Handbook - Student Behavior

Discipline Beliefs

This discipline code is designed to explain the expectations, rights and responsibilities of students, parents, teachers and other school personnel. Members of the Harlem School District community are entitled to a safe, orderly environment in which to learn and work. To that end, Harlem School District staff shares with parents and students the responsibility for conduct while attending school. When discipline is needed, the intent will be to teach or guide the student toward acceptable behavior. While praise, encouragement, rewards and other positive measures will be used extensively, discipline may also include detention, parent notification, conferences, removal from class, suspension, expulsion and other appropriate measures.

Fair and equitable discipline is intended to protect the rights of all persons in matters relating to the school. Should corrective measures be necessary, the following will be considered: the frequency, intensity, and length of the behavior, the maturation, history, limitations, and disposition of the child, the circumstances of the situation, the effect on the welfare of the school community, the district, state, and federal mandates, and the perceived influence on promoting student self-discipline. It is the intention to minimize out of school suspensions and expulsions.

Bullying

Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors and providing all students equal access to a safe, non-hostile learning environment are important District goals.

Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, physical appearance, socio-economic status, academic status, pregnancy, parenting status, homelessness, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender-related identity or expression, unfavorable discharge from the military service, order of protection status, association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing characteristic is prohibited in each of the following situations:

During any school-sponsored education program or activity.
While in school, on school property, on school buses or other school vehicles, at designated school bus stops waiting for the school bus, or at school-sponsored or school-sanctioned events or activities.
Through the transmission of information from a school computer, a school computer network, or other similar electronic school equipment.
Through the transmission of information from a computer that is accessed at a nonschool-related location, activity, function, or program or from the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by the School District or school if the bullying causes a substantial disruption to the educational process or orderly operation of a school. This paragraph (item #4) applies only when a school administrator or teacher receives a report that bullying through this means has occurred; it does not require staff members to monitor any nonschool-related activity, function, or program.

If you see incidences of bullying, please report to administration. For more information, visit the Resource Guide for Bullying Prevention or see additional the additional bullying policies below.

Student Behavior

Elementary Discipline

Secondary Discipline