Code of Conduct

The intent of Ocean Grove Elementary's code of conduct is to establish guidelines for acceptable conduct to maintain a safe, caring, and orderly environment conducive for learning. All students are subject to the school's code of conduct while on school premises and during school activities off of school grounds.

At Ocean Grove Elementary we feel that the purpose of any disciplinary procedure is to help students learn appropriate behaviours which lead to improved citizenship. The consequences for a student’s actions should help them practice the expectations outlined in the code of conduct. A disciplinary action can allow the student to reflect and improve personal and social responsibility.

Statement of Purpose:

• To establish and maintain safe, caring and orderly environments for purposeful learning
• To establish and maintain appropriate balance amongst individual and collective rights,freedoms and responsibilities
• To clarify and publish expectations for student behaviour while at school, going to and from school, and while attending any function sponsored by the school

Conduct Expectations

Acceptable Conduct & Use of Technology

Student Behaviour Expectations

Learners …

• respect self, others, and place
• help to make school a safe, caring and inclusive environment
• are responsible for observing expectations from staff in a reasonable manner
• inform adults of incidents of bullying, harassment, cyberbullying, or intimidation
• engage in purposeful learning activities during instructional time
• respect copyright laws and give credit to sources used in assignments
• do not share personal information, keep passwords and access codes private
• respect their own and others’ privacy, and never reveal addresses, phone numbers or pictures online
• only save materials or images that are relevant to individual studies
• use email accounts responsibly and only send and receive appropriate material with supervision
• work on the tasks assigned by the teacher 
• follow the teacher’s established rules of the classroom in regard with electronic devices (which may include phones). The teacher may determine the appropriate use of technology in order to maintain the instructional integrity of teaching and learning time.
• act in a manner that brings credit to the school and
• will comply with digital citizenship rules/agreements.
• Not all behaviours expected can be listed.

Members of the school community will be held accountable for actions that contravene the B.C. Human Rights Code. The following conditions are drawn from section 7 & 8 of the Code: Examples of discrimination include, but are not limited to, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity. Any activity which violates a local, provincial, or federal law is prohibited.

Unacceptable Conduct

While not all unacceptable behaviours are included here, examples of these behaviours include:

Behaviours that:

- interfere with the learning of others, interfere with an inclusive environment, or create unsafe conditions

Acts of:

- bullying, harassment, or intimidation, physical violence, retribution against a person who has reported incidents, or inappropriate communications

Illegal acts, such as:

- possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances, possession or use of weapons, or theft of, or damage to property

Rising Expectations

At Ocean Grove School we feel that as children become older, more mature and move through the successive grades, we expect/apply the following.

• Increased personal responsibility and self-discipline
• Escalating consequences for inappropriate behaviour (these may result in suspension from school when circumstances warrant).
• Varying degrees of application based on a students awareness of the action due to special needs designations or other communicative circumstances. These are often pre-planned and consistent. Students in this situation may be required to be away from school if required by a student safety plan; or if it needs to be modified, adapted or developed.

Consequences

The severity and frequency of unacceptable conduct as well as the age and maturity of students is considered in determining appropriate disciplinary action. For example:

• • responses to unacceptable conduct are pre-planned, consistent and fair
• • disciplinary action, wherever possible, is preventative and restorative rather than punitive
• • students, as often as possible, are encouraged to participate in the development of meaningful consequences for violations of the established code of conduct

Notification

Our school personnel will advise other parties of serious breaches of the code of conduct.

For example:

• parents of student offenders
• parents of student victims
• school district officials – as required by school district policy
• police 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