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< Policies

Discipline Policy

• Code of Conduct
• Non-discrimination
• Teacher Detention

The San Lorenzo Unified School District is committed to providing a quality educational environment that is safe, secure, and peaceful. It is also a commitment of the District to help each student develop to the maximum of his/her capacity and to function as a responsible member of a democratic society. As a student grows toward responsible citizenship and independence, he/she must develop acceptable behavior traits that show progress toward an understanding of the respect for constituted authority and the rights of others in his/her environment. As part of the learning process, a student must be held accountable for his/her actions and recognize that there is a consequence for choices that lack judgment or self-discipline.

Disciplinary Consequences

The following is a description of the most common disciplinary consequences used at SLZ to punish students for misbehavior. Please note that not all of these consequences require parent notification. Students are required to satisfactorily complete these obligations whether or not they or their parent agrees with the decision to assign them. Failure to do so will result in increasingly serious consequences being applied.

Saturday School

The school conducts a school-wide detention two Saturdays a month. It runs 4 hours, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and is located in A-Hall. Students are assigned to this detention only by the Assistant Principals' Office, and prior notice to the parent is sent home. Students must show up for Saturday School on time and show their I.D. cards for admission. Students should also bring study materials.

No excuses for failing to attend are accepted, unless a parent has contacted the Assistant Principal PRIOR to the Saturday School to request a reassignment due to an alternate date. A student who fails to come to Saturday School faces further disciplinary action including Suspension and/or Loss of Campus Privileges.

Wednesday Detention

Every Wednesday the school holds a supervised detention from 3:20 - 4:00. Students will have at least a 24-hour notice of a Wednesday Detention assignment so he/she can inform the parent(s). Therefore, parents are not normally contacted when their child is assigned Wednesday Detention.

Any request for reassignment must be made PRIOR to the detention and will not be excused without such prior approval.

A student who misses Wednesday Detention will receive a Saturday School assignment.

Loss of Class

A student who habitually disrupts a certain classroom, commits a single major act of defiance or abuse toward a teacher, or who is chronically tardy or absent without a valid reason, may be removed from a class for the balance of the semester. In laboratory or shop classes a student may also be removed for disobeying safety rules and thereby becoming a danger to himself or others.

Students removed from class for disciplinary reasons will receive No Credit for the class, and will be given no replacement class on his/her schedule.

Loss of Campus Privileges

Students who do not appear for a Saturday School or who habitually violate other school rules such as tardiness, unexcused absence, dress code violations, littering, etc., will face loss of their "Campus Privileges." A student who has lost campus privileges will be losing the ability to:

1. Participate in any extracurricular activity such as on a sports team, rally squad, or performing arts group.
2. Attend any extracurricular activity such as athletic contest, dance, or performing arts event.
3. Retain the Open Campus privilege, if an 11th or 12th grader.
4. Attend any school day instructional activity such as a field trip, a Rebel Day, or special assembly.

Students may get themselves removed from the "Lost Campus Privilege" list by completing a disciplinary obligation or demonstrating, over a period of time set by the Assistant Principal a positive change in the habitual misbehavior that got them placed on the list to start with (e.g. 2 weeks without a tardy, if on the list for habitual tardiness).

Suspensions

Students can be temporarily removed from instruction, for part of one day to a maximum of five days, when the student's continued presence is likely to be dangerous or disruptive to others or when other means of correction have failed to elicit a behavior change. Every effort will be made to contact the parent(s) or another adult on the emergency card before a suspension is enforced, and no child will be sent home on suspension unless an authorized adult has been contacted. While on suspension, a student must not return to the campus or areas immediately adjacent to the campus, nor attend after-school activities. State law lists the following behaviors as GROUNDS FOR SUSPENSION:

• Fighting, causing, attempting to cause, or threatening to cause physical injury to another person.
• Possessing, selling or furnishing firearms, knifes, explosives or other dangerous objects including look-alike weapons.
• Possessing, using, providing, selling or being under the influence of drugs, alcohol, a controlled substance or intoxicant.
• Arranging, negotiating or offering to sell controlled substances, alcohol or intoxicants.
• Committing robbery or extortion.
• Attempting or causing damage to school or private property.
• Stealing, attempting to steal, or knowingly receiving stolen school or private property.
• Repeated possession or use of tobacco contrary to state law.
• Committing obscene acts or engaging in habitual profanity or vulgarity.
• Offering, arranging, or negotiating to sell any drug paraphernalia.
• Disrupting school activities, disrespecting or defying valid authority of school
personnel in the performance of their duties.
• Look-alike weapons

Four common examples of "defiance" are:

• Failure to report to a detention and/or assigned Saturday School.
• Failure to report to Assistant Principal on a teacher referral.
• Failure to relinquish banned items to school personnel upon request.
• Failure to follow the valid directions of school officials in the performance of their duties.

The above examples do not include all infringements which could warrant suspensions.

Transfer to Continuation School

A student who is not able to make a satisfactory adjustment to the academic, attendance, and/or behavior standards of SLZ may be transferred to Royal Sunset, our district's Alternative Continuation/Opportunity School. The alternative educational program available includes a more structured environment with fewer extracurricular distractions, a shorter day, more personalized attention, individualized instruction, and smaller class sizes. Students may voluntarily choose to transfer to continuation school to makeup course credit toward graduation.

Students are expected to complete at least one full semester at Royal Sunset with improved grades, attendance, and behavior before being eligible to apply for a return to SLZ, and must earn a recommendation for return from both the principal at Royal Sunset and the principal of SLZ.

Expulsion

A student may be permanently removed from enrollment in the school district if the continued presence of the student causes a danger to the safety of others, or if other means of correction have repeatedly failed to correct unacceptable behavior. Only the Board of Education of the San Lorenzo Unified School District can expel students from SLZ, and state law provides for full due process and the right to appeal any order of expulsion.

STATE LAW mandates that a Principal MUST recommend to the Superintendent the expulsion of any student who commits a criminal act as outlined in Category I of the Discipline Policy.

DIStrICT POLICY requires a Principal to recommend to the Superintendent the expulsion of any student who:

• Engages in three fights in a calendar year.
• Possesses or is under-the-influence of controlled substances three times in a calendar year.
• Has received 20 days of suspensions in a year.
• Students also MAY be recommended for expulsion based on any of the grounds for suspension.

Disciplinary Offenses

Behavior infractions and consequences were developed by a group of students, teachers, parents, and administrators at both San Lorenzo and Arroyo High Schools. This document is a true joint effort that defines the behavioral expectations for students and provides information to pupils and their parents relating to these expectations and the penalties for violations.

A comprehensive review of any specific incident in relation to a student's past behavior and/or his/her current circumstances might result in a different penalty being assessed than that outlined below should the facts of the case warrant a different disciplinary action. The Principal retains the right to make the final decision regarding any disciplinary action. Listed below are the catetorized list of possible offenses:

Category I:

Offenses on which the Principal is REQUIRED to recommend EXPULSION (Education Code 48915 a,c)

1. Assault/Battery: Causing serious injury

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

2. Selling or Providing Drugs; Possession of Controlled Substances: Selling or providing drugs or controlled substances

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

3. Robbery/Extortion

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

4. Weapon Possession, Dangerous Objects & Explosive Devices, knives, gun, mace, pepper spray, stunguns, cherry bombs.

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

5. Assault/Battery on School Employee

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

6. Committing or Attempting to Commit Sexual Assault

   First Offense

   5 day suspension
   Police report
   Expulsion Recommendation

Category II:

Offenses on which a student can be suspended, transferred to the district Alternative/Continuation School, or incur revocation of inter-district permit on the first occurrence of any offense.

Category III

Offenses which are not usually punishable by suspension on the first offense.