North Vancouver School District's Code of Conduct has been established to maintain a safe, caring, accessible, and healthy learning environment.
It is the shared responsibility of students, staff, parents/guardians, and the broader community, to demonstrate positive conduct while attending any school or district related activity, at any location.
All members of the school community are expected to:
- Support learning and attendance.
- Demonstrate safety.
- Respect property, environment, personal space, and privacy.
- Model courtesy, compassion, and respect.
- Value diversity.
- Treat self and all other members of the school and broader community respectfully.
All members of the school community must refrain from engaging in any in-person or digital communication or participating in behaviour that is considered to be:
- Interfering with the learning and working of others.
- Bullying, harassing, intimidating, retaliating, discriminating or violent.
- Unsafe or illegal; including the possession, use, or distribution of illegal or restricted substances or the possession of weapons or replicas.
All members of the school community are expected to:
- Comply with the purpose and spirit of the BC Human Rights Code, including not engaging in discriminatory conduct based on Indigenous identity, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age of that person or that group or class of persons.
- Wear clothing that does not promote or symbolize illegal substances or activities, hate or discrimination, profanity, pornography; or that incites violence, harassment, or threatens safety.
- Leave personal digital devices at home, in their bag/backpack, and/or in their locker during instructional time. Allowances may be made by the staff for instructional purposes, digital literacy, appropriate use based on age and developmental stage, accommodations within a student's Individualized Education Plan, accessibility, medical and health needs, and/or equitable support for learning outcomes.
Every effort will be made to support individuals and to determine the root causes of behaviour. If the safety or educational program of others is compromised, or if there is an ongoing failure to meet the expectations of the Code of Conduct, a range of consequences will follow. Whenever possible, incidents will be resolved by discussion, community service, restorative processes, referral to counselling and/or support services, mediation, and restitution, but may involve loss of privileges, detention, suspension from school, and/or collaboration with community partners. Confidentiality will be maintained; however, school officials may have a responsibility to advise other parties of serious breaches of the Code of Conduct (e.g. school district officials, law enforcement, and/or other agencies, etc.).
The school will take all reasonable steps to prevent any form of retaliation against a student or staff member who has brought a complaint forward of a breach of the Code of Conduct.
Factors such as the severity and frequency of the concerning behaviour(s), as well as the age, maturity, and ability of the person(s) involved, will be considered. In most cases, as people mature, there is the expectation of increased responsibility and self-discipline; therefore, progressively increasing consequences for concerning behaviour may apply.
Considerations apply to those who may not be able to adhere to the Code of Conduct due to having a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional, or behavioural nature.
All members of the North Vancouver School District community have the right to be treated fairly and consistently and should know and understand this Code of Conduct.
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