Conduct and Student Discipline

DISCIPLINE PHILOSOPHY

Our philosophy of discipline focuses on mutual respect for students, teachers, and staff.  We believe that family, faculty, staff, and students must work cooperatively to promote personal responsibility and good citizenship.  It reaches beyond dealing with inappropriate student conduct and includes the development of self-discipline, order, and a healthy sense of well-being.  The faculty and staff believe students and teachers have the right and responsibility to learn and teach in a non-disruptive atmosphere.  All members of our school community are expected to be good citizens, take pride in their school, and treat other people as they would like to be treated.

CONDUCT STANDARDS

The school rules are:

• Quickly follow directions the first time given from staff members with a polite request
• Take responsibility to be in the proper place at the proper time
• Keep hands, feet, and objects to self
• Use appropriate language, using an inside voice without any name-calling, put downs, swearing, or teasing
• Respect the rights and property of others, including school property and playground equipment

Students are expected to be respectful to each other and to the adults in the building.  We recognize that proper social behavior is a skill that children need to learn and practice, just as often as they are asked to learn academic concepts.  We realize that conflict may occur as children learn to get along and we actively teach behaviors that promote respect for all.   We strive to teach appropriate behaviors to all students and will involve adults to give needed support to the children.

CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE

Mount Mahogany faculty will establish and maintain a caring and safe environment in each classroom for learning in which students may experience success both academically and socially.

Each teacher will review classroom discipline policies with students and discuss the plan to deal with student behaviors that inhibit student learning.  Teachers will make every attempt to resolve discipline problems within the classroom.  Teachers will contact parents when a pattern of disruptive behavior becomes evident and ask for a cooperative and collaborative effort to improve the situation.  When an infraction occurs, situations are viewed individually.   Depending on the severity and frequency of the misbehavior, teachers will act appropriately in removing a student’s privileges or restricting access to other activities.

Each teacher follows the school’s rules above in addition to age appropriate rules posted in each classroom/grade. We use Think Time Procedures, which are as follows:

1. Warning/reminder of rules and expectations.  
2. Conference with the student.  The teacher may also deduct points, tokens, etc. from the classroom management plan.
3. If the behavior continues or the student has a serious offense, such as fighting, the student is given a Think Time slip in a separate location.  The student will be asked to identify the misbehavior and make a plan for improvement.
4. Parents and administration will be notified if a student has multiple Stop and Think slips within the day or has a severe offense.
5. Chronic problems are referred to our T.A.T team, which is a team of teachers and other school officials who problem solve to identify behavior supports that will influence student behaviors.
6. Severe offenses involving bullying, stealing, school safety, or additional continued problems may result in a conference with parents and or the principal for additional interventions.  These interventions may include daily conferences with student before and after school, teacher and parent behavior contracts, loss of privileges, suspension, or referral to an expulsion hearing.

Students start with a “clean slate” each day, except in cases of repeated inappropriate behavior.  In this case, the teacher will start at the previous step the student was on.  Severe offenses, such as fighting, vandalism, and defiance of authority, theft and offensive gestures or language may be referred to the administration.  Bullying situations are dealt with on an individual basis.

OFFICE REFERRALS

If a student is referred to the office, the administrator may:

• Speak with the student about his/her choice of actions, the consequences surrounding the choice made, and possible solutions to the problem created by his/her initial choice. Attempts will be made to listen to all involved.
• Contact parents with regard to the situation.  The child may be asked to call home to explain his or her behavior to parents or guardians.  Parental support and participation in the problem-solving process with their child can be very beneficial for all involved.  At this time, a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) may be initiated to assist the student with appropriate school behavior.
• Enforce an in-school suspension for a specified number of days.  The students are permitted to come to school, but their instruction and completion of assignments happens at a location away from classmates.  Recess and other privileges may also be suspended during the suspension.
• Enforce an out-of-school suspension.  The students are not permitted to return to school for a specified number of days and will be welcomed back following a conference with parents.
• The school reserves the right to immediately contact police should students engage in severe anti-social or criminal behavior.