Student Services

Student Discipline

Caring, Safe, and Orderly Learning Environment

Community Consolidated School District 15 is committed to maintaining safe and orderly schools and offices. This policy supports the district civic beliefs by promoting mutual respect, civility, and orderly conduct among students, employees, parents, and other community members.

The Board of Education expects staff to treat students, parents, and other community members with dignity and respect and expects the same in return. This policy is not intended to deprive any person of his/her right to freedom of expression to the extent possible in a safe, harassment-free learning and working environment for students and staff.

In the interest of district employees serving as positive role models to students and the community, the Board of Education encourages mutual respect and positive communication and discourages volatile, hostile, or aggressive actions. District staff will seek community cooperation in this endeavor.

Dress Code

Appropriate school dress assists in maintaining an atmosphere conducive to learning. The principal or assistant principal will determine the appropriateness of a student’s dress. Clothing and accessories that display undesirable and/or unhealthy image (such as, but not limited to: alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or violence) do not belong in a school setting. Also considered inappropriate are the depiction of vulgar actions/language/behavior, gang signs, or sexually suggestive pictures or statements.
The following guidelines are used in determining appropriate attire:

• No bare midriffs
• No undergarments of any kind showing
• No bare or lace-up backs
• Shoulders must be covered by at least two inches of fabric
• Skirts and shorts must not be shorter than mid-thigh
• Tops may not be lower than an imaginary line drawn from armpit to armpit
• No hats or bandannas are to be worn inside the building except when entering or preparing to exit the building
• Temporary hair coloring, glitter, or other alterations which may cause distractions in the classroom are not permitted.

For safety reasons, students should follow these guidelines:

• Footwear which is safe for indoor and outdoor physical activity should be worn at all times (platform shoes and thong-style sandals are discouraged and shoes with wheels are not allowed)
• No belts, necklaces, or bracelets with spikes or chains, including chains connecting wallets to a belt
• No pants or skirts which drag on the floor
• Pants must be worn around the hips. Pants that “sag” will not be tolerated.

Students who wear earrings, necklaces, and other jewelry that cause a distraction may be asked to remove them. Multiple infractions will lead to items being confiscated.

Harassment/Bullying

Harassment or bullying of any kind (physical, verbal, non-verbal or sexual) will not be tolerated. Because these behaviors show disrespect and are harmful to all involved, they should be reported to the school administration or any staff member. Harassment is a serious offense which may result in suspension from school.

School Threats Taken Seriously

If students write or talk about injuring or killing another student, staff member, or any other person or about using weapons through any media, these statements will be taken as serious threats. All reports of such threats or statements will be fully investigated. If the information is substantiated, the student(s) involved will be disciplined as appropriate under district and/or building policies and local municipal ordinances. It is important for students to think about what they say, especially when angry or upset. Teachers, social workers, administrators, and services are available to assist students with behavioral or anger management issues.

Discipline

The development of students' self-discipline is a goal of the schools. Self-discipline is regarded as a constructive form of discipline that contributes to individual growth. Staff members work with students to maintain good conduct at all times in the schools and at all school activities in such areas as the district's civic beliefs. These expectations include conduct during lunch hour, transportation to and from school, and educational trips.

Teachers and other certified educational employees shall maintain discipline in the schools in the interest of the safety of students and the establishment of an environment conducive to learning.

Acceptable discipline includes engagement of students in purposeful activities and in constructive use of time. Emphasis is to be placed on development of self-discipline according to the level of maturity of the child. Acceptable expectations should be clearly defined for the student.

Corrective disciplinary measures are to be positive in nature. Every effort is to be made to see that the child understands the reason for correction and the purpose of measures taken. If the measures taken do not result in correction of the situation, the teacher may remove the child from the classroom. However, this step should be taken only after other efforts to handle the situation have not succeeded and the student has been advised that the behavior may result in removal from the classroom.

If it is necessary to remove the student, that student is to be advised that all students have a right to an environment conducive to learning and that the removed student's return to the classroom is conditional upon his/her cooperation in maintaining such an environment.

Discipline is a cooperative effort between parents and school staff. Parents are to be informed and involved in the correction procedures at the discretion of the principal. Discipline is also a crucial part of a student's learning environment. Cooperation among parents, students, and school staff will lead to quality education for all students.

Click here to view the district’s guidelines for the use of Behavioral Interventions for Students with Disabilities (English/Spanish) PDF Download [114/91KB].

STUDENT DISCIPLINE

Board of Education Policy 7.190 is as follows:

Prohibited Student Conduct

Disciplinary action may be taken against any student guilty of gross disobedience or misconduct including, but not limited to:

1. using, possessing, distributing, purchasing, or selling tobacco materials;
2. using, possessing, distributing, purchasing, or selling alcoholic beverages. Students who are under the influence are not permitted to attend school or school functions and are treated as though they had alcohol in their possession;
3. using, possessing, distributing, purchasing, selling, concealing, or storing:
   a. Any illegal drug, controlled substance, or cannabis (including marijuana and hashish).
   b. Any anabolic steroid not administered under a physician’s care and supervision.
   c. Any prescription drug or over the counter drug when not prescribed for the student by a licensed physician or when used in a manner inconsistent with the prescription or prescribing physician’s instructions.
   d. “Look-alike” or counterfeit drugs, including a substance not containing an illegal drug or controlled substance, but one: (a) that a student believes to be, or represents to be, an illegal drug or controlled substance; or (b) about which a student engaged in behavior that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the student expressly or impliedly represented to be an illegal drug or controlled substance.
   e. Drug paraphernalia, including devices that are or can be used to: (a) ingest, inhale, or inject cannabis or controlled substances into the body.
   
   Students who are under the influence of any prohibited substance are not permitted to attend school or school functions and are treated as though they had the prohibited substance, as applicable, in their possession;
   
4. using, possessing, controlling, or transferring a weapon in violation of the “weapons” section of this policy;
5. using an electronic paging device or using a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant (PDAs), digital camera, but not limited to other electronic devices in any manner that disrupts the educational environment or violates the rights of others, including using the device to take photographs, cheat, signal others, or otherwise violate student conduct rules. Unless otherwise banned under this policy or by the building principal, all electronic devices must be kept off and out of sight during the regular school day unless: (a) the supervising teacher grants permission; (b) use of the device is provided in a student’s IEP; or (c) it is needed in an emergency that threatens the safety of students, staff, or other individuals;
6. using or possessing a laser pointer unless under a staff member’s supervision and in the context of instruction;
7. governing student conduct; examples include but are not limited to refusing a district administrator’s request to stop or submit to a search;
8. engaging in academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, intentionally plagiarizing, wrongfully giving or receiving help during an academic examination, and wrongfully obtaining test copies or scores;
9. using any form or type of aggressive behavior that does physical or psychological harm to someone else and/or urging other students to engage in such conduct. Prohibited aggressive behavior includes, without limitation, the use of violence, force, noise, coercion, threats, intimidation, fear, bullying, cyberbullying, hazing, or other comparable conduct. Cyberbullying is the use of e-mail, instant/text messaging, chat rooms, pagers, cell phones, or other forms of information technology to deliberately harass, threaten, or intimidate someone. Cyberbullying can include such acts as making threats, sending provocative insults or cultural or ethnic slurs, gay bashing, religious, attempting to infect the victim’s computer with a virus, and flooding an e-mail inbox with nonsense messages;
10. causing or attempting to cause damage to, or stealing or attempting to steal, school property or another person's personal property;
11. being absent without a recognized excuse (state law and board policy on truancy control will be used with chronic and habitual truants);
12. being a member of or joining or promising to join, or becoming pledged to become a member of, soliciting any other person to join, promise to join, or be pledged to become a member of any public school fraternity, sorority or secret society;
13. involvement in gangs or gang-related activities, including the display of gang symbols or paraphernalia;
14. violating any criminal law, such as assault, battery, arson, theft, gambling, and hazing; or
15. engaging in any activity, on or off campus, that (a) poses a threat or danger to the safety of other students, staff, or school property; (b) constitutes an interference with school purposes or an educational function or (c) is disruptive to the school environment; or
16. language and/or drawings that can be interpreted as guns or killing.

For purposes of this policy, the term “possession” includes having control, custody, or care, currently or in the past, of any object or substance, regardless of whether or not the item is (a) on the student's person, or (b) contained in another item belonging to, or under the control of, the student, such as in the student's clothing, backpack, automobile, or (c) in a school's student locker, desk, or other school property, or (d) any other location on school property or at a school-sponsored event.

No disciplinary action shall be taken against any student that is based totally or in part on the refusal of the student’s parent/guardian to administer or consent to the administration of psychotropic or psychostimulant medication to the student.

These grounds for disciplinary action, including those described more thoroughly later in this policy, apply whenever the student's conduct is reasonably related to school or school activities including, but not limited to conduct occurring:

1. on school grounds before, during, or after school hours and at any other time when the school is being used by a school group;
2. off school grounds at a school-sponsored activity, function, or event;
3. traveling to or from school or a school activity, function or event; or
4. anywhere, if the conduct may reasonably be considered to be a threat or attempted intimidation of a staff member, or an interference with school purposes or an education function, or (c) the student’s presence at school may reasonable be considered to create an interference with school purposes or an educational function.

Disciplinary Measures

Disciplinary measures include notification of parent(s)/guardian(s) and may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. seizure of contraband;
2. withholding of privileges;
3. disciplinary conference;
4. removal from classroom;
5. detention or Saturday school, provided the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) have been notified, and the student must be supervised by the detaining teacher, building principal, or a designee;
6. notification of juvenile authorities whenever the conduct involves illegal drugs (controlled substances), weapons, look-alikes, or alcohol;
7. alternative classroom assignment that is properly supervised by the building principal or designee;
8. suspension of bus-riding privileges provided that appropriate procedures are followed;
9. suspension from school and all school-sponsored activities and from school grounds for up to 10 days per occurrence provided that appropriate procedures are followed;
10. expulsion from school and all school-sponsored activities and from school grounds for a definite time period not to exceed two calendar years, provided that the appropriate procedures are followed. An expelled student is prohibited from being on school grounds.

A student who is subject to suspension or expulsion may be eligible for a transfer to an alternative school program.

Before receiving disciplinary action, the student shall be given the opportunity to deny or explain his or her conduct.

Corporal punishment is prohibited. Corporal punishment is defined as slapping, paddling, intentional infliction of bodily harm or pain. However, members of the school staff may use reasonable force when necessary to maintain safety, protect the student and other individuals from bodily harm, or avoid damage to school property.

Weapons

A student who uses, possesses, distributes, purchases, or sells an explosive, firearm, or any other object that can reasonably be considered a weapon shall be expelled for at least one calendar year. The expulsion period may, however, be modified by the superintendent subject to further modification by the Board of Education on a case-by-case basis. In no case may the expulsion exceed two calendar years.

A "weapon" means (1) possession, use, control, or transfer of any gun, rifle, shotgun, or weapon as defined by Section 921 of Title 18, United States Code, firearm as defined in Section 1.1 of the Firearm Owners Identification Act, or use of a weapon as defined in Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code; (2) any other object if used or attempted or intended to be used to cause bodily harm, including but not limited to, knives, brass knuckles, billy clubs; (3) "look-alikes" of any weapon as defined above. Other items such as baseball bats, pipes, bottles, locks, sticks, pencils, pens, and scissors may be considered weapons if used or attempted to be used to cause bodily harm; or (4) Language and/or drawings that can be interpreted as guns or killing.

Required Notices

A school staff member shall immediately notify the building principal in the event that he or she (1) observes any person in possession of a firearm on or around school grounds unless immediate notice would endanger students under his or her supervision; (2) observes or has reason to suspect that any person on school grounds is or was involved in a drug-related incident; or (3) observes a battery committed against any staff member. Upon receiving such a report, the building principal or designee shall immediately notify a local law enforcement agency, Illinois State Police, and the student's parent(s)/guardian(s).

Efforts, including the use of early intervention and progressive discipline, shall be made to deter students, while at school or a school-related event, from engaging in aggressive behavior that may reasonably produce physical or physiological harm to someone else. The superintendent or designee shall ensure that the parent(s)/guardian(s) of a student who engages in aggressive behavior are notified of the incident. The failure to provide such notification does not limit the Board's authority to impose discipline, including suspension or expulsion, for such behavior.

Delegation of Authority

Each teacher, and any other school personnel when students are under his or her charge, is authorized to impose any disciplinary measure, other than suspension, expulsion, corporal punishment, or in-school suspension, which is appropriate and in accordance with the policies and rules on student discipline. Teachers, other certified educational employees, and other persons providing a related service for or with respect to a student, may use reasonable force as needed to maintain safety for other students, school personnel, or other persons, or for the purpose of self-defense or defense of property. Teachers may remove students from a classroom for disruptive behavior.

The superintendent, building principal, and assistant principal with appropriate certification may suspend students guilty of gross disobedience or misconduct from school (including all school functions) and from riding the school bus up to 10 consecutive school days provided the appropriate procedures are followed. The Board of Education may suspend a student from riding the bus in excess of 10 days for safety reasons. The Board of Education may also expel students guilty of gross disobedience or misconduct provided appropriate procedures are followed.

Questions concerning the district's discipline policies should be directed to the building principal of the school your child attends.

Student/Parent Handbook

The superintendent/designee, with input from the parent-teacher advisory committee, shall prepare disciplinary rules implementing the district’s disciplinary policies.

A student/parent handbook (English PDF 1.14MB/Spanish PDF 1.15MB), including the district disciplinary policies and rules, shall be distributed to the students’ parent(s)/guardian(s) within 15 days of the beginning of the school year or a student’s enrollment.

Search and Seizure

Board Policy 7:140 authorizes school authorities, including police liaison officers, to conduct searches of school property and equipment, as well as of students and their personal effects to maintain order and security in the schools. The policy states:

Students

School authorities may search a student and/or the student’s personal effects in the student’s possession (e.g., purses, wallets, knapsacks, book bags, lunch boxes, etc.) when there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will produce evidence the particular student has violated or is violating either the law or the district’s student conduct rules. The search itself must be conducted in a manner which is reasonably related to its objectives and not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student and the nature of the infraction.

When feasible, the search should be conducted as follows:

• outside the view of others, including students;
• in the presence of a school administrator or adult witness;
• by a certificated employee or police liaison officer of the appropriate gender.

School Property and Equipment as well as
Personal Effects Left on School Property by Students

School authorities may inspect and search school property and equipment owned or controlled by the school (such as lockers, desks, and parking lots), as well as personal effects left on school property by a student, without notice to or the consent of the student. Students have no reasonable expectation of privacy in these places or areas or in their personal effects left on school property.

The Superintendent or designee may request the assistance of law enforcement officials to conduct inspections and searches of lockers, desks, parking lots, and other school property or equipment for illegal drugs, weapons, or other illegal or dangerous substances or materials, including searches conducted through the use of specially trained dogs.

Seizure of Property

If a search produces evidence that the student has violated or is violating either the law or the district’s policies or rule, such evidence may be seized and impounded by school authorities, and disciplinary action may be taken. When appropriate, such evidence may be transferred to law enforcement authorities.

Suspension Procedures

The Board of Education has established suspension procedures in Policy 7:200.

1. Before suspension, the student shall be provided a conference during which the charges will be explained and the student will be given an opportunity to respond to the charges.
2. A pre-suspension conference is not required, and the student can be immediately suspended when the student's presence poses a continuing danger to persons or property or an ongoing threat of disruption to the educational process. In such cases, the notice and conference shall follow as soon as practicable.
3. Any suspension shall be reported immediately to the student's parent(s)/guardian(s). A written notice of the suspension shall contain a statement of the reasons for the suspension and a notice to the parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to review the suspension. Also, a copy of the notice shall be given to the superintendent and reported to the Board of Education.
4. Upon request of the parent(s)/guardian(s), a review of the suspension shall be conducted in closed session by the Board of Education or a designee appointed by the Board. At the review, the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) may appear and discuss the suspension with the Board or its designee and may be represented by counsel. After presentation of the evidence or receipt of the designee's report, the board shall take such action as it finds appropriate.

A student seeking to transfer into District 15 must serve the entire term of any suspension or expulsion, imposed for any reason by any public or private school in Illinois or any other state, before being admitted into a district school, as specified in Board Policy 7:50.

Gangs and Gang-Related Activities

Board of Education Policy 7:191 states:

Student involvement in gangs or gang-related activities, including the display of gang symbols or paraphernalia, on school property or at school-related events is strictly prohibited. Any student who violates this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action that may include suspension or expulsion in accordance with the district's student discipline policy.

As used herein, the term "gang" shall mean any organization, club, or group composed wholly or in part of students and which is assembled for the common purpose or design of:

1. committing or conspiring to commit criminal offenses,
2. engaging in conduct that is contrary to the public good, and
3. engaging in conduct that interferes with, or disrupts, the district's educational process or programs.

As used herein, the phrase "gang-related activity" shall mean any conduct engaged in by a student on behalf of any gang:

1. to perpetuate the existence of any gang, and
2. to effect the common purpose and design of any gang including, without limitation, recruiting students for membership in any gang and/or threatening or intimidating other students or employees to commit acts or omissions against their will in furtherance of the common purpose and design of any gang.

Bus Conduct

All students who ride buses must follow the district’s School Bus Safety Guidelines. Gross disobedience or misconduct providing grounds for suspension from riding the school bus include:

1. Prohibited student conduct as defined in the Student Discipline Policy;
2. Willful injury or threat of injury to a bus driver or to another rider;
3. Willful damage and/or defacement of the bus;
4. Repeated use of profanity;
5. Repeated willful disobedience of the bus driver’s directives; or
6. Such other behavior as the administration deems to threaten the safe operation of the bus and/or its occupants.

The majority of District 15 buses are equipped with video cameras to monitor conduct and maintain a safe environment for students and employees.

Title IX Compliance

School District 15 is in full compliance with regulations for implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibit sex discrimination in federally assisted education programs. The school district complies fully with the nondiscriminatory provisions of federal and state law pertaining but not limited to students, parents, members of the community, employees, and applicants for employment.

Harassment

Board of Education Policy 7:20 states:

Harassment of Students Prohibited

No person, including a District employee or agent, or student, shall harass, intimidate or bully another student based upon a student’s sex, color, race, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or other protected group status. The District will not tolerate harassing, intimidating conduct, or bullying whether verbal, physical, or visual, that affects the tangible benefits of education, that unreasonably interferes with a student’s educational performance, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment. Examples of prohibited conduct include name-calling, using derogatory slurs, causing psychological harm, threatening or causing physical harm, or wearing or possessing items depicting or implying hatred or prejudice of one of the characteristics stated above.

Complaints of harassment or intimidation or bullying are handled according to the provisions on sexual harassment below. The Superintendent/designee shall use reasonable measures to inform staff members and students that the District will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying by including this policy in the appropriate handbooks.

Sexual Harassment Prohibited

Sexual harassment of students is prohibited. An employee, district agent, or student engages in sexual harassment whenever he or she makes sexual advances, requests sexual favors, or engages in other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual or sex-based nature, imposed on the basis of sex, that:

1. denies or limits the provision of educational aid, benefits, services, or treatment; or that makes such conduct a condition of a student's academic status; or
2. has the purpose or effect of (a) substantially interfering with a student's educational environment; (b) creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment; (c) depriving a student of educational aid, benefits, services, or treatment; or (d) making submission to or rejection of such unwelcome conduct the basis for academic decisions affecting a student.

The terms "intimidating," "hostile," and "offensive" include conduct which has the effect of humiliation, embarrassment, or discomfort. Examples of sexual harassment include touching, crude jokes or pictures, discussions of sexual experiences, teasing related to sexual characteristics, and spreading rumors related to a person's alleged sexual activities.

Students who believe they are victims of sexual harassment or have witnessed sexual harassment are encouraged to discuss the matter with the building principal, assistant principal, grievance complaint manager, or nondiscrimination coordinator (assistant superintendent for personnel and human services). Students may choose to report to a person of the student's same gender. Complaints will be kept confidential to the extent possible given the need to investigate. Students who make good faith complaints will not be disciplined.

An allegation that one student was sexually harassed by another student shall be referred to the building principal or assistant principal for appropriate action.

The Superintendent or designee shall use reasonable measures to inform staff members and students that the District will not tolerate sexual harassment, by including this policy in the appropriate handbooks.

Any District employee who is determined, after an investigation, to have engaged in sexual harassment of a student will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. Any student of the District who is determined, after an investigation, to have engaged in sexual harassment of another student will be subject to disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension and/or expulsion.

Any person making a knowingly false accusation regarding sexual harassment will likewise be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge with regard to employees, or suspension and/or expulsion with regard to students.

The Superintendent or designee shall insert into this policy the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the District’s current nondiscrimination and complaint managers.

Nondiscrimination coordinator:

• John V. Fenton, 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL 60067, (847) 963-3000

Complaint managers:

• John V. Fenton, 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL 60067, (847) 963-3000
• Cheryl Wolfel, Ed.D. , 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL 60067, (847) 963-3000

PARENT RIGHTS

Parents have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of any teacher instructing their child(ren). Information that may be requested includes:

• Whether or not the teacher has met state certification requirements;
• Whether or not the teacher is teaching under emergency or provisional status;
• The bachelor’s degree major of the teacher, any other certification or degrees held by the teacher and the subject areas of the certification or degrees; and
• Whether your child is provided services by teacher aides/paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

For more information, contact John V. Fenton, director, Personnel and Human Services, 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL 60067, (847) 963-3000.

© 2001-2008 Community Consolidated School District 15