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NEPN/NSBA Code: ADAA MSAD #37 POLICY SCHOOL SYSTEM COMMITMENT TO
STANDARDS
The
School Board believes that promoting ethical and responsible behavior is an
essential part of the school unit’s educational mission. The Board recognizes that ethics,
constructive attitudes, responsible behavior, and “character” are important
if a student is to leave school as a “Responsible and Involved Citizen,” as
described in the Guiding Principles of the Maine Learning Results. The Board also recognizes that Maine law
requires the adoption of a district-wide student code of conduct consistent
with statewide standards for student behavior developed by the Commissioner
of the Department of Education in compliance with 20-A MRSA § 254(11). The
Board seeks to create and maintain a school climate in which ethical and
responsible behavior can flourish. The
Board believes that instilling a sense of ethics and responsibility in
students requires setting positive expectations for student behavior as well
as establishing disciplinary consequences for behavior that violates Board
policy or school rules. Further, the
Board believes that in order to teach ethical and responsible behavior,
adults who interact with students must strive to model and reinforce ethical
and responsible behavior. To that
end, the Board supports an active partnership between schools and parents. Recognizing
that collaboratively identified core values are the foundation for a school
culture that encourages and reinforces ethical and responsible student
behavior, the Board is committed to the establishment and implementation of a
process for identifying shared values and setting and enforcing standards for
behavior, including prescription of consequences for unacceptable
behavior. The process for identifying
such shared values will invite and include the participation of Board
members, school administrators, staff, parents, students and the
community. Core values will be
reviewed periodically, with opportunity for public participation. The Board will direct the Superintendent
and/or his/her designee to develop a process to assess school system progress
toward achievement of an ethical and responsible school culture. Following
identification of core values, the Board will adopt a Student Code of Conduct
consistent with statewide standards for student behavior that shall, as
required by law: a)
Define unacceptable student behavior; b)
Establish standards of student responsibility for behavior; c)
Prescribe consequences for violation of the Student Code of Conduct,
including first-time violations, when appropriate; d)
Describe appropriate procedures for referring students in need of
special services to those services; e)
Establish criteria to determine when further assessment of a current
individual education plan is necessary, based on removal of the student from
class; f)
Establish policies and procedures concerning the removal of
disruptive or violent students from a classroom or a school bus, as well as
student disciplinary and placement decisions, when appropriate; and g)
Establish guidelines and criteria concerning the appropriate
circumstances when the Superintendent and/or his/her designee may provide
information to the local police or other appropriate law enforcement
authorities regarding an offense that involves violence committed by any
person on school grounds or other school property. The
Student Code of Conduct will be reviewed annually by the School Board. Students,
parents, staff and the community will be informed of the Student Code of
Conduct through handbooks and/or other means selected by the Superintendent
and/or his/her designee. Ethics
and Curriculum The
Board encourages integration of ethics into content areas of the curriculum,
as appropriate. The Board also
encourages schools to provide students with meaningful opportunities to apply
values and ethical and responsible behavior through activities such as
problem solving and student government/leadership development. Legal
Reference: 20-A MRSA §§ 254,
1001 (15) Adopted: April 24, 2002 |
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