Behaviour Standards

It is our desire to see strong school spirit exhibited in the actions and activities of our students.  Respect for one another in our community is a manifestation of that spirit.

A major premise upon which our philosophy and practice is based, is that each individual is worthy of personal consideration and should be treated with dignity and fairness.  Established standards of behaviour involve policies regarding safety and reflect statutory law.  All policies are designed to ensure a quality teaching and learning environment.  Established policies are enforced consistently and fairly.

Appropriate consequences will be administered to those students choosing to disregard established rules and regulations.  Consequences are intended to be positive and logical.  Parents will be informed when school-administered consequences appear to have little or no effect.  Chronic disregard for school policies may result in a change in programming that could include transfer to an alternative or outreach program or a different school.

At D.S. MacKenzie, we strive for student self-discipline and mutual respect between students, staff and parents.  We emphasize that "students have a right to learn; teachers have a right to teach; and no one has a right to prevent this from happening."    We have high expectations of our students and we are confident that they can meet them.

Student Rights:

• The right to voice an opinion in an appropriate manner.  No one should interrupt another while she/he is speaking, or ridicule them for what they say.  We should listen to each other.
• The right to be treated fairly by fellow students and teachers.  We should treat each other with respect.
• The right to learn.  No one should hinder another from learning.  We will not waste time in class, distract or disturb others.
• The right to form our own friendships.
• The right to be accepted.  No one should criticize or laugh at others for the way they look, walk, talk or act.
• The right to own property.  No one should touch or take another individual's property without her/his permission.
• The right to be safe.  No one should physically hurt, threaten or verbally abuse another individual.
• The right to ask questions.
• The right to a name.  We should address each other in a way that does not offend.
• The right to a clean and healthy environment.  We should try to keep our school clean and tidy by not littering or vandalizing and leaving in good order the things and places we share.

Student Responsibilities

Courteous behaviour and respect for the rights of others are among the most important student responsibilities.  If a student is guided by concern for others, good manners and sportsmanship, she/he will be able to assume these responsibilities as have the thousands of students who have attended this school in the past and who have established the fine traditions we have at D.S. MacKenzie.

At D.S. MacKenzie, students:

In short, students will conduct themselves in all places and in all situations with CRC (Courtesy, Respect, and Co-operation)

Intervention Strategies

At all times, the school promotes and encourages appropriate behaviour patterns that are conducive to a good learning environment.  To achieve this, teachers basically deal with discipline concerns in their classrooms.  As educators responsible for your education, we respect each student's right to the best possible education.  We expect students to cooperate with us in a respectful manner in order to achieve this goal.  Any student who has difficulty in fulfilling his/her responsibilities will be subject to corrective action.  This will include measures such as:

• personal discussion with the student;
• school community service;
• detention;
• contacting and/or meeting with parents;
• excluding a student from class for part of or an entire instructional period;
• other measures appropriate to the situation.

If required, the teacher will refer the student to a member of the school administration.  There may also be occasions when the administration, teacher, parents and students meet to examine and resolve problems.  Parental cooperation is most important and can help to minimize a student's difficulties.

A student's behavior may be severe enough that it causes or creates substantial disruption or interference to a school function, activity and/or interferes with the health, safety or well-being or the rights of other students or staff members.  This kind of behaviour may result in an "in-school suspension" or "out of school suspension".

a) The "in-school suspension" is usually one day.  In an "in-school" suspension students are removed from their regular class, and school work is brought to them by their teachers.   Parents are notified.
b) The "out of school suspension" may be from 1 to 5 days in duration.  Parents are contacted by telephone advising them of the suspension, and a letter summarizing the events that led to it is sent to them.  A parent/guardian conference with the principal or assistant principal is required before the student's reinstatement to school.
c) Expulsion from the school or from the District:
d) Contacting the Edmonton Police Services:

A suspension should not be regarded as a punitive act.  A suspension is given to a student in order to remove him/her from a situation where his/her actions are detrimental to the welfare of himself/herself and/or others.  The suspension gives school personnel the opportunity to investigate the problem, to bring the problem into focus with the parents/guardians and student, and to seek a remedial course of action.  It also gives the student an opportunity to develop a personal plan of action to prevent further occurrences of the problem.  The remedial course of action may involve the implementation of certain procedures within the school, or the student may be placed in another school in our District to allow a fresh start away from the source of difficulty.  In addition there may be the possibility of placement in a setting in the community which will be more suitable to his/her particular needs.

Offenses that could result in one of these courses of action include:

• possessing, using or transmitting any object that can reasonably be considered to constitute a weapon;
• possessing, using, selling, buying, transmitting, or concealing any alcoholic beverage, narcotic or hallucinogenic drug, marijuana, barbiturate, steroids, amphetamine, intoxicant, "look-alike" drugs, drug paraphernalia, etc.;
• gambling on school premises or school events;
• failure to comply with the smoking restrictions on school property as established by the Edmonton Public School System;
• any conduct threatening to use or counselling other persons to use violence, force, coercion, extortion, threats, intimidation, fear or disruptive means;
• student involved in fighting or any other form of violence;
• blatant sexual behaviour;
• willful destruction of property and
• other serious misconduct.

Expulsion from the school district is determined by the superintendent and school board.

Concluding Remarks

It should be noted that discipline is infinitely complex, and every case is unique.  Just as courts have leeway in determining consequences, so should school staff have leeway to exercise judgment in determining consequences for misdemeanors.  Finally, discipline is not a responsibility of the school alone.  Effort expended in trying to educate and encourage children to act positively must be a cooperative endeavor involving the home and the school.  It is hoped that together we will ensure the rights of all students to a productive educational environment in which they may learn the personal, social and academic skills necessary to develop into mature, happy, responsible citizens accountable for their own actions.

Student Grievance Procedure

When misunderstandings arise between students and teachers or administration, the following grievance process is available to all students to resolve the problem.

1.  When feasible, the student should meet with the teacher to discuss the issue.  If the initial meeting does not resolve the situation, the parent or guardian may confer with the teacher involved.            
2.  If still unresolved, the matter should be referred to a member of the school administration.
3.  In an extreme situation, unresolved issues may be referred to a district principal in school operations, the superintendent of schools, and ultimately to the school board or minister of education.