Board Policy 5114.1
Discipline
- Conduct
The Board of Education, pursuant
to R.C. 3313.20, is obligated to make such rules and regulations as are
necessary for its government and the government of its employees, pupils of its
schools, and all other persons entering upon its school grounds or
premises. It is under this Section of
the Revised Code of the Ohio School Laws that this Board sets forth its Policy
for the control or discipline of the students in this District.
The Ironton City Board of
Education requires that the schools in the Ironton System be well organized,
effectively managed, and properly disciplined.
This can best be accomplished if the administrators, principals,
teachers, counselors and others in charge of the students prepare a plan which
will result in the proper control of the students, and which will ultimately
result in ensuring the optimum learning situation. In facilitating this, the principal of each school shall initiate
the plan and shall have the power and authority to make such reasonable written
rules, regulations, and penalties as will guarantee the health and safety of
the students of his/her school and which will provide an atmosphere which is
conducive to learning.
The teachers in the Ironton City
schools shall also have the power and the authority to make such reasonable
rules, regulations and penalties as are necessary to maintain orderly behavior;
to properly manage their students; and
to provide the best possible classroom setting for learning. The teacher shall work in cooperation with
the superintendent of schools and the principal and shall utilize the services
of the counselors, psychologist, health nurse, deans and other responsible
authorities, as well as the parents, in the guidance, conduct, and control of
the students. He/she shall not resort
to harsh disciplinary methods of control until all other means of control have
been exhausted.
Under certain conditions,
students may be suspended, expelled, or removed. But when these methods of control are employed, the action must
be in accord with the provisions of R.C. 3313.661, and Ironton City Board
Policy.
Corporal punishment may also be
administered to the student, but this method of control must be used only in
conformity with reason and decency, and in compliance with Board Policy and the
provisions of R.C. 3319.41, as follows:
"A
person employed or engaged as a teacher, principal, or administrator in a
school, whether public or private, may inflict or cause to be inflicted,
reasonable corporal punishment upon a pupil attending such school whenever such
punishment is reasonably necessary to preserve discipline while such pupil is
subject to school authority. Such
person may also, within the scope of his/her employment, use and apply such
amount of force as is reasonable and necessary to quell a disturbance
threatening physical injury to others, to obtain possession of weapons or other
dangerous objects upon the person or within the control of the pupil, for the
purpose of self-defense, or for the protection of persons or property."
Adopted: 2-20-67
Revised: 1-12-81,
2-05-90, 2-10-92, 9-07-94, 8-12-97
Administrative Rules and Regulations 5114.1
Discipline – Conduct
Discipline
A
Definition
Webster's dictionary speaks of
discipline as training that develops self-control, character, or orderliness
and efficiency; and/or treatment that corrects or punishes. We look upon the first part of the
definition as a positive approach to discipline and the second part as somewhat
of a negative approach. We term the
second part negative primarily because it tends to deal with the problem after
it has developed and gone out of control and thus, punishment has become
necessary. The Administration of this
system looks upon discipline as a positive measure; proper training and control
of the student and the removal of the cause of poor behavior in order that the
negative approach - punishment - will seldom have to be used.
We admonish the teachers,
principals, and others in direct charge of the students in this District to
adopt and use this positive approach toward discipline and to so organize each
school’s program of student activity that
self-control among the students becomes the "rule", and punishment
the "exception."
Fear,
Scare, and Threat
The Administration of the
Ironton City Schools believes that the effective discipline of our students can
successfully be achieved and maintained without constantly resorting to the use
of fear, scare, and threat methods of student control. When any teacher or principal in working
with students has to raise their voice to the point of shouting, habitually
threatens or cajoles, commonly instills fear within the students, or uses
corporal punishment unsparingly, he/she, is in effect, admitting (except in
rare and difficult cases) an inability to control the students professionally
and effectively. Actually, when a
teacher has the work well organized and is doing the best possible teaching
job, disciplinary methods will not be obvious, because few disciplinary cases
will arise.
The
Teacher and the Principal
Although the principal of the
school is ultimately responsible for the discipline and proper control of the
students throughout his/her school, it is generally conceded that the
discipline of the students in and about the classroom is the duty of the
teacher. No principal, no matter how
effective, can repeatedly assume the teacher's classroom disciplinary role. The principal, on occasion, may aid and
assist the teacher, but the principal cannot replace the teacher and assume the
teacher's adherent obligations. It
therefore becomes the responsibility of the classroom teacher to so control
his/her students that the health and safety of the students can be assured and
that the classroom is a proper setting for the best possible learning
situation.
Extent
of Authority
In the "twilight zone"
as to where the schools responsibilities begin and that of the home ends, and
vice versa, most authorities agree, and we concur, that when the student boards
a bus for school or starts his journey thereto, regardless of the means, the
student automatically comes under the authority of the school officials. Likewise, he/she is under school control
until he/she arrives at home after school, at which time his/her parents assume
control. Thus, on his/her way to and from school, as well as while he/she is at
school, he/she comes under the authority of the school and is subject to school
regulations during these periods.
The teacher and/or other
authorized certified personnel has the right to meet out punishment and
penalties to pupils who violate the rules of the school. In exacting such punishment, however, it is
the professional duty of the teacher to use wise judgement and discretion in
such punishment. The extent and method
of punishment should be reasonable, decent, and impassionate and should be commensurate
with the nature of the offense. Each
case should be decided or determined upon its own merits, taking into
consideration such pertinent facts of age, sex, grade, and physical condition
and strength. And, although corporal
punishment may be legally administered to a student for severe infractions of
the school rules, the Administration of these schools, looks with disfavor upon
its habitual use.
Disciplinary
Options
Keeping in mind that the goal of
education, in part, is to promote student self-control, a variety of
disciplinary options shall be developed at each school, which effectively
develops student responsibility in this area.
Students shall be thoroughly informed as to the rules and regulations in
each classroom and building. Classroom
rules shall be visibly posted and discussed with the students and reemphasized
periodically. Rules and regulations
which pertain to the building as well as this board policy shall be posted in
each building available for students to read, inserted into student handbooks
and made available to parents at Open House, parent organization meetings, etc.
Each building staff and
administration shall develop a progressive disciplinary options procedure,
which will meet the needs of the students at that particular level. The purpose of this and any disciplinary
procedure is to correct the inappropriate behavior being exhibited by the
student. Therefore, the progression of
the disciplinary options shall be such that the student and his/her
inappropriate behavior is the focus of attention. A positive approach to these disciplinary options will encourage
student self-control.
Following is a list of suggested
disciplinary options. Each building may
incorporate these and other such procedures, which promote the goal of student
self-control.
Teacher-Student
Conference
Note
to Parent
Isolation
of Student
Detention
Telephone
Call to Parent
Parent
Conference
Conference
with Principal
Referral
to School Counselor
Home
Visit
Corporal
Punishment
In-School
Suspension
Out-of-School
Suspension
Lawrence
County Alternative School (Ironton Jr./Sr. High School)
Referral
to Community Agency
Expulsion
Each building staff and
administration shall develop such procedures, forms, charts, etc. as is
necessary to organize and maintain a progressive disciplinary procedure
adhering to the spirit of this board policy.
Corporal
Punishment
1.
The
Administration of the Ironton City Schools looks upon corporal punishment as
the "last resort" method.
2.
School
personnel, in administering corporal punishment, are not to strike any student
on any part of the head.
3.
If
paddling is administered to the student, the paddle used must be an instrument
of reasonable size, weight, and shape,
and one that will not inflict permanent physical damage or harm to the
recipient.
4.
Paddling
must be done within the realm of reason and human decency and shall not be
cruel, excessive, or administered with malice.
5.
Paddling
shall not be administered in the presence of other students.
6.
The
paddling must be witnessed by another member of the professional staff.
7.
Paddling
should never be administered for light or transient reasons. The punishment must be justifiable in light
of the student offense.
8.
Parents
have the right under Ohio Revised Code to stipulate that corporal punishment
not be administered to their child. On
an annual basis, all parents will be apprised of this right and given the
opportunity to express, in writing, their desire for the school to not
administer corporal punishment to their child for the current year. Each building principal shall maintain a
list of those students whose parents have so informed the school. Each teacher shall be apprised and kept
informed concerning this provision. The
written communication submitted by the parent shall be kept on file in the
student's permanent record folder. Any
student whose parents have so informed the school administration in writing of
this desire for the current year shall not be subjected to corporal punishment.
Detention
Detention of students is not
prohibited in the Ironton City School System; but neither is it suggested or
condoned as an everyday method of pupil control. Since we believe that certain restrictions should be placed upon
detention, we set these specific limitations;
1.
In
the elementary schools, the student shall not be held in detention more than 20
minutes before school opens; more than two-thirds of any recess or noon period;
nor may the student be held in detention at the end of the school day more than
60 minutes after school is dismissed.
2.
In
the Ironton High School/Ironton Junior High School, no student may be held in
detention more than 60 minutes before school opens; more than 60 minutes after
the end of the school day; nor may the student be held in detention more than
two-thirds of the lunch period on any school day.
Discipline
A
Few Suggestions - On the Positive Side
1.
Correct
the student problems early - before they grow out of proportion, and get out of
control.
2.
Don't
look for trouble, but don't run from it either.
3.
Discuss
your school problems with deans, principals, and others in your system, if you
feel the need of assistance. These
people are willing and able to help you.
4.
Take
command of your classroom - not dictatorially, but democratically.
5.
Check
the students past records. To know your
students’ background means to be better able to
understand and help them.
6.
Read
and study the Ohio School Laws; the Board's Policies; the Superintendent's
Rules and Regulations; your schools handbook; and the latest professional books
and journals on education.
7.
The
good teacher (or other) will anticipate the "trouble-spots"; will
make preparations for avoiding most of them; and will be able to
"handle" the others.
8.
Stay
with the students who have been assigned to you unless you have good reason not
to. You might "get by" by
leaving them - but not for long.
9.
A
pleasant smile, a compliment, or a pat on the back for deserving youngsters by
their teacher often sets the desirable tone or atmosphere for the
well-controlled room or building.
10.
It
is quite amazing what a good teacher or administrator can do, discipline-wise,
with his voice and facial expressions - by never raising the former, and never
distorting the latter.
11.
Good
discipline might possibly be associated with a poor school, but never poor
discipline with a good school.
Adopted: 2-20-67
Revised: 1-12-81,
2-5-90, 2-10-92, 9-07-94, 8-12-97