NPSS Code of Conduct

North Peace Secondary School (NPSS) promotes the values expressed in BC Human Rights code respecting the rights of all individuals in accordance with the law. The school will treat seriously, behaviour or communication that discriminates based on race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, gender preference, sexual orientation or age.

Purpose for the code:

• to ensure that NPSS is a safe, caring and orderly school.
• to ensure all students are academically and socially successful.
• to clarify and publish expectations for student behaviour while at school, at a school-related activity or in other circumstances where engaging in an activity (including on-line) will have an impact on the school environment.
• to provide a process by which students take ownerships of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours.

Acceptable Conduct:

-A motto for our behaviour expectations

Accountability

ac coun ta bil i ty  – n. the state of being accountable, reliable, or answerable.

You are accountable for your actions, your decisions, your life; no one else is but you.

Integrity

in teg ri ty –  n. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.

Respect

re spect – n. willingness to show consideration or appreciation

Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.

AIR matrix grid ~ school-wide behaviour expectations

These expectations apply to behaviour at school, during school-organized or sponsored activities on or off school grounds that impacts the safe, caring and orderly environment of the school, and/or student learning.

NPSS promotes the values expressed in BC Human Rights code respecting the rights of all individuals in accordance with the law. NPSS will treat seriously, behaviour or communication that discriminates based on race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or metal disability, gender or sexual orientation (prohibited grounds set out in the BC Human Rights Code).

Unacceptable Conduct: Guiding Principles for Responses to Unacceptable Conduct

• Our entire discipline process is designed to be an instrument of success and inclusion.
• Our entire discipline process is designed to be preventative and proactive.
• We aim to be clear about behavioural expectations and what success looks like.
• We aim to be fair, reasonable, and consistent with responses and/or consequences.
• We aim to pre-correct anticipated behaviours and/or rule violations.
• We try to consider the function (the why) of the behaviour.
• We respect the uniqueness of each student, each incident, and each set of circumstances.
• We attempt to balance consequences with recognition and positive feedback.

Unacceptable Conduct Examples

The behaviours cited below serve as examples and in no way is this table an all-inclusive list.

Rising Expectations

We understand behaviours like academics need to be taught and the students understanding of the concepts of respect, responsibility, and safety deepens with maturity and experience. Therefore, behaviour expectations will be on a continuum to reflect the individual students developmental stage. As students become older, more mature and move through successive grades, increasing personal responsibility and self-discipline is expected. Therefore, increasing consequences for inappropriate conduct/unacceptable behaviour exists.

Consequences

The guiding principles (mentioned above) set the parameters in determining appropriate disciplinary action. The severity and frequency of unacceptable conduct as well as the age and maturity of students are all considered. The guiding principles ensure that:

• Responses to unacceptable conduct are planned, consistent and fair.
• Disciplinary action, wherever possible is preventative and restorative, rather than merely punitive.
• Students as often as possible, are encouraged to participate in the development of meaningful consequences for violations of the established code of conduct.

Special considerations may apply if a student is unable to comply with the expectations due to having a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature.

Notification

NPSS has the duty to report unacceptable behaviour to involved personnel where deemed appropriate. This includes:

• Parents/guardians of student offender(s).
• Parents/guardians of student victim(s).
• School district officials as required by school district policy. Usually the principal of enrolling student and if necessary district staff (see conduct committee for details).
• Police and/or other agencies as required by law.
• All parents (when deemed to be important) to reassure members of the school community that school officials are aware of a serious situation or incident and are taking appropriate action to address it.

Retaliation Prevention

NPSS will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation against a student who has reported a code of conduct breach.