Students have important responsibilities to uphold in order to ensure the schools they attend are safe, orderly, and well disciplined. At the same time, the personnel of our school district, parents and the other adults of the community must exercise leadership and authority. They must do what is necessary to maintain a school environment that protects the rights of students and staff while at the same time expecting and providing for high levels of performance. 

All essential partners should assist students in maintaining a safe, supportive school environment, a climate of mutual respect and dignity for all students regardless of actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (identity and expression) or sex, which will strengthen students’ self-concept and promote confidence to learn.

All of these individuals and their responsibilities are listed below.

Parents

All parents are expected to: 

1. recognize that the education of their children is a joint responsibility of both the parents and the school community; 
2. convey to their children a supportive attitude toward education and the district;
3. become familiar with all district and building policies, rules, and regulations pertaining to student conduct and safety;
4. assure that their children arrive at school on time, well rested, prepared, and with necessary materials;
5. provide for their children’s health, personal cleanliness, acceptable grooming, and suitable dress in accordance with the school dress code;
6. model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit while on school property;
7. help their children understand and exhibit self-respect, respect for law, respect for others, respect for public property, and the importance of all these in a democratic society;
8. help their children deal effectively with peer pressure;
9. provide a place at home that is appropriate for study and ensure the completeness of homework assignments;
10. build a good relationship between themselves as well as their children, their children’s friends and teachers, and other professional staff, administrators, and support staff;
11. utilize the resources of the school and community to help their children succeed;
12. inform school officials of changes in the home situation that may affect student conduct or performance;
13. assume financial liability for damages resulting from acts of vandalism or theft performed by their children; 
14. insist on prompt and regular attendance. If a child is absent, the child’s parent must prepare and submit a written excuse for the absence or tardiness. Students may legally be absent from school for the following reasons (See Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy for entire excused absence list):
     illness;
    death in the family;
    religious observance;
    mandatory court appearance;
    impassable roads. 
15. support their children to the best of their ability when virtual learning is being implemented by offering a structured learning environment and monitoring student progress.

Students

All students are expected to:

1. allow classroom/virtual learning instruction to take place without interruption or interference
2. work to the best of their ability in all academic and extracurricular pursuits and strive toward their highest level of achievement possible;
3. account for their actions and accept the consequences of those actions;
4. respect the rights of others, including other’s right to receive a quality education;
5. respect personal differences, and treat others in ways that neither libel, harass, intimidate, nor endanger the safety, morals, health, or welfare of others;
6. accept the right of all teachers, administrators, and other school personnel to issue directives and react to directions given by them in a respectful and positive manner;
7. communicate to their parents what they are doing in school, what their teachers expect, and how they are meeting those expectations;
8. express themselves and dress in a manner that does not disrupt the orderly operation of the school;
9. attend school regularly and arrive at school and to classes on time with the necessary tools and materials;
10. seek help in solving problems that interfere with personal success;
11. build good working relationships between themselves and peers, their parents, teachers, and other professional staff, administrators, and support staff;
12. utilize the resources of the school and community in order to succeed;
13. conduct themselves as representatives of the district when participating in or attending school sponsored extracurricular events and hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, demeanor, and sportsmanship;
14. become familiar with and abide by all district and school policies, rules, and regulations that pertain to student conduct and safety;
15. be respectful of other students’ privacy in school, or school grounds and during virtual learning.

Teachers and Other Professional Staff

All teachers and other professional staff are expected to: 

1. ensure the Code of Conduct and district policies are adhered to in the classroom/virtual learning setting and throughout the school; 
2. promote a climate of mutual respect and dignity;
3. strengthen students’ self-concept and promote confidence to learn;
4. treat all essential partners, including students, in a fair and equitable manner;
5. be prepared to teach in a way that respects the individual differences of students;
6. provide a variety of learning activities to diversify instruction in order to promote positive student behavior;
7. demonstrate interest in teaching and concern for student achievement;
8. communicate with students and parents regularly regarding:
   • course objectives and requirements; 
   • marking/grading procedures; 
   • assignment deadlines; 
   • expectations of students; 
   • classroom/virtual learning discipline plan; 
   • individual student growth, or decline in achievement; 
9. model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit; build positive working relationships between themselves and students, parents, administrators, and other support staff; build positive working relationships with other teachers and other professional staff and utilize the resources of the school and community to help students succeed; assist, by seeking help or directly intervening, in any emergency situations that threaten students or staff. 

Staff

All staff, in an appropriate physical or virtual environment, is expected to: 

1. provide the many non-instructional services necessary for the safe, smooth, and secure operation of the Pine Bush Central School District; 
2. perform their specific duties in a way that supports a positive learning environment;
3. know school policies and rules and either enforce them or seek help in enforcing them in a fair and equitable manner;
4. help maintain a safe and orderly environment;
5. promote a climate of mutual respect and dignity;
6. treat all essential partners, including students, in a fair and equitable manner;
7. build positive working relationships between themselves and students, parents, teachers, and other professional staff, administrators, and other support staff;
8. model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit;
9. assist, by seeking help or directly intervening, in any emergency situations that threaten students or staff;
10. promote honest and open communication with all staff members in the district.

Administrators

All administrators, in an appropriate physical or virtual environment, are expected to: 

1. communicate district discipline policies to students, staff, and members of the community; 
2. promote a safe and orderly school environment;
3. ensure the awareness of all teachers and other professional staff as to the individual needs of students;
4. be responsible for enforcing the Code and ensuring that all cases are resolved promptly and fairly;
5. support active teaching and learning in order to create a stimulating academic environment;
6. plan and provide opportunities for teachers to gain and/or reinvigorate classroom/virtual learning` management and student discipline skills;
7. meet with the other administrators of the district at least twice a year to evaluate the Code as to its consistent implementation throughout the Pine Bush Central School District;
8. evaluate, on a regular basis, all instructional programs;
9. build positive working relationships between themselves and students, parents, teachers, and other professional staff and support staff;
10. build positive working relationships with other administrators and utilize the resources of the school and community to assist students in being successful;
11. utilize staff appropriately and effectively to ensure proper supervision within the school and on school grounds;
12. model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit;
13. ensure that students, parents, and staff have the ability to communicate regularly with the administrators.

Superintendents

The superintendent and all assistant superintendents, in an appropriate physical or virtual environment, are expected to: 

1. promote a safe and orderly school environment throughout the Pine Bush Central School District; 
2. review with all administrators discipline and other policies of the Board of Education, as well as state and federal laws relating to school discipline, operations, and management;
3. work with administrators in enforcing the Code of Conduct;
4. ensure that all student referrals are followed up and brought to closure;
5. ensure that accurate student records are maintained;
6. build positive working relationships between themselves and students, parents, administrators, teachers, and other professional staff and support staff;
7. build positive working relationships with the Board of Education and utilize the resources of the school and community to assist students in being successful;
8. serve as the hearing officer between students, teachers, and parents in the due process procedure, as described by Education Law; 
9. ensure that all cases involving violations of the Code of Conduct are resolved promptly and fairly;
10. meet annually with the Code of Conduct committee in order to:
    • evaluate the effectiveness of the code; 
    • determine the fairness and consistency of its implementation; 
    • suggest any changes that may be necessary to improve the code; 
    • present, once a year to the Board of Education, a report from the district’s Code of Conduct committee, regarding the code’s effectiveness, the fairness and consistency of its implementation, and any recommended changes; 
    • model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit. 

Board of Education

The members of the Board of Education are expected to: 

1. adopt a Code of Conduct for the Pine Bush Central School District; 
2. ensure the Code is implemented in all schools in a prudent, fair and equitable manner;
3. provide the necessary financial commitment to ensure the Code of Conduct may be maintained and enforced;
4. review and adopt, on an annual basis, a report from the district’s Code of Conduct committee regarding the code’s effectiveness, the fairness and consistency of its implementation, and any recommended changes;
5. serve as the highest level of appeal in the district discipline procedure as prescribed by Education Law;
6. model the behaviors and attitudes students and other essential partners are expected to exhibit;
7. affirm the authority of school personnel to maintain order and discipline in the schools;
8. build a positive working relationship between the Board of Education and students, parents, teachers, administrators, and school staff.

Dignity Act Coordinators

Dignity Act Coordinators should oversee bullying prevention measures and address issues surrounding bullying in their building.