boys or girls may wear appropriate pants or shorts.

B. Student Rights

“A right is a privilege to which one is justly entitled”

Equal education opportunity – The schools must provide all students a chance to get an education. This means free admission to the schools and the right to attend school until the age of 16 or graduation from high school. Students have the right to an equal educational opportunity without interference from other students and people who do not belong on the campus.

Notice of compliance – The Central Valley Central School District Board of Education hereby advises students, parents, employees, and the general public that it offers employment and educational opportunities including vocational education without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, handicap, age, marital status, sexual orientation or religion.

• Inquiries regarding this non-discrimination may be directed to Sally McCann-Kramas, Director of Human Resources, 111 Frederick Street, Ilion, NY 13357, Phone: 315-894-9934.

• Copies of the grievance procedure are posted in the main office and are available from all Guidance Counselors.

Exercise free expression-freedom of speech – Students are entitled to express verbally their personal opinions in a reasonable and responsible manner.

Written expression and circulation of petitions – Students are entitled to express in writing their personal opinions and to circulate petitions. Students are entitled to use specific bulletin boards for the posting of notices concerning school activities. Students writing for school newspapers have the right to express opinions. These opinions must be signed by the author and meet standards prohibiting libel, pornography, and intentional distortion or reckless disregard of facts.

Other forms of expression – Students are entitled to express themselves by wearing or displaying symbols of ethnic, cultural or political values.

• NOTE: No form of expression shall interfere with the right of others to express themselves or with the conduct of school and classroom activities.

Freedom of assembly – Students are entitled to hold meetings at a time, place, and in a manner which does not disrupt or disturb classroom instruction or other planned activities.

Due Process – Students facing major disciplinary action are entitled to fair procedures to determine if they are at fault. Students are entitled to appeal any decisions resulting in major disciplinary action such as suspension, permanent suspension, exclusion, or transfers to another school. The procedures and methods of appeals are explained under parents’ rights of appeal.

(return to Elementary Code of Conduct Index)