Student Code of Conduct

The purpose of this code is to provide students in the Effingham County School System an effective and safe learning environment. This code has been prepared in accordance with the Discipline Procedures of the Effingham County School System. It contains information for school personnel, students, and parents. Included in the code is an outline of expected behaviors and the consequences relating to various violations. Expected behavior is behavior that promotes learning and encourages maturity during the school day as well as during all school-related activities.

Students and their parents need to know and understand this code in order to achieve these goals.

Parental Involvement

This Student Code of Conduct is based on the expectation that parents, guardians, teachers, and school administrators will work together to improve and enhance student behavior and academic performance and will communicate freely their concerns about, and actions in response to, student behavior that detracts from the learning environment. School administrators recognize that two-way communication through personal contacts is extremely valuable; therefore, they provide information to parents as well as on-going opportunities for school personnel to hear parents’ concerns and comments. The General Assembly of Georgia requires that this code of conduct include language encouraging parents and guardians to inform their children on the consequences, including potential criminal penalties of underage sexual conduct and crimes for which a minor can be tried as an adult. Major offenses including, but not limited to, drug and weapon offenses can lead to schools being named as an Unsafe School according to the provisions of State Board of Education Rule 160-4-8-.16, Unsafe School Choice Options.

Parents and students should contact the principal of the school if specific questions arise related to the Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct specifies within its standards of behavior various violations of the code which may result in a school staff member’s request that a parent or guardian come to the school for
a conference. Parents are encouraged to visit the schools regularly and are expected to be actively involved in the behavior support processes designed to promote positive choices and behavior.

Student Support Processes

The Effingham County Board of Education provides a variety of resources that are available at every school within the district to help address student behavioral problems. The school discipline process will include appropriate consideration of support processes to help students resolve such problems. These resources include student support teams, school counselors, school social workers, chronic disciplinary problem student plans, Individualized Educational Programs (IEP), and behavioral intervention plans that work within the IEP.

Authority of the Principal

The principal is the designated leader of the school and, in concert with the staff, is responsible for the orderly operations of the school. In cases of disruptive, disorderly, or dangerous conduct not covered in this code, the principal may undertake corrective measures believed to be in the best interest of the student and the school,
provided any such action does not violate board policy or procedures.

Authority of the Teacher

Teacher Reporting Requirement

Any teacher who has knowledge that a student has exhibited behavior which violates the Student Code of Conduct and repeatedly or substantially interferes with the teacher’s ability to communicate effectively with the students in his or her class or with the ability of each student’s classmates to learn shall file a report of such behavior with the principal or the principal’s designee. The principal and teacher shall follow the procedures set forth in Georgia law, specifically O.C.G.A. § 20-2-737 and Board Policy JCDA (Student Code of Conduct). The Superintendent and/or his or her designee shall ensure that procedures are disseminated as necessary for implementation of this policy and applicable state laws.

Authority of Teacher Over Classroom and Placement Review Committees

A teacher shall have the authority, consistent with Board policy, to manage his or her classroom, discipline students, and refer a student to the principal or the principal’s designee to maintain discipline in the classroom. A principal or the principal’s designee shall respond when a student is referred by a teacher by employing appropriate discipline management techniques that are consistent with Board policy.

A teacher shall have authority to remove from his or her class a student who repeatedly or substantially interferes with the teacher’s ability to communicate effectively with the students in the class or with the ability of the student’s classmates to learn, where the student’s behavior is in violation of the student code of conduct, provided that the teacher has previously filed the aforementioned report under “Teacher Reporting Requirement” in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 20-2-737 or determines that such behavior of the student poses an immediate threat to the safety of the student’s classmates or the teacher. Each school principal shall fully support the authority of every teacher in his or her school to remove a student from the classroom in this circumstance. The principal and teacher shall follow the procedures set forth in Georgia law, specifically O.C.G.A. § 20-2-738 and Board Policy JCDA (Student Code of Conduct). The Superintendent and/or his or her designee shall ensure that procedures are disseminated as necessary for implementation of this policy and applicable state laws.

It is the policy of the Board that the Superintendent shall fully support the authority of principals and teachers to remove a student from the classroom pursuant to Georgia law, including, but not limited to, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-738 and 20-2-751.5(d).

Administrative Prerogative

The administration may assign discretionary punishment as appropriate for all offenses covered, or not expressly covered, by the following rules, except those offenses that require a student disciplinary hearing under Georgia law. Depending upon the offense and the circumstances, the alternative punishment might be given
in lieu of or in addition to the progressive punishment outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. Disciplinary action for violations of expected behaviors will include appropriate hearings and reviews. In all cases, the rights of individuals will be ensured and protected.

The Effingham County School System will make every reasonable effort to administer the discipline code consistently in all schools. When applicable, individualized plans (i.e. IEP, 504, and SST) will be reviewed for appropriate consequences.

Chronic Disciplinary Problem Student

Students who exhibit consistent patterns of misconduct will be identified as chronic discipline problem students. A student identified as a chronic discipline problem will begin a behavioral correction plan process that includes three steps to be implemented as the student violates the Student Code of Conduct. The first and second steps may result in a suspension and referral to the superintendent’s designee for discipline. The third step may result
in a suspension and referral to the superintendent’s designee for discipline. At all points of the correction process, parents are encouraged to come to school and take an active part in helping to correct their child’s behavior.

If a student is identified as a chronic disciplinary problem student, the principal, or designee, must:

• notify the student’s parent or guardian of the disciplinary problem by telephone, mail, and by email;
• invite the parent or guardian to observe the student in a classroom situation; and
• require at least one parent or guardian to attend a conference in order to devise a disciplinary and behavioral correction plan.

If the student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan, the school-based team will convene a meeting.

Progressive Discipline Procedures

Definition: Progressive discipline processes “shall be designed to create the expectation that the degree of discipline will be in proportion to the severity of the behavior leading to the discipline, that the previous discipline history of the student being disciplined and other relevant factors will be taken into account, and that all due
process procedures required by federal and state law will be followed.” (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-735).

Guiding Principles

Each incident of inappropriate behavior is unique in terms of situational variables. Similarly, disciplinary action will reflect consideration of a number of factors specific to the student involved in the misbehavior. This code strives for a safe and orderly student learning environment through a systematic process of behavioral correction.

• Inappropriate behaviors are followed by consequences.
• Inappropriate behaviors are substituted with those that are consistent with the character traits identified in Georgia’s Character Education Program.

Students in violation of the Student Code of Conduct cannot be assumed to have had sufficient instruction and/or practice in utilizing the particular character trait(s) related to the misbehavior. As such, disciplinary action should include engaging students in activities/events that reflect desirable character traits.

• Parents are viewed as integral partners to be utilized when addressing students’ misbehavior.

Students who engage in continual minor acts of misconduct, as well as those who engage in even a single act of more serious misconduct, are considered candidates for the school’s behavior support processes.

Common Elements

Disciplinary action shall be in response to alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct established and approved by local board policies.

1. Due process procedures required by federal and state law will be followed.
2. The degree of disciplinary action will be in proportion to the severity of the misbehavior. In determining the level of seriousness of the misbehavior and the level of discipline necessary, a number of factors must be considered. These include, but are not limited to:

• Student’s discipline history
• Degree of premeditation, impulse, or self-defense
• Age and/or disability
• Strength of evidence
• Cooperation/remorse

In most situations, disciplinary action should reflect both a consequence and an opportunity to be successfully engaged in related character traits from Georgia’s Character Education Program.

Considerations:

1. All progressive discipline components noted in this section are minimum requirements. Additional components may be set forth by the local board of education.
2. Students are responsible to all those with whom they come in contact during the school day. As such, progressive discipline supports granting authority to professional staff members to impose discipline consequences for minor acts of misconduct. (Teachers, for example, may require students to serve a classroom detention after school for a minor infraction occurring during that class.) However, when a student is believed to be engaging in a similar pattern of minor misbehavior, or when a student has committed a more serious violation of the school rules, the principal must assume responsibility for the discipline process.
3. Georgia’s Character Education Program reflects character traits that must be routinely demonstrated and identified by all stakeholders in the education process.
4. Utilization of the behavior support process should be considered for students who repeatedly engage in minor acts of misbehavior and for those who have engaged in behaviors resulting in more severe disciplinary actions. The following disciplinary actions may be imposed for any violation of this Student Code of Conduct. Professional staff members may utilize any of the discipline management techniques appropriate for the situation, including, but not limited to the following:

a. Parental contact by teacher reporting the misbehavior;

b. Loss of recess or other free choice time;

c. Isolation during lunch;

d. Classroom isolation from peers;

e. Student participation in conference with parent/guardian and teacher;

f. Participation in a school-service project that enables the student to be engaged in the desired character traits;

g. Development of a written or graphic representation that reflects understanding of the specific misbehavior, the nature of the expected behavior, and the related character traits.

The principal and/or administration may utilize any of the above discipline management techniques, and/or may employ:

1. Student participation in a conference with parent/guardian, teacher, and/or principal;
2. Restriction from school programs, such as clubs, activities, teams, extra- and co-curricular events, field trips, and special assemblies;
3. Partial day in-school detention;
4. Full day in-school detention for one school day;
5. In-school suspension (Grades 3-12);
6. Participation in the cleaning/repair of any damage caused to the school-related environment;
7. Suspension from riding the bus;
8. Suspension from school;
9. Request placement into an alternative school program (Grades 6-12);
10. Referral for probation to superintendent’s designee for discipline to be placed on probation;
11. Referral to superintendent’s designee for discipline for a disciplinary hearing for long-term suspension or expulsion; 
12. Referral to law enforcement agencies;
13. Any other disciplinary technique that positively promotes the Student Code of Conduct and desired character trait(s).

The maximum punishments for an offense include long-term suspension or expulsion, including permanent expulsion, but those punishments will be determined only after a disciplinary hearing as outlined in the Effingham County Board of Education policies. Parents/Guardians or students may elect not to contest whether a student referred to a disciplinary hearing has violated the Student Code of Conduct or the appropriate discipline, and in such cases, an agreement may be negotiated which would include the parents or students waiving the right to a hearing before a disciplinary hearing. Such an arrangement and waiver must be approved by the superintendent’s designee for discipline in accordance with local board policy. Before a student is suspended from school for ten days or less, the principal or designee will inform the student of the offense for which the student is charged and allow the student to explain his or her behavior. If the student is suspended, the student’s parents/guardians will be notified if possible. School officials may involve law enforcement officials when evidence surrounding a situation necessitates their involvement or when there is a legal requirement that an incident be reported.

School officials may search a student if there is reasonable suspicion that the student is in possession of an item that is illegal or against school rules. This search may include, but is not limited to, searches of any vehicle brought on campus, any clothes, bags, or other items brought on campus, and any school property. These searches may occur at any time without further notice to students or parents. Students are required to cooperate with any such search. Metal detectors and drug or weapon sniffing dogs may be utilized at school or at any school function, including activities which occur after normal school hours or off the school campus at the discretion of administrators.

Video Surveillance

Video surveillance provides a tool for monitoring activity on Board of Education property, including schools and buses, to help protect the health, welfare, and safety of students, staff, and visitors, and to collect evidence for use in student and faculty/staff disciplinary matters and in appropriate cases for law enforcement purposes.

There is no expectation of privacy on buses nor in the public areas of Effingham County Schools. Video cameras may be placed on buses, in classrooms, and in the public areas of the campuses of Effingham County Schools. Video cameras should not be placed where they can record bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, or private offices. The presence of a video camera means that there is no expectation of privacy in that location.

Students and staff should be aware that video surveillance may occur in public areas, on any school property or on any transportation vehicle. Video surveillance shall only be used to promote the order, safety, and security of students, staff, and property.

Persons recorded committing violations of Board policies, administrative regulations, building rules and/or procedures, or law may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action and/or referred to law enforcement agencies.

Video recordings may be used as evidence in a staff and/or student disciplinary matter.

Safety Screenings

Effingham County School District (ECSD) is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for all students, staff, and visitors. To support this commitment to safety, we will implement a weapons detection system for non-intrusive screening processes at school entry points in all ECSD school locations. These screening processes will be supervised and monitored by trained ECSD staff members.