Preamble
The School District’s Student Code of Conduct balances the School District’s obligation to maintain safety and a favorable educational environment with the School District’s obligation to teach appropriate behavior to students who engage in misconduct and inappropriate behavior.
The Student Code of Conduct establishes the rules governing the most serious and obvious types of student misconduct. The prohibited acts listed in this Student Code of Conduct are not to be considered as an all-inclusive list or as a limitation upon the authority of school officials to deal appropriately with violations of a school building's individual rules and regulations, or other types of conduct which interfere with the good order of the school system, the proper functioning of the educational process, or the health and safety of students.
The Student Code of Conduct does not include the School District's requirements for credit and graduation, or the School District's authority to regulate the participation of students in extracurricular and athletic activities.
Each prohibited act listed in the Student Code of Conduct references the discipline which may be imposed for a violation.
The School District will also consider restorative practices as an addition or alternative to discipline. The discipline for violating some prohibited acts ranges from administrative intervention to expulsion; for other prohibited acts, the penalty ranges from suspension to expulsion; and for violation of the most serious prohibited acts, the penalty is expulsion. In cases where the stated penalty is not expulsion but is set forth in terms of a range, the actual penalty imposed will depend upon the nature and severity of the offense, the particular facts involved, the age of the student, the student's prior behavioral record, the persistent and/or chronic nature of the misconduct, the recommendation of school personnel, and all other circumstances deemed relevant.
A student violating any of the prohibited acts listed in this Student Code of Conduct will be disciplined in accordance with the Code of Conduct. Additionally, a student who engages in a prohibited act which violates law, may be referred to the appropriate police authority.
The prohibited acts and penalties listed below are applicable when a student:
1. engages in a prohibited act on school property;
2. engages in a prohibited act in a motor vehicle being used for a school-related purpose;
3. engages in a prohibited act at a school-related activity, function or event;
4. engages in a prohibited act en route to or from school;
5. engages in a prohibited act involving another student who is en route to or from school;
6. engages in a prohibited act off school premises, which act, in the judgment of the building administrator, is of such seriousness that the student's continued attendance in school would present a danger to the health and safety of students or employees and/or would substantially interfere with the proper functioning of the educational process; or
7. engages in a prohibited act when the student was not enrolled in the School District or was enrolled in another school district, if the act of misconduct would constitute a sufficient basis for suspension or expulsion had it occurred while the student was attending school in the School District.
Definitions of Discipline
Administrative Intervention - Disciplinary action which does not result in a student being suspended from school including, but not limited to, restorative practices. Administrative intervention may include the removal of a student from a class period, in-school suspension, a reprimand, detention and/or work assignment before or after school, additional classroom assignments and revocation of the privilege of attending after school functions and activities, events, etc.
Suspension - Exclusion of a student from school for 60 school days or fewer or exclusion of a student from school which exclusion will terminate upon the fulfillment of a specific set of conditions.
Expulsion - Exclusion of the student from the School District for 60 school days or more or permanent exclusion.
Presumption - Against Long-Term Suspension or Expulsion and Consideration of Individual Factors. Consistent with Michigan law, the School District adopts a rebuttable presumption student should not be disciplined by the imposition of long-term suspension (i.e., more than 10 school days) or expelled (i.e., more than 60 school days) unless the School District has determined, in its sole discretion, the presumption has been rebutted by considering each of the following seven factors:
1. The student’s age;
2. The student’s disciplinary history;
3. Whether the student is disabled within the meaning of IDEA or ADA/Section 504;
4. The seriousness of the student’s misconduct or behavior;
5. Whether the student’s misconduct or behavior threatened the safety of any pupil or staff member;
6. Whether restorative practices will be used to address the student’s misconduct or behavior; and,
7. Whether less severe discipline would properly address the student’s misconduct or behavior.
This rebuttable presumption does not apply to short-term suspensions (i.e., 10 school days or fewer) or to a student who possesses a firearm in a weapons-free school zone. However, with respect to all out-of-school suspensions and expulsion (short-term or long-term), the School District administrator implementing the suspension, shall consider and document consideration of the seven factors listed above on a form approved by the Superintendent.