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604.1

Student Discipline

The Board believes that each student deserves the right to a fair and appropriate education. District students are expected to respect the rights of others, to contribute to a positive learning environment, and to comply with school and District rules and policies.

To the maximum extent appropriate, staff will use proactive and restorative practices to keep students in class, while addressing misconduct that is detrimental to the learning environment and the rights of others. Practices that are restorative in nature, repairing harm to the victim and/or school community caused by misconduct, will be given first consideration over exclusionary discipline such as removal from class, suspension, or expulsion. School administration and staff will work to identify and correct practices that result in inequities in student achievement, discipline, and access to education.

Students are subject to this regulation while on school premises; while using school-provided transportation; while attending or engaging in school-sponsored activities; and while away from school grounds if misconduct will directly affect the good order, efficiency, management and welfare of the school.  

Students may be disciplined for conduct including, but not limited to, the following:

Level 1:

  1. Minor Defiance/Insubordination/Non-Compliance:  Student engages in refusal to follow directions or talks back to an adult.
  2. Minor Disrespect:  Students deliver socially rude or dismissive messages to adults or students.
  3. Minor Disruption:  Students engage in behavior causing an interruption in a class or activity. Disruption includes sustained loud talk, yelling, or screaming; noise with material; horseplay or roughhousing; and/or sustained out-of-seat behavior.  
  4. Technology Misuse:  Students engage in inappropriate (as defined by school) use of technology.
  5. Inappropriate Location/Out of Bounds Area:  Student is in an area that is outside of school boundaries (as defined by school).
  6. Student Appearance Violation.
  7. Lying/Cheating/Plagiarism – Student knowingly provides false information to a staff member and/or deliberately violates academic rules (this may also result in academic penalties at the discretion of and consistent with the policies of the teacher whose subject the offense occurred in).
  8. Bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment (minor and not involving threatened or actual physical contact) – see Board Policy 612.
  9. Inappropriate Display of Affection:  Student engages in inappropriate, consensual, verbal and/or physical gestures/contact, of a sexual nature to another student/adult. This would include inappropriate touching.
  10. Minor Property Damage/Vandalism – Students participate in an activity that results in destruction or disfigurement of property of minimal value or where the damage can be repaired at little to no cost. 

Level 1 conduct may result in discipline including verbal redirection and/or coaching, peer-to-peer conflict resolution, restorative actions (e.g., student cleaning up mess made by that student), counseling, written reprimand, loss of privileges for one week or less, lunch detention, after-school detention, and other similar actions that are proportionate to the nature of the student’s conduct.

Level 2:

  1. Threats:  Students make threats of violence or other actions toward others without the apparent intent or ability to carry out the threat.
  2. Major Defiance/Insubordination/Non-Compliance:  Student engages in refusal to follow directions or talks back to an adult to a level that is substantially disruptive to the learning environment and/or the rights of others.
  3. Major Disrespect:  Students deliver socially rude or dismissive messages to adults or students (including profanity) that is substantially disruptive to the learning environment and/or the rights of others.
  4. Physical Aggression Not Resulting in Injury:  Student engages in actions involving or imminently threatening physical contact where injury could have, but did not actually, occur.
  5. Fighting Not Resulting in Injury:  Students are involved in mutual participation in an incident involving physical violence that does not result in injury to any party.
  6. Bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment (conduct not involving actual or threatened physical contact):  See Board Policy 612.
  7. Possession of Combustibles:  Student in possession of substances/objects readily capable of causing minor bodily injury and/or property damage (e.g., matches, lighters).
  8. Gang Affiliation Activity:  Student activities associated with a gang affiliation (gang graffiti, other identifying symbols, language, signs, clothing, colors, etc.).
  9. Property Damage/Vandalism:  Students participate in an activity that results in destruction or disfigurement of property of moderate value or where the damage cannot be repaired absent some cost/effort.
  10. Other disruption to the school environment:  Student engages in conduct that significantly disrupts the school and/or classroom environment, causing a loss of learning or other opportunities for other students.
  11. Frequent and repeated conduct constituting Level 1 conduct violations that persist following Level 1 discipline and appropriate instruction/support. 

Level 2 conduct may result in discipline including any disciplinary action applicable to Level 1 conduct, as well as In-School Suspension up to 3 days per incident, Out-of-School Suspension up to three (3) school days per incident, and removal from activities for up to one week.

Level 3:

  1. Threats:  Students make threats of violence or other actions toward others with the apparent intent or ability to carry out the threat.
  2. Physical Aggression Resulting In Injury – Student engages in actions involving or imminently threatening physical contact where injury occurred.
  3. Fighting Resulting in Injury – Students are involved in mutual participation in an incident involving physical violence that results in injury to any party.
  4. Bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment (serious conduct and/or involving actual/threatened physical contact not resulting in injury) – see applicable Board Policy.
  5. Use/Possession of Alcohol, Tobacco, Nicotine, or Any Illegal or Medically Unauthorized Substance or paraphernalia/accessories or lookalike substances – see applicable Board Policy.
  6. Use of Combustibles – Student is/was in possession of and used substances/objects readily capable of causing bodily harm and/or property damage (e.g., matches, lighters).
  7. Use/Possession of Weapons Other than Knives and Guns:  Student uses and/or is in possession of weapons (real or look alike) or other objects readily capable of causing bodily injury – see applicable Board Policy
  8. Theft:  Student is involved by being in possession of, having passed on, or being responsible for removing someone else’s property.
  9. Property Damage/Vandalism:  Students participate in an activity that results in destruction or disfigurement of property of significant value or where the damage cannot be repaired absent significant cost/effort.
  10. Major disruption to the school environment:  Student engages in other conduct that constitutes an extreme disruption the school and/or classroom environment, and causes a significant loss of learning or other opportunities for other students (e.g., cancelation of activity).
  11. Frequent and repeated conduct constituting Level 2 conduct violations that persists following Level 2 discipline and appropriate instruction/support. 

Level 3 conduct may result in discipline including any disciplinary action applicable to Level 1 and 2 conduct, as well as Out-of-School Suspension up to 3 days per incident, loss of privileges for more than one week, and removal from activities for more than one week.

Level 4:  

  1. Physical Aggression Resulting In Substantial Bodily Injury:  Student engages in actions involving or imminently threatening physical contact where substantial bodily injury occurred.
  2. Fighting Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury:  Students are involved in mutual participation in an incident involving physical violence that results in substantial bodily injury to any party. 
  3. Use/Possession of Weapons:  Student uses and/or is in possession of knives, guns (real or look alike), and/or other objects readily capable of causing substantial bodily injury – see applicable Board Policy. 
  4. Bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment (severe or pervasive conduct and/or involving physical contact resulting in bodily injury and/or sexual assault) – see applicable Board Policy.
  5. Manufacture or Distribution of Alcohol, Tobacco, Nicotine, or Any Illegal or Medically Unauthorized Substance or paraphernalia/accessories or lookalike substances – see applicable Board Policy. 
  6. Use/Possession of Combustibles:  Student is/was in possession of substances/objects readily capable of causing substantial bodily harm and/or property damage (e.g., firecrackers, gasoline, lighter fluid).
  7. Arson:  Student plans and/or participates in malicious burning of property.
  8. Threats of Violence:  Student delivers a message through any medium threatening to commit an act of violence on or near District property and/or against members of the District community. 

Level 4 conduct may result in discipline including any disciplinary action applicable to Level 1, 2 and 3 behaviors, as well as Out-of-School Suspension for up to 10 school days.  Any building administrator recommending suspension for more than 3 school days must immediately refer the matter to their Executive Director and Deputy Superintendent for approval. They will ensure appropriate due process in accordance with Board policy and applicable federal and state law is provided. 

An incident may involve multiple types of conduct described above.  Where applicable, the consequences for the highest Level of behavior shall apply.  For example, an incident involving both threats (Level 2) and physical aggression resulting in injury (Level 3) may result in consequences up to and including all Level 3 consequences.

Consistent with this Regulation, the school’s principal/designee may impose disciplinary consequences based on reasonable professional judgment and the facts and circumstances of each situation.  Consideration will be given to the age and maturity of the student(s) involved, the impact of the conduct on other students and staff, the severity of the misconduct, and whether the student has engaged in similar or related conduct in the past.  

Consideration will also be given to relevant information about a student’s disability, including relevant information from any IEP, FBA, BIP, and/or 504 Plan, when determining appropriate disciplinary consequences.  Students with disabilities will not be removed from their current educational placement for behaviors related to their disability, except as permitted by law.  Where suspension or disciplinary removal of a student with an IEP or 504 Plan results in removal from the student’s educational placement for a total of ten (10) cumulative or consecutive school days in one school year, Manifestation Determination must be held no later than the tenth school day of removal.

Progressive discipline should be used to the extent appropriate to ensure severe consequences, such as exclusion from the learning environment, are reserved for serious behaviors disrupting the learning environment or violating the rights of others.  

Prior to issuing disciplinary consequences, the building administrator or designee shall conduct an informal investigation of the charges, which shall provide the student with: 

  1. Oral or written notice of the allegations against the student.
  2. The basis in fact for the charges, and
  3. The opportunity to respond to those charges.
  • Approved: 02-13-2023
  • Documents: 604.1
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