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Littleton Public Schools Regulation |
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Policy Code JK-R Policy Name Student Discipline Adoption October 5, 1993 Revised June 23, 2011 |
Disciplinary Information
Open communication between principals and the professional staff is essential to accomplish the educational mission of the District. It is recognized that principals have access to information about individual students that may not be otherwise available to others because this information is not recorded as part of the student’s education record. To assure that information is shared with the professional staff that may be important to understanding the particular needs of individual students and any potential risk that a student might pose to the safety or welfare of others, state law requires that the principal take steps to communicate this information to teachers and counselors who have direct contact with the student.
In addition, to make sure that the information communicated is accurate, state law gives students and parents, guardians, or legal custodians the right to challenge disciplinary information.
Whenever the principal or designee determines that disciplinary information, as defined in Board policy, must be communicated to a teacher or counselor, he/she will take the following steps:
1. The principal or designee will prepare a brief written statement which sets forth the information to be communicated to a teacher or counselor pertaining to an individual student. If disciplinary information regarding a disabled student is transmitted, the current IEP must also be included. The statement will indicate it is a confidential document. The source of the information will be noted, if applicable.
2. The principal or designee will communicate the information in the statement to the teacher or counselor by providing a copy of the statement. Alternatively, the principal or designee may wait until the student or parent, guardian, or legal custodian has had a chance to challenge the content of the statement before communicating the statement to any teachers or counselors. The teacher/counselor and principal may discuss the information in the statement. The principal or designee will record the names of all individuals who are given a copy of the statement.
3. The principal or designee will provide a copy of the written statement to the student and the student’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian (hereinafter referred to as “parent”). However, if a student is 18 years old or older, the student may inspect his or her own records and his or her written permission will be necessary in order for the parent, guardian, or legal custodian to receive them. Such student 18 years or older will be known as the eligible student.
4. The written statement will indicate that the student and/or parent, guardian, or legal custodian may challenge the accuracy of the disciplinary information on the basis that it is inaccurate, false, or misleading unless the statement is solely a summary of an incident for which the student and parent, guardian, or legal custodian has already been afforded a due process hearing prior to imposition of school discipline. In that case, the challenge procedures do not apply.
Challenges to Disciplinary Information
Step 1
The student or parent, guardian, or legal custodian must request a Step 1 review in writing within seven days after receipt of the written statement. If the deadline is not met, the statement will stand as written and there will be no further opportunity to challenge that particular statement. If the student or parent, guardian, or legal custodian challenges any part of the statement, the principal or designee shall review the part of the statement being challenged and may, by mutual agreement with the person making the challenge, destroy, delete, or add to the information in question.
Step 2
If the principal or designee does not agree to change the written statement as requested during the Step 1 review, the student or parent, guardian, or legal custodian may request an informal hearing with the Superintendent or designee within 10 days after the principal’s or designee’s decision not to change the written statement. This request must be in writing and will state the reasons for the request. The principal may file a written response to the parent’s, guardian’s, or legal custodian’s request for a Step 2 review to be considered by the Superintendent or designee. The Superintendent or designee will make a decision within ten school days after receiving the request for Step 2 review.
The Superintendent or designee may decide that the statement should be revised in accordance with the student or parent, guardian, or legal custodian position or may decide to uphold the principal’s or designee’s statement as accurate. The Superintendent’s or designee’s decision is final. The District shall maintain a record of each challenge.
Once an appeal has been held on the disciplinary information contained in a statement, that statement may be communicated to teachers/counselors during the school year without any further challenge. If the statement has been communicated prior to the conclusion of the challenge, and changes have been made to the statement, the principal or designee will provide a copy of the revised statement to all those who received the original statement.
Any teacher or counselor who receives a statement containing disciplinary information will maintain the confidentiality of the information and will not communicate the information to any other person. Any violation of this provision will result in appropriate disciplinary action.
Remedial Discipline Plans
District employees must refer incidents of disruptive behavior to the principal or designee.
1. The principal or designee shall develop a plan for any student who causes a material and substantial disruption in the classroom, on school grounds, in school vehicles, or at school activities or events. The goal of the remedial plan shall be to address the student’s disruptive behavior and educational needs while keeping the child in school.
2. To develop the plan, the principal or designee will arrange for a meeting with the student, the student’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian and any members of the staff whom the principal or designee believes should attend.
3. The purpose of the meeting will be to address the reasons for the student’s disruptive behavior and cooperatively to establish goals, objectives, and timelines to modify such behavior. A written plan will be prepared which addresses the student’s disruptive behavior, educational needs, and what steps are necessary to keep the child in school. The plan will include incentives for good behavior and consequences if the student is disruptive in violation of the plan.
4. The plan may be written in the form of a contract, which the student and the parent, guardian, or legal custodian will sign and date.
5. The parent, guardian, or legal custodian will be provided a copy of the remedial discipline plan and it will be placed in the student’s cumulative file.
Habitually Disruptive Students
A student will be declared “habitually disruptive” if suspended three times during the course of the school year for causing a material and substantial disruption in the classroom, on school grounds, or at school activities or events because of student behavior that was initiated, willful, and overt.
1. The principal will inform the Superintendent or designee if a student is suspended for a second time for causing a material and substantial disruption.
2. The student and the parent, guardian, or legal custodian will be notified in writing of each suspension, which counts toward declaring the student habitually disruptive. The student and parent, guardian, or legal custodian will also be notified in writing and by telephone or other oral communication of the definition of “habitually disruptive student” and the mandatory expulsion of such students.
3. District procedures for expulsion may be initiated when the student is suspended for the third time. The period of suspension will be extended, if necessary, to conduct an expulsion proceeding.