St. Mary's School, Anderson, IN at 321 E. 11th St., Anderson, IN 46016 US - Discipline
| Discipline |
BEHAVIOR Discipline at St. Mary’s School is approached with respect for the student while maintaining a positive and safe school environment. Promoting a child’s emotional, moral, and spiritual development is best achieved when parents and educators work as a team - providing fair, consistent discipline to promote a safe and organized learning environment is necessary. There are a variety of approaches to discipline. Corporal punishment is not administered at St. Mary’s School. The discipline procedure consists of the following steps: (1) Classroom procedures, rules, and consequences are to be posted in each classroom and sent home at the beginning of each school year. (2) Consistent failure to follow classroom procedures and rules may result in a parent-teacher conference. The student may be involved. The teacher determines this. (3) If difficulties persist, a parent-teacher-principal conference will be requested and appropriate consequences will be determined. These consequences could include suspension or expulsion. The principal may suspend a student for a period of no more than five school days for behavior. BICYCLES For those students riding bicycles to school, a bicycle rack is located outside the northwest door. Each student is responsible for providing his/her own bicycle lock. FIREARMS Possessing, firing, displaying or threatening the use of firearms, explosives, or other weapons on school grounds for any unlawful purpose is an occasion of serious harm to persons. Therefore, students who engage in these activities will subject themselves to dis-enrollment and be reported to legal authorities. GROUNDS FOR SUSPENSION / EXPULSION Students engaging in any of the following actions subject themselves to suspension or dis-enrollment in accord with the discipline policy of the school and defined from the Catholic Pastoral Office and the Diocese of Lafayette (Section L7). Grounds for suspension or expulsion include but are not limited to the following; 1. Reasonable cause of possible harm to another person such as the use of force, violence, coercion, threat, intimidation, fear, passive resistance, behaviors interfering with school purposes, or urging others to engage in such behavior; 2. Occupying any school building, school grounds, or part thereof with intent to deprive others of its use; 3. Blocking the entrance or exits of any school building, corridor or room depriving others of lawful access; 4. Setting fire to or substantially damaging school property or building; 5. Possessing, handling, or transferring an object that could be considered to be a weapon or urging other to do so; 6. Possessing, using, transmitting any controlled or abused substance, such as a narcotic, alcoholic beverage, or intoxicating agent; 7. Unlawful selling of a controlled or abused substance; 8. Substantial number of instances disrupting classroom or educational function, or lawful meeting on school property; 9. Continuously and intentionally making noise or acting in any manner so as to interfere with the ability of a teacher or other school personnel to educate; 10. Stealing or attempting to steal school property or private property; 11. Intimidating any student with the intent of bodily harm or taking something of value from another person; 12. Any activity interfering with the ability of a teacher or any other school personnel to conduct the educational function under one’s supervision; 13. Repeated violation of any rules; 14. Engaging in unlawful activity on or off school grounds if it is considered an interference with school purposes or educational function. LOCKERS Lockers are provided to all students in grades K – 8. Students are expected to keep their lockers clean and orderly. For students in upper grades wishing to lock their lockers, an extra key or the combination should be given to their teacher. Teachers and/or the principal may make occasional locker searches. If necessary, any or all items may be removed from the locker and appropriate action taken. LUNCH AND RECESS SUPERVISION Lunch and recess activities will be supervised by an appropriate number of teachers and parent volunteers to monitor such activities. SAFETY PATROLS Fifth grade students serve as safety patrols to guide and direct other students at the time of dismissal. Safety patrols wear orange vests and use bright, orange flags to aid students in crossing streets and walkways. Your child is to obey the safety patrol’s flag instructions when school is dismissed. STUDENT HARASSMENT The school is to be free of discrimination and inappropriate, unlawful harassment. Actions, words, jokes, or comments based on an individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, age, religion or person are inappropriate in a Catholic environment. St. Mary’s will seek to include educational approaches and disciplinary procedures, which will ensure that difference among students are respected. SUBSTANCE ABUSE School environments are to be made safe for all students. Soliciting, selling, or using a controlled or abused substance is a serious infraction of and contrary to Catholic values. Students who engage in these activities will subject themselves to suspension or dis-enrollment. TARDINESS It is important that students be prompt for school. Students are to be in their classrooms by 7:55. Any student arriving after 7:55 a.m. (Morning Prayer) is considered tardy. For the first series of three tardies in a nine-week period, a parent will be notified. The second series of three tardies in a nine-week grading period will result in detention for the student. Within a nine-week grading period if tardies continue, parents will be asked to come in for a conference with the principal. If no charge occurs, the student will face some form of suspension. Habitual / repeated failure to correct tardies could have serious consequences.