Code No. 503.1
STUDENT CONDUCT
The board believes inappropriate student conduct causes material and substantial disruption to the school environment, interferes with the rights of others, or presents a threat to the health and safety of students, employees, and visitors on school premises. Appropriate classroom behavior allows teachers to communicate more effectively with students.
Students will conduct themselves in a manner fitting to their age level and maturity and with respect and consideration for the rights of others while on school district property or on property within the jurisdiction of the school district; while on school owned and/or operated school or chartered buses; while attending or engaged in school activities; and while away from school grounds if misconduct will directly affect the good order, efficient management and welfare of the school district. Consequences for the misconduct will be fair and developmentally appropriate in light of the circumstances.
Students who fail to abide by this policy and the administrative regulations supporting it may be disciplined for conduct which disrupts or interferes with the education program; conduct which disrupts the orderly and efficient operation of the school district or school activity; conduct which disrupts the rights of other students to obtain their education or participation; or conduct which interrupts the maintenance of a disciplined atmosphere. Disciplinary measures include, but are not limited to, removal from the classroom, detention, suspension, probation, and expulsion.
A student who commits an assault against an employee on school district property or on property within the jurisdiction of the school district; while on school-owned or school-operated chartered vehicles; while attending or engaged in school district activities will be suspended by the principal. Notice of the suspension is sent to the board president. The board will review the suspension and decide whether to hold a disciplinary hearing to determine whether to impose further sanctions against the student which may include expulsion. In making its decision, the board shall consider the best interests of the school district, which shall include what is best to protect and ensure the safety of the school employees and students from the student committing the assault. Assault for purposes of this section of this policy is defined as, when, without justification, a student does any of the following:
* an act which is intended to cause pain or injury to, or which is intended to result in physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act; or
* any act which is intended to place another in fear of immediate physical contact which will be painful, injurious, insulting or offensive, coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act; or
* intentionally points any firearm toward another or displays in a threatening manner any dangerous weapon toward another.
The act is not an assault when the person doing any of the above and the other person are voluntary participants in a sport, social or other activity, not in itself criminal, when the act is a reasonably foreseeable incident of such sport or activity, and does not create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or breach of the peace.
Removal from the classroom means a student is sent to the building principal's office. It shall be within the discretion of the person in charge of the classroom to remove the student.
Detention means the student's presence is required during non-school hours for disciplinary purposes. The student can be required to appear prior to the beginning of the school day, after school has been dismissed for the day or on a non - school day. Whether a student will serve detention, and the length of the detention, shall be within the discretion of the licensed employee disciplining the student or the building principal.
Suspension means either an in-school suspension, an out-of-school suspension, a restriction from activities or loss of eligibility. An in-school suspension means the student will attend school but will be temporarily isolated from one or more classes while under supervision. An in-school suspension will not exceed ten consecutive school days. An out-of-school suspension means the student is removed from the school environment, which includes school classes and activities. An out-of-school suspension will not exceed ten consecutive school days. A restriction from school activities means a student will attend school and classes and practice but will not participate in school activities.
MORNING SUN COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Page 1 of 2
Code No. 503.1
STUDENT CONDUCT
Probation means a student is given a conditional suspension of a penalty for a definite period of time in addition to being reprimanded. The conditional suspension will mean the student must meet the conditions and terms for the suspension of the penalty. Failure of the student to meet these conditions and terms shall result in immediate reinstatement of the penalty.
Expulsion means an action by the board to remove a student from the school environment, which includes, but is not limited to, classes and activities, for a period of time set by the board.
Discipline of special education students, including suspensions and expulsions, will comply with the provisions of applicable federal and state laws.
It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.
Following the suspension of a special education student, an informal evaluation of the student's placement shall take place. The Individual Education Program (IEP) shall be evaluated to determine whether it needs to be changed or modified in response to the behavior that led to the suspension.
If a special education student's suspensions, either in or out of school, equal ten days on a cumulative basis, a staffing team shall meet to determine whether the IEP is appropriate.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principal, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.
Legal Reference: No Child Left Behind, Title IV, Sec. 4115.P.L. 107-110 (2002)
Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565 (1975).
Brands v. Sheldon Community School District, 671 F.Supp. 627 (N.D. Iowa 1987).
Sims v. Colfax Community School District, 307 F.Supp. 485 (Iowa 1970).
Bunger v. Iowa High School Athletic Assn., 197 N.W.2d 555 (1972).
Board of Education of the Ind. School Dist. of Waterloo v. Green, 259 Iowa 1260, 147 N.W.2d 854 (1967).
Iowa Code §§ 279.8; 282.4, .5 (1993).
Cross Reference: 501 Student Attendance
502 Student Rights and Responsibilities
504 Student Activities
603.3 Special Education
903.5 Distribution of Materials
Approved 8/23/94 Reviewed 11/11/96; 11/09/99; 12/12/05; 12/10/10; 12/15/15; 12/9/2020 Revised 01/13/03; 8/11/15
MORNING SUN COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Page 2 of 2
Code No. 503.1R1
STUDENT SUSPENSION
Administration Action
A. Probation
1. Probation is conditional suspension of a penalty for a set period of time. Probation may be imposed by the principal for infractions of school rules which do not warrant the necessity of removal from school.
2. The principal shall conduct an information investigation of the allegations against the student prior to imposition of probation. Such investigation shall include, but not be limited to, written or oral notice to the student of the allegations against the student and an opportunity to respond. Written notice of the probation and the reasons therefore shall be sent to the parents.
B. In-School Suspension
1. In-school suspensions may be imposed by the principal for infractions of school rules which are serious but which do not warrant the necessity of removal from school.
2. The principal shall conduct an informal investigation of the allegations against the student prior to imposition of an in-school suspension. Such an investigation shall include, but not be limited to, written or oral notice to the student of the allegations against the student and an opportunity to respond. In-school suspension shall not be imposed for a longer period than ten school days. Written notice of the in-school suspension and the reasons therefore shall be sent to the student's parents.
C. Out-of-School Suspension
1. Out-of-School Suspension is to be employed when other available school resources are unable to constructively remedy student misconduct.
MORNING SUN COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Page 1 of 2
Code No. 503.1R1
STUDENT SUSPENSION
2. A student may be suspended for up to ten school days for a commission of gross or repeated infractions of school rules, board policy or the law, or when the presence of the student will cause interference with the maintenance of the educational environment or the operation of the school. The principal may suspend such students after conducting an investigation of the charges against the student, giving the student:
a. Oral or written notice of the allegations against the student,
b. The basis in fact for the charges, and
c. The opportunity to respond to those charges.
At the principal's discretion, the student may be allowed to confront witnesses against the student or present witnesses on behalf of the student.
3. Notice of the suspension shall be mailed no later than the end of the school day following the suspension to the student's parents and the superintendent. A reasonable effort shall be made to notify the student's parents by telephone or personal contact and such effort shall be documented by the person making or attempting to make the contact. Written notice to the parents shall include the circumstances which led to the suspension and a copy of the board policy and rules pertaining to the suspension.
D.Suspensions and Special Education Students
1. Students who have been identified as special education students may be referred for a review of the student's Individual Education Program (IEP). The IEP may be revised to include a continuum of intervention strategies and programming to change the behavior.
2. Students who have not been identified as special education students may be referred for evaluation after the student's out-of-school suspension to determine whether the student has a disability and is in need of special education.
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