3241 - Classroom Management, Discipline and Corrective Action

 

As used in this Regulation and accompanying Procedure 3241P, “discipline” means any action taken by the District in response to behavioral violations. The board intends that this regulation and its accompanying procedure be implemented in a manner that supports a positive school climate, maximizes instructional time, and increases equitable educational opportunities.

The purposes of this Regulation and accompanying Procedure 3241P include:

1. Providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.
2. Providing due process to students.
3. Implementing culturally responsive discretionary and nondiscretionary discipline Regulations and procedures that provide opportunity for all students to achieve personal and academic success.
4. Engaging with school personnel, students, and parents in decisions related to the development and implementation of discipline regulations and procedures.
5. Ensuring fairness and equity in the administration of discretionary and nondiscretionary discipline.
6. Administering discretionary discipline in ways that respond to the needs and strengths of students, support students in meeting behavioral expectations, and keep students in the classroom to the maximum extent possible.
7. Providing educational services that students need to complete their education without disruption.
8. Facilitating collaboration between school personnel, students, parents, and families to support successful reentry into the classroom following a suspension or expulsion.

 

Student Responsibilities

This District’s student discipline regulation and procedure are designed to provide students with a safe, healthy, and educationally sound environment. Students are expected to be aware of and comply with the regulation and procedure, including behavioral expectations that respect the rights and property of others. Students are also expected to pursue the required course of studies. Students and staff are expected to work together to develop a positive climate for learning.

 

Students’ Fundamental Rights

The District will observe students’ fundamental rights and will administer discipline in a manner that does not:

1. Unlawfully discriminate against a student on the basis of sex, race, creed, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability is prohibited.
2. Deprive a student of the student's constitutional right to freedom of speech and press, the constitutional right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government and its representatives for a redress of grievances, the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion and to have the student's school free from sectarian control or influence, subject to reasonable limitations upon the time, place, and manner of exercising the right.
3. Deprive a student of the student's constitutional right to be secure in the student's person, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
4. Unlawfully interfere in a student's pursuit of an education while in the custody of the school district; or
5. Deprive a student of the student's right to an equal educational opportunity, in whole or in part, by a school district without due process of law.

 

Procedure 3241P sets forth the types of behavioral violations for which the District may administer discipline, including classroom exclusions, suspensions, expulsions and emergency removals.  The District’s use of suspension and expulsion will have a real and substantial relationship to the lawful maintenance and operation of the District, including but not limited to, the preservation of the health and safety of students and employees and the preservation of an educational process that is conducive to learning.  Procedure 3241P identifies a list of other forms of discipline for staff to use instead of classroom exclusion, suspension or expulsion.  Staff members are not restricted to that list and may use any other form of discipline compliant with WAC 392-400-025(9) in response to behavioral violations. 

School personnel must make every reasonable attempt to involve parents and students to resolve behavioral violations. The District must ensure that associated notices, hearings, conferences,

meetings, plans, proceedings, agreements, petitions, and decisions are in a language the student and parents understand, which may require language assistance.

As described in the accompanying procedure, the District will offer educational services to students during suspension or expulsion. When the District administers a long-term suspension or expulsion, the District will timely hold a reengagement meeting and collaborate with parents and students to develop a reengagement plan that is tailored to the student’s individual circumstances.  Any student who has been suspended or expelled may apply for readmission at any time.

In the accompanying Procedure 3241P, the District has established procedures to address grievances of parents or students related to other forms of discipline, classroom exclusion, and exclusion from transportation or extra-curricular activities.  The grievance procedures include an opportunity for the student to share their perspective and explanation regarding the behavioral violation.

The District is authorized to enter into behavior agreements with students and parents in response to behavioral violations, including agreements to reduce the length of a suspension conditioned on participation in treatment services, agreements in lieu of suspension or expulsion, or agreements holding a suspension or expulsion in abeyance.  The District will ensure that any behavior agreement entered with a student does not waive that student’s opportunity to participate in a reengagement meeting or to receive educational services during the period of suspension or expulsion.  Behavior agreements will not exceed the length of an academic term and will not preclude the District from administering discipline for behavioral violations that occur after the entry of the behavior agreement.

The District will periodically review this discipline regulation and its accompanying procedure with the participation of school personnel, students, parents, families and the community.  During the development and review of the discipline regulation and procedure, the District will use disaggregated data collected under RCW 28A.300.042 to monitor the impact of the District’s discipline regulations, procedures and practices and to update these policies and procedures to improve fairness and equity in the administration of discipline.

The District will make its discipline regulations and procedures available to families and the community.  The District will annually provide its discipline regulations and procedures to all district personnel, students, and parents, which may require language assistance for students and parents with limited-English proficiency under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The District will ensure District employees and contractors are knowledgeable of the discipline regulations and procedures.