Students are expected to conduct themselves in such a manner as not to interfere with the orderly operation of the educational program. Disciplinary action may be taken against any student for disobedience or misconduct during the school day, on school grounds, at a school-sponsored activity, or while traveling on district-provided transportation to and from school, school activities, or events. Disciplinary action may also be taken for conduct that occurs off school property but impacts a school-related activity.
Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Habitual truancy as defined by Idaho law and district policy.
2. Academic dishonesty.
3. Incorrigibility or conduct continuously disruptive of school discipline or the instructional effectiveness of the school.
4. Conduct or presence of a student when the same is detrimental to the health and safety of other students.
5. Use, possession, distribution, purchase, or sale of tobacco products, illegal drugs or controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, or alcohol. Students who are under the influence of illegal drugs, controlled substances, or alcohol are not permitted to attend school or school-sponsored activities and will be treated as though they had alcohol in their possession.
6. Use, possession, control, or transfer of any object that reasonably could be considered or used as a weapon in violation of the district’s policy on prohibition of weapons.
7. Disobeying directives from staff members or school officials and/or rules and regulations governing student conduct.
8. Using violence, force, noise, coercion, threats, intimidation, fear, or other comparable conduct towards anyone or urging other students to engage in such conduct.
9. Causing or attempting to cause damage to, or stealing or attempting to steal, school property or another person’s property.
10. Engaging in hazing, harassment, intimidation, or bullying (including cyber bullying) in violation of district policy and Idaho law.
11. Improper or illegal use of school computers or other district-owned or operated information technology.
A student will not be subject to adverse disciplinary action where the student declines to (a) identify such student’s pronouns; or (b) address a person using a name other than the person’s legal name, or a derivative thereof, or by a preferred personal title or pronoun that is inconsistent with the person’s sex.
DISCIPLINARY MEASURES
Available disciplinary measures for misconduct include, but are not limited to:
1. Expulsion;
2. Suspension (in school or out of school);
3. Detention;
4. Loss of student privileges;
5. Loss of bus privileges;
6. Temporary removal from the classroom; and
7. Restitution for damages to school property.
School staff and others engaged by the district to work with students are prohibited from using corporal punishment on a student as a disciplinary measure. Corporal punishment does not include, and district staff may use where appropriate, reasonable force as needed to maintain safety for other students, school staff, or other persons, or for the purpose of self-defense.
Where appropriate, school staff may utilize alternative forms of discipline, either in conjunction with or in place of the disciplinary measures described above. Such alternative forms of discipline may include, but are not limited to:
1. Counseling;
2. Reflective activities, such as requiring the student to write an essay about the student’s misbehavior;
3. Community service; and
4. Behavioral management plan or contract.
Discipline of students with disabilities as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as each may be amended from time to time, will follow the requirements of those federal laws and district policies.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
Building principals are directed to establish reasonable and age-appropriate rules necessary to maintain orderly conduct in the school. Teachers and staff are authorized to establish reasonable classroom rules and consequences for violation of classroom rules; to communicate such rules and consequences to students and parents/guardians; and to impose disciplinary measures (with the exception of expulsion, suspension or corporal punishment) that are appropriate and in accordance with the district’s policies and rules on student discipline. Every effort should be made to resolve discipline problems before they are referred to the principal or designee.
NONDISCRIMINATION
The district will ensure that student discipline is enforced in a nondiscriminatory manner to avoid subjecting similarly situated students to different treatment without a legitimate reason for doing so. Examples of prohibited discriminatory enforcement of student discipline includes, but are not limited to:
1. Adopting discipline rules which treat students differently based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, ethnicity, age, language barrier, religious beliefs, physical or mental handicap, economic or social conditions, actual or potential marital or parental status, or status as a homeless child;
2. Adopting any disciplinary rule with the intention of targeting students based on any of the personal characteristics described in paragraph 1 above;
3. Enforcing any apparently neutral discipline rule more harshly based on the student’s personal characteristics described in paragraph 1 above; or
4. Discipline of any student when it is motivated by intentional discrimination.
NOTICE AND REVIEW
This policy, or a summarized version thereof, will be provided at the beginning of each school year to school staff, parents/guardians, and students. School-specific rules established by building principals will be published in the student handbook or otherwise provided to staff, students and parents/guardians at the beginning of each school year.
The board of trustees will review this policy annually.
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LEGAL REFERENCE:
Idaho Code Sections
6-210 – Recovery of Damages for Economic Loss Willfully caused by a Minor
18-917 – Assault and Battery
18-917A – Student Harassment – Intimidation – Bullying
18-3302D – Possessing Weapons or Firearms on School Property
18-3302I – Threatening Violence on School Grounds
33-205 – Denial of School Attendance
33-512 – School Governance
33-1224 – Powers and Duties of Teachers
67-5909B – Compulsory Gener Language Prohibited – Private Cause of Action – Rulemaking
IDAPA
08.02.03.109 – Special Education
08.02.03.160 – Safe Environment and Discipline
18 U.S.C. §921 – Firearms – Definitions
18 U.S.C. §930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
20 U.S.C. §7961 – Gun-Free Requirements
20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq. – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
29 U.S.C. §701 et seq. – Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
CROSS-REFERENCE:
Prohibition of Weapons #541
Searches by School Officials #542
Student Suspension #543
Student Expulsion/Denial of Enrollment #544
Disciplining Students with Disabilities (IDEA) #545
Disciplining Students with Disabilities (Section 504) #546
Assault and Battery #550
Student Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Use #551
Hazing Prohibition #552
Restraint and Seclusion #553
Relationship Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response #554
Academic Honesty #556
Parental Rights and Involvement Policy #639
Acceptable Use of Internet, Computer and Network Resources #942
ADOPTED: November 20, 2024
AMENDED: