Teachers use a variety of means to keep students interested and on-task and to maintain order in their classrooms, but if students choose to break classroom or school rules, teachers are expected to address the situations for the good of the classrooms. Each teacher may take disciplinary action to correct a student who poses an immediate threat to the safety or physical well being of any student or teacher, violates school rules, or interferes with an orderly educational process.
Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to:
● oral or written reprimand;
● referral for counseling session;
● written notification to parents of disruptive or unacceptable behavior;
● immediate removal of the student from the classroom and placement with the principal or her designee (Note: Upon the third removal from the same classroom, a conference between the teacher or other appropriate school employee and the student's parent or legal guardian will be required prior to the student being readmitted.); and/or
● other disciplinary measures approved by the principal and faculty of the school and in compliance with School Board policy.
Respecting the authority of teachers is essential to creating an environment conducive to learning, effective instruction, and proper administration of schools. To maintain and protect that authority, teachers have the following rights identified in law as the Teacher Bill of Rights.
1. A teacher has the right to teach free from the fear of frivolous lawsuits, including the right to certain immunity and to a legal defense.
2. A teacher has the right to appropriately discipline students.
3. A teacher has the right to remove any persistently disruptive student from his classroom when the student's behavior prevents the orderly instruction of other students or when the student displays impudent or defiant behavior and to place the student in custody of the principal or his/her designee.
4. A teacher has the right to have his or her professional judgment and discretion respected by school and district administrators in any disciplinary action taken by the teacher.
5. A teacher has the right to teach in a safe, secure, and orderly environment that is conducive to learning and free from recognized dangers or hazards that are causing or likely causing serious injury.
6. A teacher has the right to be treated with civility and respect.
7. A teacher has the right to communicate with and to request the participation of parents in appropriate student disciplinary decisions.
8. A teacher has the right to be free from excessively burdensome disciplinary paperwork.
9. A beginning teacher has the right to receive leadership and support, including the assignment of a qualified, experienced mentor who commits to helping him/her become a competent, confident professional in the classroom and offers support and assistance as needed to meet performance standards and professional expectations.
Effective instruction can take place only in a well-disciplined environment. We expect students to display acceptable behavior at all times and expect parents to work with us to reach this goal. Our school-wide expectations are:
● We are respectful.
● We are responsible.
● We are safe at school.
The St. Tammany Parish School Board policy on discipline can be found in the St. Tammany Parish District Handbook for Students and Parents and on the St. Tammany Parish School Board website at www.stpsb.org.
Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors include:
● Students who exhibit outstanding effort to follow the rules, demonstrate kindness, and show good character will be given Tiger Bucks by a school employee. The students are allowed to spend the bucks in the Tiger Buck Store.
● At the end of each nine weeks, those students who have not received a major behavior referral and have less than three infractions are invited to the Tiger Pride Celebration. Tiger Pride is a celebration event which includes games, treats, prizes, etc.
Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors in the classrooms:
● Each teacher has a classroom management plan that will be followed.
● Students should not bring toys, valuable jewelry, electronics, trading cards, or any other valuable items to school, including large amounts of money. Any such items picked up by a staff member and sent to the office will have to be retrieved by the parent. A student violating this rule may be disciplined.
Rewards for Positive Behavior Choices
*Tiger Bucks: Students will have many opportunities to earn Tiger Bucks from teachers throughout the school for their Positive Behavior Choices.
*Tiger Buck Store: Every other month, students will be able to purchase a variety of items using their Tiger Bucks at the Tiger Buck Store.
*Positive Office Referrals: Teachers can write a Positive Office Referral form for students who exhibit outstanding behavior. Those students go to the office and meet with an administrator to call their parent/guardian and celebrate. They are then given a ribbon to wear and a candy treat. Those students who receive a positive office referral are announced during Morning Meeting.
*Tiger Pride Celebration: Tiger Pride Celebrations will take place at the end of each quarter to reward students who displayed positive behavior for the quarter. Chosen activities will be determined at a later date. All students who received no major behavior referrals and have received less than 3 infractions in a quarter will be able to attend the Tiger Pride Celebrations. Those students who are unable to attend the Tiger Pride Celebrations will instead participate in a character education lesson related to behavior choices.
While we encourage our students to make the appropriate positive behavior choices, we realize that there will be times when they make the wrong behavior choice. At that time, our students will be given an opportunity to “try it again” in an effort to allow them to make the appropriate behavior choice. If the student continues to make the wrong behavior choice, after receiving opportunities to make the appropriate behavior choice, an infraction will be issued.
Major Behaviors
Major and unlawful behaviors will result in a Louisiana Behavior Report form. See St. Tammany Parish Student Handbook for more information.
Students consistently exhibiting major behaviors will have an alternate plan put into place to address individual emotional/behavioral needs.
Sample Minor Behaviors may include but are not limited to: (Classroom Managed)
Use of cell phone during school hours
Inappropriate language
Dress code violation
Disrespect to teachers/staff
Damage to school property
Teasing/taunting
Lying
Inappropriate website use
Disruption to learning environment
Theft
Cheating
Viewing content/online content instead of completing school assignment(s)
Sample Major Behaviors may include but are not limited to: (Office Referral)
(INCREASED LEVELS OF INTENSITY)
Physical aggression
Use of cell phone during school hours
Inappropriate language
Dress code violation
Disrespect to teachers/staff
Damage to school property
Teasing/taunting
Lying
Inappropriate website use
Continual disruption to learning environment that requires removal from class or group
Theft
Cheating
Viewing content/online content instead of completing school assignment(s)
Sample Unlawful Behaviors may include but are not limited to:
(Handled by the Administrator)
Fighting/physical aggression
Bullying/harassment/intimidation
Vandalism
Theft
Possession of weapons
Violence harmful to students
Violence harmful to staff
Possession of controlled substances
Intentional misuse of Chromebook