The Board of Education of the Niles Community School District, as both an employer and a public school district, is concerned with and interested in protecting the health, safety, and welfare of students, employees, and visitors. The Board recognizes that school buildings, facilities, vehicles, grounds, and other school property are best utilized in the educational process in the absence of threats to physical and emotional well-being and safety.
The primary objectives of requiring appropriate student behavior and self-discipline is to produce a positive and safe learning atmosphere in which there will be no interruption of the teaching-learning environment. All students will assume personal responsibility for their behavior and actions, develop appropriate self-control, exhibit self-discipline, and accept the responsibility and consequences of any inappropriate behavior. To accomplish this objective requires a cooperative effort from students, staff, and parents.
The responsibility to implement the Code of Conduct rests with the building principal.
All students shall . . .
- Respect the educational process through the display of appropriate language, attitude, and physical behavior.
- Respect and honor the rights of other students to learn in an environment free of intimidation or harassment.
- Maintain satisfactory attendance.
- Comply with the dress code.
Consequences for noncompliance for the above expectations shall include, but not be limited to the list below. The severity or the repetitive nature of a student's behavior will be given consideration when determining appropriate consequences.
- Community or school service
- Detention
- Denial of participation in school activities
- Denial of privileges
- Intervention by professional school staff
- Parent contact or conference
- Referral of an administrative panel
- Referral to appropriate law enforcement or other governmental agency
- School probation
- Warnings
- Peer mediation
- Participation in restorative justice practices
The severity or the repetitive nature of a student's behavior will be given consideration when determining appropriate consequences.
The following behaviors will be considered unacceptable by Niles Community Schools and will result in suspension and an administrative hearing.
- Any purposeful action toward another student that results in serious and observable injury requiring medical attention.
- Use or possession of a weapon, explosive, look-alike weapon, or anything that is used as a weapon.
- Possession of any drug or look-alike drug (includes alcohol and tobacco).
- Use, or being under the influence, of drugs or alcohol.
- Intentionally causing, or attempting to cause, physical harm to any school staff or school representative through force or violence.
- Verbal assault against any school staff or school representative. (Any intentional threat or offer to do bodily injury to another by force, under circumstances which create a well founded fear of actual harm, coupled with the apparent ability to carry out the act if not prevented.)
- Acts of arson, bomb threats, false fire alarms, or any serious threat to school property or activities.
- Willful destruction of school property (in excess of $200).
- Acts of stalking (repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested).
A violation of the Niles Community Schools Code of conduct will result in the following sequence of events:
- The student shall be suspended from school.
- The building principal will convene an administrative panel composed of three (3) administrators.
- The student and his/her parents will be informed of the time, place, and purpose of the administrative hearing.
- At the hearing, all parties will present information and arguments pertinent to the case. School officials and the student may invite other individuals to testify at the hearing.
- After the panel has heard all the parties, they will excuse the student and parents to determine a recommendation for the Board of Education.
- The recommendation will include the offense and recommended disciplinary actions. If expulsion is recommended, the panel will also outline the conditions for acceptance back into the Niles Community Schools.