Updated, February 2008
A school should be a place that promotes
responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning
and teaching environment. A positive school climate exists when all members
of the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. All students,
parents, teachers, and staff members have the right to be safe, and to feel
safe, in their school community. With this right comes the responsibility
to contribute to a positive school climate.
The promotion of strategies and initiatives
such as Student Success and character development, along with the employment
of prevention and intervention strategies to address inappropriate behaviour,
fosters a positive school climate that supports academic achievement for all
students.
The Rainy River District School Board Code
of Conduct sets clear standards of behaviour. These standards of behaviour
apply not only to students, but also to all individuals involved in the publicly
funded school system-parents, volunteers, teachers, and other staff members-whether
they are on school property, on school buses, at school related events or
activities, or in other circumstances that could have an impact on the school
climate. Responsible citizenship involves appropriate participation in the
civic life of the school community. Active and engaged citizens are aware
of their rights, but more importantly, they accept responsibility for protecting
their rights and the rights of others.
For additional information, please contact
the principal of your school or:
Rainy River District School Board
522 Second Street East
Fort Frances, Ontario P9A 1N4
Telephone: 807-274-9855
Toll Free: 800-214-1753
Guiding Principles
- All members involved in the Rainy River District
school system-students, parents or guardians, volunteers, teachers and other
staff members, community partners-are included in this Code of Conduct whether
they are on school property, on school buses or at school-authorized events
or activities.
- All members of the school community are to be treated
with respect and dignity, especially persons in positions of authority.
- Responsible citizenship is the appropriate participation
and the encouragement of appropriate participation in the civic life of
the school community.
- All members of the school community encourage the
use of non-violent means to resolve conflict.
- All members of the school community promote the safety
of people in the schools.
- All members of the school community discourage the
use of alcohol and illegal drugs.
- All members of a school community maintain an environment
where conflict and difference can be addressed in a manner characterized
by respect and civility.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Rainy River District School Board
will provide direction to its schools to ensure opportunity, academic excellence,
and accountability in the education system. It is the responsibility of the
Rainy River District School Board to:
- develop policies that set out how its schools
will implement and enforce the Provincial Code of Conduct and all other
rules related to the provincial standards that promote and support respect,
civility, responsible citizenship, and safety;
- seek input from school councils, the regional
Parent Involvement Committees, the Special Education Advisory Committee,
parents, students, staff members, and the school community;
- review the Rainy River District School Board
Code of Conduct regularly with staff, parents, volunteers, and the community;
- establish a process that clearly communicates
the Rainy River District School Board Code of Conduct to all parents, students,
staff members, and members of the school community in order to obtain their
commitment and support;
- ensure an effective intervention strategy
and response to all infractions related to the standards for respect, civility,
responsible citizenship and physical safety;
- provide opportunities for all staff to acquire
the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to develop and maintain academic
excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment;
- wherever possible, collaborate to provide
coordinated prevention and intervention programs and services, and endeavour
to share effective practices.
Principals, under the direction of their school
board, take a leadership role in the daily operation of a school. They provide
this leadership by:
- demonstrating care for the school community
and commitment to academic excellence in a safe teaching and learning environment;
- holding everyone, under their authority,
accountable for his or her behaviour and actions;
- empowering students to be positive leaders
in their school and community;
- communicating regularly and meaningfully
with all members of their school community.
Teachers and other school staff members, under
the leadership of their principals, maintain order in the school and are expected
to hold everyone to the highest standard of respectful and responsible behaviour.
As role models, staff uphold these high standards when they:
- help students work to their full potential
and develop their self-worth;
- empower students to be positive leaders
in their classroom, school, and community;
- communicate regularly and meaningfully with
parents;
- maintain consistent standards of behaviour
for all students;
- demonstrate respect for all students, staff,
parents, volunteers, and the members of the school community;
- prepare students for the full responsibilities
of citizenship.
Students are to be treated with respect and
dignity. In return, they must demonstrate respect for all students, staff,
parents, volunteers, and the members of the school community. Respect and
responsibility are demonstrated when a student:
- comes to school prepared, on time and ready
to learn;
- shows respect for him/herself, for others
and for those in authority;
- refrains from bringing anything to school
that may compromise the safety of others;
- follows the established rules and takes
responsibility for his or her own actions.
Parents play an important role in the education
of their children and can support the efforts of school staff in maintaining
a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. Parents fulfill
their role when they:
- show an active interest in their child's
school work and progress;
- communicate regularly with the school;
- help their child be neat, appropriately
dressed and prepared for school;
- ensure that their child attends school regularly
and on time;
- promptly report to the school their child's
absence or late arrival;
- show that they are familiar with the provincial
Code of Conduct, the Board's Code of Conduct, and school rules;
- encourage and assist their child in following
the rules of behaviour;
- assist school staff in dealing with disciplinary
issues involving their child.
The Police play an essential role in making
our schools and communities safer. The Police investigate incidents in accordance
with the protocol developed with the local school board. These protocols are
based on a provincial model developed by the Ministry of the Solicitor General
and the Ministry of Education.
Community Partners are resources that the Rainy
River District School Board values in providing and assisting with prevention
and intervention programs.
Standards of Behaviour
Respect, Civility and Responsible
Citizenship
All members of the Rainy River District School Board
community must:
- respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial
and municipal laws; demonstrate honesty and integrity;
- respect differences in people, their ideas and opinions;
- treat one another with dignity and respect at all
times, and especially when there is disagreement;
- respect and treat others fairly, regardless of, for
example, their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability;
- respect the rights of others;
- show proper care and regard for school property and
the property of others;
- take appropriate measures to help those in need;
- respect all members of the school community, especially
persons in positions of authority.
Safety
All members of the Rainy River District School
Board community must not:
- be in possession of any weapon, including
firearms;
- use any object to threaten or intimidate
another person;
- cause injury to any person with an object;
- inflict or encourage others to inflict bodily
harm on another person;
- commit sexual assault;
- traffic weapons or illegal/restricted drugs;
- give alcohol to a minor;
- commit robbery;
- engage in hate propaganda and other forms
of behaviour motivated by hate or bias;
- commit an act of vandalism that causes extensive
damage to school property or to property located on the premises of the
school.
Bullying
Bullying is typically a form of repeated,
persistent, aggressive behaviour that is directed at an individual or individuals
and that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear, distress,
and/or harm to another person's body, feelings, self-esteem or reputation.
All members of the Rainy River District School
Board community must not:
- physically bully another person (e.g., hitting,
pushing, tripping);
- verbally bully another person (e.g., name
calling, mocking, or making sexist, racist, or homophobic comments);
- socially bully another person (e.g., excluding
others from a group, spreading gossip or rumours);
- use technology to bully another person (e.g.,
spreading rumours, images, or hurtful comments through the use of email,
text messaging, Internet website, personal electronic devices, and other
technology).
Consequences
Promoting Positive Student Behaviour
When inappropriate behaviour occurs, the Rainy
River District School Board schools will use a range of interventions, supports,
and consequences that are developmentally appropriate, that provide opportunities
for students to learn from mistakes, and that focus on improving behaviour.
Activities Leading to Possible
Suspension
A principal shall consider whether to suspend
a student if he or she believes that the student has engaged in any of the
following activities while at school, at a school-related activity or in other
circumstances where engaging in the activity will have an impact on the school
climate:
- uttering a threat to inflict serious bodily
harm;
- possession of illegal/restricted drugs;
- being in possession of alcohol;
- being under the influence of illegal/restricted
drugs or alcohol;
- swearing at a teacher, or other person in
authority;
- committing an act of vandalism causing extensive
damage to school property or property located on school premises;
- bullying;
- any other activity that is an activity for
which a principal may suspend a pupil under a policy of the Board.
Activities Leading to Suspension
A principal shall suspend a student if he or
she believes that the student has engaged in any of the following activities
while at school, at a school-related activity or in other circumstances where
engaging in the activity will have an impact on the school climate:
- possession of a weapon, including, but not
limited to firearms;
- use of a weapon to cause bodily harm, or
to threaten serious harm;
- physical assault causing bodily harm requiring
treatment by a medical practitioner;
- committing sexual assault;
- trafficking in illegal/restricted drugs
or weapons;
- committing robbery;
- providing alcohol to a minor;
- any other activity that, under policy of
the Board, is an activity for which a principal must suspend a pupil and,
therefore in accordance with this, conduct an investigation to determine
whether to recommend to the board that the student be expelled.
In these instances, police will be involved,
as required, and conditions to return to school will be specified in accordance
with Board policies.