Discipline

=**Discipline and Codes of Conduct**= =**Discipline in the Catholic School is to be considered as an aspect of moral guidance and not a form**= =**of punishment.**= = = The purposes of discipline are:

a) To provide a classroom situation conducive to learning;

b) To promote character training, i.e., to cultivate the virtues that ensure right living and to redirect disorderly tendencies.

Expulsion:

Reasons for expulsion are, but not limited to, the following offenses committed by pupils:

1) Actions gravely detrimental to the moral and spiritual welfare of other pupils;

2) Habitual profanity or vulgarity;

3) Assault, battery or any threat of force or violence directed toward any school personnel or pupil;

4) Open, persistent defiance of the authority of the teacher;

5) Continued willful disobedience;

6) Use, sale or possession of narcotics;

7) Use, sale or possession of any alcohol for beverage purposes on or near school premises;

8) Smoking or having tobacco;

9) Stealing;

10) Willful cutting, defacing or otherwise injuring in any way property, real or personal, belonging to the school.

11) Habitual truancy

12) Possession of harmful weapons or materials can be used as weapons.

b) Procedure for Expulsion: When the reasons for expulsion are purely disciplinary, i.e., when serious moral reasons are not involved, the following steps will be taken:

1) A conference will be held with the parents or guardian, pupil, teacher, and principal present to advise the family that drastic action is contemplated unless there is immediate improvement in behavior. In parish schools, the pastor should be notified of the conference, given opportunity to attend and provided a report of the discussion.

2) If there is no improvement in behavior, the final decision will be announced at a second conference attended by the principal, teacher and parents or guardian. If the parents fail, without cause, to attend the conference, the pastor, principal and teacher will reach a final decision. The final decision rests with the pastor in conjunction with the principal.

3) In no case will a teacher on his/her own authority expel a pupil.

4) Full credit will be given for all work accomplished by the pupil up to the moment of expulsion

c) Cases Involving Grave Offenses: In cases involving grave offenses, which may include a violation

of criminal law or actions so outrageous as to shock the conscience or behavior of the community,

the pupil is immediately suspended; the initial parent-principal conference is dispensed with. This

procedure involving cases of grave offenses will be followed where the continued presence of the

pupil at school (even for a short period of time) will, in the reasonable judgment of the principal, pose

a serious threat to the health and welfare of another pupil.

Conditions Of Suspension:

a) Any of the reasons listed for expulsion with mitigating circumstances is adequate cause for

suspension of a pupil.

b) No pupil shall be suspended from an elementary school for more than two consecutive weeks.

c) Notice of suspension shall be given to the parent or guardian(s) by telephone, mail, or other

appropriate method within a reasonable time after the suspension advising of the fact of the

suspension.

d) The principal shall schedule a conference with the suspended pupil's parents to discuss matters

pertinent to the suspension especially the means by which the parents and the school can

cooperatively encourage the pupil to improve behavior. The suspended pupil may be present at the

conference

e) In no case will a teacher on his/her own authority suspend a pupil. (Archdiocesan Instructional

Handbook)

Harassment Policy For Students

Annunciation is committed to provide a learning environment that is free from harassment in

any form. Harassment of any student by any other student, lay employee, religious or priest is

prohibited. The school will treat allegations of harassment seriously and will review and investigate

such allegations in a prompt, confidential and thorough manner.

A charge of harassment shall not, in and of itself, create the presumption of wrongdoing. However,

substantiated acts of harassment will result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Students found to have filed false or frivolous charges will also be subject to disciplinary action, up to

and including dismissal.

Harassment occurs when an individual is subjected to treatment or a school environment which is

hostile or intimidating because of the individual's race, creed, color, national origin, physical disability

or sex. Harassment can occur any time during school or during school related activities. It includes,

but is not limited to, any or all of the following:

VERBAL HARASSMENT: Derogatory comments and jokes; threatening words spoken to another

person;

PHYSICAL HARASSMENT: Unwanted physical touching, contact, assault, deliberate impeding or

blocking movements, or any intimidating interference with normal work or movement.

VISUAL HARASSMENT: Derogatory, demanding or inflammatory posters, cartoons, written words,

drawings, gestures; and

SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and

other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when any or all of the following occurs:

1) Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a student’s

academic status or progress; or implicitly a term or condition of a student's academic status or progress c) Cases Involving Grave Offenses: In cases involving grave offenses, which may include a violation of criminal law or actions so outrageous as to shock the conscience or behavior of the community, the pupil is immediately suspended; the initial parent-principal conference is dispensed with. This procedure involving cases of grave offenses will be followed where the continued presence of the pupil at school (even for a short period of time) will, in the reasonable judgment of the principal, pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of another pupil.

Conditions Of Suspension:

a) Any of the reasons listed for expulsion with mitigating circumstances is adequate cause for suspension of a pupil.

b) No pupil shall be suspended from an elementary school for more than two consecutive weeks.

c) Notice of suspension shall be given to the parent or guardian(s) by telephone, mail, or other appropriate method within a reasonable time after the suspension advising of the fact of the suspension.

d) The principal shall schedule a conference with the suspended pupil's parents to discuss matters pertinent to the suspension especially the means by which the parents and the school can cooperatively encourage the pupil to improve behavior. The suspended pupil may be present at the conference

e) In no case will a teacher on his/her own authority suspend a pupil.