Development of good discipline and school safety are among the most important goals of education.  Discipline is the development of self-control, character, proper respect and consideration for other people and property.  School safety is the responsibility of everyone.  Any student, parent or concerned citizen has a responsibility to report to the office or school staff any rumor or information that jeopardizes the safety of anyone associated with the school.

So that the Carthage School District can maintain the best learning environment possible, the administration and faculty members have the following expectations of our students:

1. Appropriate school behavior: Classroom behavior that assures the right of every student to learn and the right of every teacher to teach.  Appropriate out-of-classroom behavior should demonstrate respect for the personal and property rights of other students, faculty and members of the staff.
2. Arrival at school and to class on time along with adequate preparation for classes.
3. Daily attendance in school and class.
4. Appropriate use and care of school facilities and equipment.
5. Cooperation with school faculty and other staff members.
6. Adherence to appropriate standards of courtesy, decency and morality.

No code can be expected to list each and every offense which may result in the use of disciplinary action.  So that Carthage students may know and understand the disciplinary guidelines for normal school operation, the following activities listed below are prohibited.  Any student who engages in any of these activities is subject to disciplinary action which may range from student conference to parental conference, loss of privileges to loss of course credit, detention, corporal punishment, short term suspension to expulsion from school.  Punishment may be a combination of the preceding depending on the severity of the offense.   When a school suspension is determined to be appropriate for offense committed, the suspension or expulsion policies of the Board shall be followed. In addition, the disciplinary consequence listed for each offense may be increased or decreased by the Administration or the Board of Education due to mitigating or aggravating circumstances. (See elementary, junior high and high school discipline charts).  

The discipline code set out in this regulation is intended to be illustrative but not an exclusive listing of acts of misconduct and the consequences for each. Misconduct which is not specifically listed in this regulation may be deemed to warrant discipline up to and including expulsion following provision of all due process procedures.

The Carthage School District code of conduct applies to any student who is on school property or adjacent to school property.  The Carthage School District code of conduct can include off-campus misconduct which is not school related if it is prejudicial to good order and discipline in the schools or impairs the morale and good conduct of students.  It also applies to students who are in attendance at school or at a school-sponsored activity.  The policy applies to students who are riding a bus to and from school or school-sponsored activities.  Students are subject to discipline, up to and including expulsion, for misconduct regardless of whether the conduct occurs at a school activity and regardless of when the misconduct occurs where it is reasonably determined that a student’s misconduct adversely affects school safety or student welfare.  The appropriate law enforcement agency will be notified and/ or directly involved in any student offense that falls within their jurisdiction (drugs, alcohol, arson, etc.).

Copies of this regulation or the student handbook which includes the code of student conduct and disciplinary consequences, as well as the District's corporal punishment policy, if any, will be provided to each student at the beginning of each school year. Copies of these documents will also be available for public inspection during normal business hours in the Superintendent's office.

Alcohol, Drug or Other Dangerous Substance Use/Possession/Under the Influence/Transfer or Distribution – Transfer, distribution, use or possession, under the influence of illegal drugs, alcohol, controlled substances, paraphernalia, dangerous drugs, substances or their imitators, use of substances or drugs in a manner other than directed or prescribed, on or adjacent to school property or at any school-sponsored event.

Arson – Intentionally causing or attempting to cause a fire or explosion.

Assault – (Refer to Policy and Regulation 2673 – Reporting of Violent Behavior)

• Assault of a Student or Staff Member - Use of physical force with the intent to do bodily harm.
• Fighting - Physically striking another in a mutual contact as differentiated from an assault.

Bullying – Aggressive behavior or intentional “harmdoing,” without apparent provocation, carried out by an individual or group of individuals repeatedly and over time within interpersonal relationships characterized by an imbalance of power, with the intent to intimidate or inflict physical, emotional or mental harm (see Policy 2655).

Defiance of Authority/Insubordination/Blatant Disrespect  – Verbal abuse, refusal to obey school rules or to follow instructions of administrators, faculty or other school personnel.

Extortion/Coercion/Blackmail – Obtaining or attempting to obtain money or other objects of value from an unwilling person or forcing an individual to act through the use of force or threat of force. 

Failure Avoidance – Students are expected to complete all assignments on time.  Failure to do so on multiple occasions is considered a discipline issue.

False Alarms – Tampering with emergency equipment, setting off false alarms, or making false reports.

Fighting – Combatant physical contact between two or more individuals.

Gambling – Participation in games of chance for the purpose of exchanging money.

Harassment – Words or conduct that intentionally intimidate or defame another student or school personnel.  Any student who believes he/she has been the victim of harassment should report the alleged harassment to the Principal and/or the Assistant Superintendent.

Inappropriate Display of Affection – The only appropriate display of affection is holding hands.

Lying/Forgery – Giving false or misleading information, either verbally or in writing, to a school employee.

Malicious Mischief – Tampering or interfering with school or personal property.  Examples:  littering, graffiti, tampering with lockers, tagging cars.

Non-Sanctioned Groups – A group whose apparel, jewelry, accessory, symbol, graffiti, gesture, or manner of grooming which by virtue of its color, arrangement, trademark, or other attribute denotes membership in such a group that advocates drug use, violence or exhibits behaviors that interfere with the normal and orderly operation of the school. (Refer to Policy and Regulation 2653 – Student Participation in Secret Organizations and Gangs.)

Reckless or Endangering Behavior – Conduct which creates substantial risk of physical injury to any other person.  (Examples:  fight promotion, throwing objects, horseplay)

Scholastic Dishonesty – Includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism and collusion.

• Cheating on a Test includes:
  1. Copying from another student’s test paper.
  2. Using material during a test which is not authorized by the person giving the test.
  3. Collaborating with another student during the test without authority.
• Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of an unadministered test.
• Securing copies of the test or answers to the test in advance of the test.
• Plagiarism means the appropriation of another’s work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one’s own written work for credit.
• Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit.

Sexually Inappropriate Behavior  – Unwanted verbal, written or physical conduct of a sexual nature imposed on the basis of sex.

Tardiness – A student is tardy if not in class and seated when the bell rings.  Students will receive one teacher issued warning per quarter.  If arriving at school five minutes late, or more, a note from home must be brought to the office.  Failure to have a note may result in consequences.

Theft – Nonconsensual taking or attempt to take the property of another. 

Threat – Verbal, physical or written expression of an intention to inflict harm to person or property.

Tobacco Possession/Use/Transfer – The possession and/or use of tobacco in any form on or adjacent to school property or any school event held away from school.                                                                        

Truancy – If after leaving home for school the student does not attend school, or if he/she leaves the campus during school hours without permission from the office, or if he/she does not attend a class.  Students are also truant if they stay home without a valid reason. Subsequent letters or notes indicating parental approval for these absences cannot be accepted.  There will be no authorized skip day.  The student will not receive credit for make-up work. (See also Policy and Regulation 2340 – Truancy and Educational Neglect.)

Vandalism – Willful or deliberate destruction or defacement of school or personal property.

Weapons – A weapon shall be defined as any instrument or device customarily used for attack or defense against another person, including, but not limited to, knives (including pocket knives), guns, instruments of the martial arts, fireworks, incendiary devices, irritants, or objects imitating any of these items, or any other instrument or device used to inflict injury or harm to another person.       

Weapon Possession/Use/Transfer (Refer to Policy and Regulation 2620, Firearms and Weapons in School) – Possession of any weapon, knife, (including pocket knives), gun, instrument, article including fireworks and instruments of the martial arts, or objects imitating these items that might be injurious to a person or property.

EXPLANATION OF DISCIPLINARY RESPONSE PROCEDURES

Parents will be contacted by phone, letter or disciplinary referral when the following penalties are assigned.  It is intended that good communication between school and parents will lead to cooperative efforts to change student misbehavior so the student functions more harmoniously with school rules and personnel.  Only actual school days will be counted as days served in in-school suspension (I.S.S.) or out-of-school suspension (O.S.S.).  In case school is dismissed due to inclement weather, suspensions will carry over to the next day school is in session.

1. Community Service – Students who contribute to the public or school welfare through their labor in lieu of other school issued consequences.
2. In-School Suspension (I.S.S.) – Students will be required to report directly to I.S.S. at the beginning of the school day.  Students will complete the day, including lunch, in the I.S.S. classroom.  This is not considered an absence, with the exception of the Final Exemption Program under the high school’s Incentive Policy.  Students are required to complete assignments for credit in their regular classes. 
3. Intervention Class – A self-contained academic and behavioral improvement center that will emphasize appropriate classroom behaviors and instill positive learning habits for students who lack such skills.  Character education, counseling, group learning, computer assisted technology, individual and group counseling, and other intervention strategies will be critical components for students in this involuntary program.
4. Ninth Hour – Ninth Hour will be held Monday through Thursday from 3:15 p.m. to 4:00.  (and 7:00 - 7:45 a.m. on Fridays at the junior high)  Students are not to leave campus between 3:07 and 3:15.  Students must bring work appropriate for school and remain busy studying for the entire hour.  Ninth Hours are excellent opportunities for students to meet with teachers for tutorial assistance, but arrangements must be made with the teachers prior to the scheduled Ninth Hour.  Transportation will not be provided by the school.  However, students will have one week in which to complete the Ninth Hour.  This will allow students to avoid scheduling conflicts.  PROCRASTINATION IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.
5. Out-of-School Suspension (O.S.S.) – Students will be removed from the regular school setting.  They will not be allowed to attend classes, be on school grounds, or attend or participate in any school-sponsored functions while suspended.
   Students in grades K – 6 will be responsible for all work assigned during the suspension.  To reenter school the parent and student will meet with the principal and present finished work.  If assigned work is not completed, the student will be required to complete work during In-School Suspension (I.S.S.), at recess time, or after school.
   Students in grades 7 – 12 will not receive credit for class work missed.
6. Restricted Movement (R.M.) – Students who have displayed a willingness to engage in inappropriate behaviors outside of the classroom, such as during passing times or during lunch/breakfast, or students who are frequently tardy in spite of typical disciplinary consequences may be placed on Restricted Movement.  R.M. is designed to limit the number of distractions to a student and to monitor a particular student’s movement more carefully than the general population in an attempt to encourage positive interaction when the student returns to the general population.  Restrictions may include passing time and dining times.
7. Saturday School – Saturday School will be held from 9:00 A.M. to noon.  Students must bring work appropriate for school and remain busy studying or reading.  Students may also be required to do additional work assigned for Saturday School. Students who do not complete Saturday School as scheduled will be assigned to in-school suspension.

Rules and consequences are established not for the responsible majority, but for the irresponsible few.  The following charts serve as guidelines for administrative responses to unacceptable student behavior in an attempt to establish fairness through consistency for all students.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISCIPLINE CHART

INTERMEDIATE CENTER/SIXTH GRADE CENTER DISCIPLINE CHART

JUNIOR HIGH DISCIPLINE CHART

HIGH SCHOOL DISCIPLINE CHART

 

Board Approved Date: May 18, 2020

© 2024 Carthage R-9 | Policies Provided By Missouri Consultants for Education | Powered By Static Dynamics | Ver 4.0