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Student Behavior and Discipline

Absences, Attendance, Tardiness, & Truancy

We believe that regular attendance is very important in assuring a successful school experience for every student. Our goal for every student is to achieve a minimum of a 95% attendance rate; this equates to no more than 9 absences in a school year. We also believe that establishing the habit of regular attendance early in a student’s school experience is critical. Please avoid scheduling non-essential trips, outings, etc. during school time. The Fort Morgan School District has an attendance policy in place which Pioneer will follow (Policy JH). This policy comes into play when a) a student has unexcused absences, or b) a student begins to accumulate a large number of excused absences. Your cooperation in keeping us informed regarding your child’s absence is most appreciated. If we are not notified about an absence, we will visit you and/or attempt to contact you -- in the interest of the child’s safety. Students who attend school every day are much more likely to go to work every day as adults. PLEASE HELP ASSURE YOUR CHILD A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE BY PROMOTING HIGH ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

EXCUSED 

We request parents or guardians notify the office by 8:30 A.M. if a child in their care will be absent or tardy that day. Absences will be recorded as excused for a student who is ill, injured, or suffering from a mental or emotional disability with notification by the parent or guardian.  However, once absences surpass nine in number, absences will only be excused if accompanied by a note from a physician, or via approval from the Office of the Principal. Though excused, the absence becomes part of the child’s cumulative record, and absences cannot ever be fully made up. 

In the event a child needs to be dismissed during school hours, please contact the school office explaining the reason for the dismissal and the time that child is to be released. Parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to schedule appointments and trips after regular school hours or on days when children are not in school. Elementary children are not counted absent when attending school-sponsored activities. 

Any planned extended absence that is more than 5 days in length must involve a conference with the principal in order for such absences to be considered excused. Within the conference established levels of attendance will be examined to determine if these absences will be considered excused or unexcused.

UNEXCUSED

Absences not covered above or not approved by the school will be recorded as unexcused. Parents or guardians will be notified by mail, telephone, or personal contact by a staff member when any student has four (4) unexcused absences within one month or ten (10) in a school year. Parents or guardians may be requested by school staff or administrators to meet with them to develop problem-solving strategies directed towards improved attendance and the accomplishment of learning objectives.

Office staff will attempt to make telephone contact with parents or guardians of absentees from which notification has not been received. If the school is unable to determine the reason for the absence, it will be recorded as unexcused. 

MORNING TARDINESS

Tardiness to school is considered a component of student absences. A marked tardy is considered equivalent to 1/3 of an Unexcused Absence.

TRUANCY

According to Colorado Law, a child who has attained the age of six years and is under the age of seventeen years must be enrolled and in attendance of school. A child within this age range who has four unexcused absences from school in any one month, or ten unexcused absences from school during any school year will be considered habitually truant. Students who fall into this category may be turned over to the District’s legal counsel for subsequent consequences. This law is referred to as the Colorado Compulsory School Attendance Law.

MAKE-UP WORK

Teachers may prepare make-up work for students who have absences depending on the instruction the student will be missing. We ask that parents give the teachers notice of at least one day when requesting your child’s make-up work. We appreciate your calling ahead several hours before picking up your child’s work. 

Behavior Expectations

Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) will have an encouraging influence on behavior at Pioneer Elementary School. PBIS is a proactive systems approach for creating and maintaining safe and effective learning environments in school and ensuring that all students have the social/emotional skills needed to make certain their success as school and beyond. 

Classroom Guidelines will be established by each classroom teacher. Guidelines should be simple, specific, and consistently enforced. If a rule is broken, the teacher will concentrate on the behavior -- and logical consequences for that behavior.

Students are expected to treat others as they wish to be treated and to do nothing which will harm themselves or others. Student behavior which interferes with the ability of the teacher to teach or the ability of other students to learn will not be tolerated.

Teachers are asked to manage minor behaviors, and to provide privileges and consequences which are meaningful to the student.

Teachers may send students to the office for discipline reasons when a) the severity of the behavior warrants a more serious consequence, or b) the student is continuing to act in a disruptive on-going, repetitive manner after the teacher has already intervened. Parents will often be notified by phone or in writing when a discipline referral is initiated. Other options available to teachers when dealing with behavior difficulties include a) in-classroom interventions, b) after-school, or noon detention, and c) In-School Suspension.

All staff members are dedicated to providing a quality learning atmosphere for all students. At the same time, it is our belief that behavior interventions are most effective when students understand that logical consequences occur when a poor choice is made. By tying consequences to student choices, we strive to teach responsibility and self-control to all students. Your support at home is very important in this process. We view you as partners -- together, we can make a positive impact on a student to better prepare him/her for success in later life. Because this partnership is so important, we will keep you informed when we have discipline concerns. We will also ask for your help in resolving those concerns.

Bullying

It is the policy of this School District to maintain a learning and working environment that is free from bullying based on a person’s race, color, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or economic status. The School District prohibits any and all forms of bullying because it violates the basic right of students and staff to be in a safe and orderly learning environment. This policy seeks to promote positive interpersonal relationships between all members of the school community.

It shall be a violation of this policy for any student or staff member to bully another while attending school or school-sponsored events. It shall also be a violation of this policy for any school staff member to tolerate bullying during school or at school-sponsored events.

The schools will promptly and thoroughly investigate reports of bullying, whether of a physical or a nonphysical form. If it is determined that bullying has occurred, the school will act appropriately within the discipline codes of the District and will take reasonable action to end the bullying.

DEFINITION OF BULLYING

Bullying is defined as any written or verbal expression, physical act or gesture, or a pattern thereof, that is intended to cause distress upon one or more students in the school environment, which includes school buildings, grounds, vehicles, bus stops, and all school sponsored activities and events. 

Bullying is often characterized by 7 elements:

  1. A desire to hurt or harm motivates the perpetrator.
  2. This desire to hurt or harm results in hurtful or harmful action(s) taken by the perpetrator.
  3. A formal or informal power imbalance exists between the perpetrator and the victim.
  4. The action(s) taken by the perpetrator are manifestations of the unjust use of power.
  5. The perpetrator enjoys carrying out the action(s).
  6. The victim has a sense of being oppressed.
  7. The perpetrator typically repeats the hurtful or harmful actions against the victim.

It is vital to understand that a single incident may meet this definition if it is extreme, violates criminal law, or involves unreasonable harm to the victim.

Note: Sexualized bullying is considered to be sexual harassment. See the following page for a definition and examples of sexual harassment.

Bullying is distinguished from roughhousing or friendly teasing in that bullying is intentionally hurtful and motivated by the desire to harm/hurt the victim.

DUTY TO ACT

Students who experience bullying are encouraged to report it to any adult employee of the school. Any employee of the school who observes bullying or receives reports of it is required to act immediately to protect the alleged victim and to immediately forward an Incident Report to the Principal for prompt investigation as required in school procedures. 

SANCTIONS FOR BULLYING

Once an investigation has concluded, if bullying has occurred, sanctions will be taken against the perpetrator. For students, these sanction(s) must be appropriate to the seriousness of the incident(s) and may include suspension and/or expulsion or other discipline in accordance with accepted common sense application of the district discipline policies.

RETALIATION PROHIBITED

Retaliation against any person who reports bullying incident(s) is strictly prohibited. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, any form of intimidation, reprisal or harassment use against a person who reports incident(s) of bullying in good faith. Disciplinary action against any person who retaliates or engages in reprisal for reporting such behavior(s) may include sanctions up to and including suspension/expulsion. 

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual harassment is deliberate and/or repeated sexual or sex-based behavior that is not welcomed and not asked for, which unreasonably interferes with work or study.

Examples of conduct that may constitute sexual harassment are:

  • Unwelcome leering, staring, sexual flirtations or propositions.
  • Unwelcome sexual slurs, threats, verbal abuse, derogatory comments or sexually degrading descriptions.
  • Unwelcome graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body or overly personal conversation.
  • Unwelcome sexual jokes, stories, drawings, pictures and gestures.
  • Unwelcome spreading of sexual rumors.
  • Unwelcome touch of an individual’s body or clothes in a sexual way.
  • Cornering or blocking of a sexual nature of normal movements.
  • Displaying sexually suggestive objects in the educational environment.

Children Leaving the Building
Students will not be allowed to leave the building during school hours unless checked out through the school office by the parent or guardian. If you need another adult to pick up a student during school hours, please notify the office ahead of time. Adults who are not listed on Infinite Campus will not be allowed to remove a child from the school. This is necessary as we work to protect the safety and well-being of all students.

Discipline

Student discipline is a prerequisite for sound educational practice and productive learning. Discipline will be given out by the principal or said designee. The principal has the right to suspend students. For more serious violations administrators have the right to move the offense to a more serious class or consequence. 

A teacher is authorized to immediately remove a student from the teacher’s classroom if the student’s behavior: violates the code of conduct adopted by the Morgan County School District Re-3 Board of Education; is dangerous; unruly; or disruptive; or seriously interferes with the ability of the teacher to teach the class or other students to learn.

Dress Code

Students are asked to come to school neat, clean, and dressed appropriately for the season and school setting/situation. Appropriate shorts are acceptable in warm weather. However, students are urged to use good judgment regarding when to wear shorts, as they will be expected to go outside at recess time with other students. Please keep in mind that fall and spring weather is very unpredictable and warrants a check by adults before children leave for school. In the winter, students will play outside unless it is very cold. Please send your child to school with a warm coat, hat, gloves, and (if possible) boots. If your children wear snow boots, please send a pair of shoes for them to change into for inside activities.

It is important that a student’s choice of clothing promotes a safe school environment, does not detract from the educational focus or distract other students from learning. Parents of students who wear inappropriate clothing may be called to bring an appropriate change of clothing to school.

The following clothing choices are not acceptable at school and apply to both girls and boys:

  • Clothing that allows for bare midriffs, chests, or is in other ways too revealing (examples include but are not limited to halter tops, “see through” clothing, short shorts, spaghetti straps, shirts with oversized armholes, or net shirts unless worn over or under other appropriate clothing)
  • Hats when worn indoors, unless part of a school endorsed event/activity
  • Appearances that promote violence, gang affiliation, or clothing that contains advertisements for tobacco, alcohol, or drugs, conveys suggestive messages
  • Any other clothing or accessories that, in the opinion of school staff, is inappropriate or distracting.

Electronic Devices
Use of electronic communication devices in school situations disrupts and interferes with the educational process. Students are encouraged not to bring electronic devices to school. This includes cell phones, digital cameras, Game Boys, etc. If your child does bring an electronic communication device, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the device is turned off and out of sight during unauthorized times.  We have phones in every classroom. The district shall not be responsible for loss, theft or destruction of electronic communication devices brought onto school property.

In-School Suspension
A student can be sent to in-school suspension when a) he/she exhibits behavior that warrants immediate and long-term removal from the classroom or b) he/she is behind in class work and needs a quiet place to catch up. ISS students will spend this time in the office.

Playground Expectations

We want students to enjoy recess time -- but our primary concern is safety. Because of this, we will follow these general guidelines:

  • All student recesses will be supervised by one or more school staff members.
  • We will expect students to follow directions and treat others with respect.
  • Playground equipment is to be used only as intended (slides are to be used to go down only, and students are not to jump off of equipment, etc.).
  • Supervisors may limit the number of students allowed on a given piece of equipment at a time.
  • Rocks, sand, or other objects may not be thrown.
  • Inappropriate language or actions will not be tolerated.
  • Hard baseballs are not allowed at school -- supervisors may also prohibit other items which they feel might be dangerous to students.
  • NO tackle football
  • Students not following these guidelines will be provided with a consequence which may include suspension or loss of outside recess privileges.

Right to Searches

The principal or his/her designee may search a student or a student’s personal possessions on school grounds or during a school activity held off school premises if there is a reasonable cause for believing that the student is concealing materials prohibited by Board policy or which are otherwise detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of other students or school personnel. Regarding searches:

  • Searches shall be made in the presence of an adult witness. 
  • An employee cannot carry out a strip search.
  • Searches of a student shall be limited to:
    • Searches of pockets, including the student’s exterior clothing.
    • Any object in the possession of the student, including but not limited to a purse, briefcase, backpack, or coat.
  • Student desks, lockers, etc. can be searched when the person conducting the search has reasonable suspicion.
  • School personnel shall seize anything found during a search, which is dangerous to others or prohibited at the school. At this point it can be used as evidence in a suspension or expulsion hearing, or it may be turned over to law enforcement personnel.

Substance Policy
Please see District Policy information on our website ~ www.fortmorgank12.com.

Suspension/Expulsion from School

Please see District Policy information on our website ~ www.fortmorgank12.com.

Vandalism
The school system’s buildings, grounds, and other property are built, purchased, and maintained with taxes levied on the community’s taxpayers, and all damage caused must be paid for in the same way. Students who willfully or maliciously destroy school property through vandalism or arson or who create a hazard to the safety of other people on school property may be referred to law enforcement authorities in addition to receiving disciplinary actions at school. In addition, students who intentionally damage school property will be required to pay for replacement costs or repairs.