​​Code of Conduct

The Lambton Kent District School Board Code of Conduct is established in keeping with the requirements of the provincial Code of Conduct and the standards of behaviour as set forth by the province of Ontario. The Lambton Kent District School Board Code of Conduct sets clear standards of behaviour in order to ensure the rights and responsibilities of all members of the school community.

AMSS promotes responsibility, respect, civility and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment.  All students, parents, teachers and staff have the right to be safe, and feel safe, in their school community.  With this right comes the responsibility to be law-abiding citizens and to be accountable for actions that put at risk the safety of others or oneself.

Respect, Civility and Responsible Citizenship
All participants involved in the school system – students, parents or guardians, volunteers, teachers and other staff members – are included in this Code of Conduct whether they are on school property, on school buses or at school-authorized events or activities. All members of the school community are to be treated with respect and dignity.  All members of the school community must:

• Respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws;
• Demonstrate honesty and integrity;
• Respect and treat others fairly, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability;

• Respect the rights of others;
• Exercise self-discipline;
• Take appropriate measures to help those in need;
• Seek assistance from a member of the school staff, if necessary, to resolve conflict peacefully;
• Respect the need of others to work in an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching;
• Show respect for school property; and
• Respect all members of the school community, especially persons in positions of authority.

Safety

All members of the school community including students, parents and guardians, teachers and other staff members, volunteers and visitors must NOT:

• engage in bullying behaviours;
• commit sexual assault;
• traffic weapons or illegal or restricted drugs;
• give alcohol to a minor;
• commit robbery;
• be in possession of any weapon, including firearms or replicas;
• use any object to threaten or intimidate another person;
• cause injury to any person with an object;
• be in possession of, or be under the influence of, or provide others with alcohol, or illegal or restricted drugs;
• inflict or encourage others to inflict bodily harm on another person;
• engage in hate propaganda and other forms of behaviour motivated by hate or bias;
• commit an act of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property or to property located on the premises of the school.

Students

Students are to be treated with respect and dignity.  In return, they must demonstrate respect for themselves, for others, and for the responsibilities of citizenship through acceptable behaviour.  Respect and responsibility are demonstrated when a student:

• comes to school prepared, on time, and ready to learn;
• shows respect for himself or herself, and for those in authority
• refrains from bringing anything to school that may compromise the safety of others;
• follows the established rules and takes responsibility for his or her own actions.

Parents

Parents play an important role in the education of their children, and can support the efforts of school staff in maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all students.  Parents fulfil their role when they:

• show an active interest in their child's work and progress;
• communicate regularly with the school;
• help their child be neat, appropriately dressed, and prepared for school;
• ensure that their child attends school regularly and on time;
• report promptly  to the school their child's absence or late arrival;
• show that they are familiar with the provincial Code of Conduct, the Board's Code of Conduct, and school rules;
• encourage and assist their child in following the rules of behaviour;
• assist school staff in dealing with disciplinary issues involving their child.
  
   
  
  Community Partners and the Police
  
  Through outreach, partnerships already in place may be enhanced and new partnerships with community agencies and members of the community (e.g., Aboriginal Elders) may also be created.  Community agencies are resources that Boards can use to deliver prevention or intervention programs.  Protocols are effective ways of establishing linkages between boards and community agencies, and of formalizing the relationship between them.  These partnerships must respect all applicable collective agreements.
  
   
  
  Bullying
  
  Bullying is typically a form of repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour that occurs in a context of a real or perceived imbalance of power between individuals. In any form, bullying adversely affects a student's well-being and ability to learn, undermines healthy relationships, and compromises the school climate.
  
   
  
  Bullying means aggressive and typically repeated behaviour by a pupil where,

1. The behaviour is intended by the pupil to have the effect of, or the pupil ought to know that the behaviour would be likely to have the effect of,
1. Causing harm, fear or distress to another individual, including physical, psychological, social or academic harm, harm to the individual's reputation or harm to the individual's property, or
2. Creating a negative environment at a school for another individual, and
2. Behaviour occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance between the pupil and the individual based on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic status, social status, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, disability or the receipt of special education

Bullying behaviour may occur through the use of physical, verbal, electronic, written, or other means.

Bullying by electronic means (cyber-bullying) includes but may not be limited to:

1. Creating a web page or a blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person;
2. Impersonating another person as the author of content or messages posted on the internet;
3. Communicating material electronically to more than one individual or posting material on a website that may be accessed by one or more individuals.

Social Aggression:  May be intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect. It can take many forms, sexist, racist, homophobic, or transphobic comments. If it is social or relational aggression, it is more subtle and may involve such behaviours as gossiping, spreading rumours, excluding others from a group, humiliating others with public gestures or graffiti, and shunning or ignoring. Social aggression may also occur through the use of technology.

Students are responsible to:

● Refrain from bullying behaviour.

● Report incidents of bullying behaviour to the principal, teachers, or other

   school staff.

● Refuse to participate in circumstances involving bullying behaviour.

● Remove themselves immediately from circumstances involving bullying

   behaviour.

● Seek adult intervention for circumstances involving bullying behaviour

Progressive Discipline

The principal or designate will use a progressive discipline strategy to address student infractions if a student has engaged in inappropriate behaviour.  School leaders practice progressive discipline as part of a whole-school approach that involves a continuum of prevention programs, strategies for fostering and reinforcing positive behaviour and helping students make good choices, and age-appropriate interventions, supports, and consequences used to address inappropriate student behaviour.

A teacher or the principal or designate, as appropriate, will utilize early and/or ongoing intervention strategies to prevent unsafe or inappropriate behaviours and to guide students to more appropriate choices.  For students with special education needs, this includes referring to their Individual Education Plan

(IEP) and consulting with appropriate staff to determine the best possible approaches.

Interventions may include:

• Contact with student's parent(s)/guardian(s);
• Oral reminders;
• Review of expectations;
• Written work assignment addressing the behaviour, that has a learning component;
• Volunteer services to the school community;
• Conflict mediation and resolution;
• Peer mentoring;
• Referral to counseling; and/or consultation.
• Meeting with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s), student and principal;
• Referral to a community agency for counseling or intervention related to anger management, substance abuse, or other
• Detentions;
• Withdrawal of privileges;
• Withdrawal from class;
• Restitution for damages;
• Restorative practices; 
• Safe schools transfer

In some cases:

a. Suspension may be considered an appropriate progressive discipline step

b. Contact with CAS where required

c. Contact with police services where required

A bias-free approach is one that respects all people and groups, and reflects human rights principles. A bias-free approach helps build and foster a positive, safe, accepting, and respectful school culture and climate and helps students and their families, school staff, and other members of the school community.

Emergency Response

During any school year, there are a number of situations that can occur which require us to use Emergency Procedures.  These may include a fire or evacuation drill, intruder alert, a tornado warning, or a hall sweep by administration and/or Police.There are procedures for each situation that the students will practice.  Although real situations are rare, students, staff, parents and visitors need to be aware of what is expected.

 Hold and Secure

Used for: ongoing situation OUTSIDE that is not related to the school occurs i.e. bank robbery, community tragic event, etc.

• Staff assigned to monitor exits move to their area
• Any students on athletic fields should return to the school immediately
• Exterior doors are locked and monitored by staff
• Unassigned staff to the office
• All staff and students within the school are to remain within the classrooms until further notice
• No one is allowed outside; emergency response crews are allowed to enter. 
• Staff quick look, halls adjacent to classrooms cleared
• Wait for directions

Shelter in Place

Used for:  when it is necessary to keep all occupants within the school to protect them from an external situation involving environmental or weather-related factors i.e. chemical spills, blackouts, explosions or extreme weather conditions

• An announcement is made to "Shelter in Place"
• All staff and students within the school are to remain within the classrooms until further notice.
• Students in hallways or washrooms must return to class immediately.
• Staff adjacent to washrooms should do a quick check.
• Students on study periods should report to an area designated by the Principal.
• All students on athletic fields should return to the school immediately to an area designated by the Principal.
• Exterior doors locked/ windows closed/ ventilation systems turned off.
• Principal determines whether to bring in students from the portables based on the seriousness of the situation.
• Assign one staff member to monitor each exit.

• Exterior doors locked/windows closed/ventilation systems turned off

Parents/Guardians Please Note:  To safeguard students and staff inside the building, exterior doors need to remain closed during a shelter in place situation.  Travel to a school through conditions requiring a shelter in place creates its own risk.  Efforts to pick-up children can complicate already challenging circumstances, so parents are asked to wait until conditions improve.  In the meantime, coordinated efforts to communicate ongoing updates to families and the community will be made.  Once the all-clear has been given, access to the school can once again be provided.

Lock Down

Used for:  major incident or threat of school violence within the school or in relation to the school

• An announcement  is made to " Lockdown" to notify

●    Once inside a secure area, staff and students should:

• All students remain in classrooms; clear the halls
• Classroom doors and windows will be locked, curtains drawn, lights off
• cover the window of the classroom door;
• be aware of sight lines
• stay away from doors and windows;
• take cover if available (get behind something solid);
• communicate regarding the incident.
• Students and staff remain away from windows and doors until further notice, cells phones are to be put on quiet mode and only use them if it is necessary to communicate regarding the incident
• If in the washrooms and it is possible get to an area which can be safely locked down and if trapped , enter and lock stall and climb on toilet
• Everyone should be on the floor if gunshots are heard
• have attendance taken by a staff member;

When the potential for danger is over, an announcement will be made to indicate it is safe to resume activities as usual and that the threat no longer exists.

*** In Emergency Situations anyone in the building needs to respond immediately and co-operatively***

Dress Code

Positive clothing projects a positive image. Our school is a workplace and should be treated as such. Students should appear at school or school functions as neatly and cleanly dressed as possible, promoting a modest businesslike atmosphere. The decision of what to wear is a learning experience; however the final decision on matters of taste and appropriateness rests with the school administration. Exceptions may be made to accommodate established religious/cultural practices and/or special school events.

Please also keep the following in mind:

• The "no hood" policy is in effect from arrival until dismissal each school day.
• Appropriate footwear is essential at all times.
• No backpacks in the shop areas 
  
• A strict dress code exists when working in specific classes, for safety reasons.
• Those wearing headphones should have one ear free for safety reasons.