Discipline Guide

Hutt Valley High School Strategic Goals 2011 – 2015

Aim High – Be the best that you can be!

Whaia te iti kahurangi!

HEART:  To foster positive student engagement and pride in all aspects of school life and to foster positive relationships between all members of the school and wider school community.

MIND: To raise the active involvement and achievement of all students to enable them to develop to their potential.

BODY:  To provide a safe environment where all human, physical and financial resources support improved student learning.

Hutt Valley High School expects all students to behave with courtesy, consideration and respect towards adults and each other so that all on the High School campus can work and learn in a safe, positive and encouraging environment.

UNIFORM INFRINGEMENTS

We are a “Uniform” school and students are expected to wear the correct school uniform. The full details of the school uniform are published in the school prospectus and on our school web site (www.hvhs.school.nz). Approved uniform items are available from the school uniform shop.

Important features of the uniform

• Plain, black, flat leather shoes with a back
• Plain, black flat sandals may be worn during terms 1 and 4 (no scuffs or jandals)
• Jersey – black woollen with Ad Alta logo
• Jewellery and make up are forbidden

 Our Expectations:

All our students are expected to wear correct school uniform from when they leave home in the morning until they return home at the end of the day. Where there is a genuine reason for a student not wearing correct school uniform the caregiver should provide an explanatory note with contact details included.

Where family financial circumstances create issues in providing uniform items, parents/caregivers can make private payment arrangements with the staff at the Resource Centre.

 Procedures and Consequences:
Students who are in incorrect uniform and have a note from home must report to the Deans’ offices between 8-30 am and 8-15am to obtain a Blue Slip (uniform pass). Students wearing incorrect uniform items who have no “Blue Slip” can expect the items to be confiscated. Any staff member may confiscate non uniform items or jewellery, and such items are returned at the end of the term.

Students who continue to break the school uniform rules are being defiant and this behaviour will lead to more serious consequences.

DETENTIONS

Classroom Detentions
‘Classroom detentions’ for poor behaviour may be given by any staff member and these are supervised by the staff who issue them, at a time suitable to them. Some departments organise systems within their subject area. Detentions of up to 30 minutes may be given without notice. Detentions longer than 30 minutes require 24 hours notice.

School Detentions
School detentions are given when students are not following school procedures, and are issued using the following guidelines;

• Truancy – can be issued by the form teacher after contact has been made with the students’ caregiver.
• Incorrect Uniform – can be issued by deans during the issue of blue slips. The form teacher or other staff can also issue them.
• Inappropriate behaviour outside the classroom – can be issued by staff and the form teacher should be notified
• Inappropriate behaviour within the classroom – can be issued by staff only after the following has taken place; consultation with H.O.D in an effort to modify the behaviours of the student
  AND
  - a teacher detention has already been given
  AND
  - Caregivers have been contacted to discuss the issue

School detentions are held after school every day except Monday. They begin 10 minutes after the end of school and are held in B18. When filling out the detention form, the day the student is expected to attend the detention is the day after it is issued. eg – If a detention is issued on Wednesday, the student is expected to attend on Thursday.

 Process

1. Staff fill out a yellow detention slip, available from the duplicating room.
2. The student is given the bottom part of the slip, and the top part is placed in the red box in the staff room by 3.45. Students need to be told to present their slip to the person taking detention.
3. If a student does not turn up to detention, the student will then be placed on a 1 hour Principal’s detention. This is run on Thursday after school and is held in B14.
4. If a student does not turn up to Principal’s detention, they are referred to senior management.  Caregivers will again be contacted with regard to continual disobedience and appropriate action will be taken.

The Detention spreadsheet is available for staff to look at on the Notices drive. This is useful to see if the detention has been done, and for Form Teachers be alerted to patterns of bad habits/inappropriate behaviour.

Any concerns or problems in regard to the detention system should be referred to a member of the Senior Management team.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A STUDENT DOES NOT BEHAVE APPROPRIATELY

The following pages outline the procedures to be followed when certain disciplinary situations arise. The first principle is that the teacher concerned deals with the circumstance in his/her class. If necessary, assistance is sought from the Head of Department or Dean. If the situation is serious enough it will be referred to the senior management. Each case will be considered on its own merits, and the consequences may vary from case to case. The underpinning idea in the school’s dealings with these matters is to conform to the principles of natural justice.

CONSISTENCY OF APPROACH

All teachers should use a consistent approach in the management of students and their classrooms.

The following initiatives have been identified as important steps to achieve this.

• “Respect our Space” – behaviour and language are expected to be at a level that contributes positively to our community.
• “Start Smart” – students should be appropriately presented and ready to commence lessons at the start of each class.
• “Manners Matter” – manners are fundamental to our ability to get along well with each other and are of fundamental importance.
• “In the building in the bag” – any electronic items brought to school must be switched off and out of sight in bags during lesson time.

ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend all classes. In 2011, any student whose attendance falls below 85% renders themselves ineligible to represent the school in sports or other activities. If students represent us, then they must be part of our regular classroom programme on a consistent basis.

NCEA credit totals plotted against percentage attendance makes clear that when attendance falls below around 85% on average the chance of gaining NCEA success is halved.

There is, of course, a legislative requirement:

 “Every student of a registered school who is required to be enrolled at a registered school shall attend the school whenever it is open.” (Sect. 25 Education Act 1989)

“Every parent of a person who, while enrolled at a registered school, does not attend…commits an offence.” (Sect. 29, Education Act 1989)

The law clearly puts the onus on parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are encouraged to maintain full school attendance.

LATENESS

Students are not accepted late to class without good reason. They should have a note if they have been seeing a dean or a senior staff member. Students arriving late during Period 1 should be recorded by their teacher and after three late arrivals, the teacher should take appropriate action. ie. phone home and issue a detention.

TRUANCY PROCEDURES

Hutt Valley High School requires all students to attend school. Where a student is absent, acceptable written explanation must be provided by the parent/caregiver on the day of the student’s return to school.

Unexplained absence or frequent, explained absence unsupported by medical certificates is regarded as truancy.

Form teachers are responsible for identifying and following up unexplained absences. The form teacher must contact home immediately and inform caregivers after each instance of truancy. The form teacher must also keep a record of each instance of truancy (by number) and their contact with home on the student’s Kamar notes.

First Truancy              Form Teacher

1. Form teacher takes time to talk through truancy procedures with student and allows student to explain his/her actions.
2. Form teacher contacts caregivers and issues a school detention.
3. Dean informed.

Second Truancy                     Form Teacher

1. Form teacher contacts caregivers and issues a school detention.
2. Student put on form teacher’s report for 5 day.
3. Dean informed.

Third Truancy                        Dean

1. Form teacher informs dean who contacts caregivers (may include a meeting with caregiver.) This could also include the form teacher / counsellor.
2. Form teacher gives a school detention.
3. Student on dean’s report for 5 days.
4. Truancy letter sent home informing of truancy and dean’s report.

Fourth Truancy                      Dean

1. Form teacher informs dean who contacts caregivers and arranges a meeting with caregiver. This could also include the form teacher / counsellor.
2. Form teacher gives a school detention.
3. Student on dean’s report for 10 days.
4. Truancy letter sent home informing of truancy and dean’s report.

Fifth Truancy              Senior/Junior Dean

1. Form teacher informs Senior/Junior Dean. Procedure as for 4th truancy. Senior/Junior Dean now dealing with the student.

Sixth Truancy             Senior Admin

1. Form teacher informs Senior Admin. Procedure as for 4th truancy. Senior/Admin now dealing with the student.

Senior Admin             Seventh Truancy

Options considered by senior admin in consultation with guidance counsellors:

• Referral to the Non-Enrolled Truancy Service, which tracks students not attending school
• Educational alternatives
• Application for exemption from enrolment (for students under 16) from Ministry of Education
• Removal from roll (for students over 16 years of age)

IN-CLASS BEHAVIOUR: CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

Students are informed early in the year, through assemblies, that if they have issues with what is happening in the classroom, they need to wait until the end of class to discuss these with their teacher on a 1-1 basis; they are not to confront their teacher publicly. This will be reinforced by teachers in their classes.

Inappropriate in-class behaviour will in the first instance be addressed by the classroom teacher. The student may be placed on a daily report if this is appropriate. Every significant incident must be recorded on the Pupil Notes on Kamar.

The Hierarchy of Response Beyond the Classroom

The problem is first referred to the subject HOD. The HOD should determine whether the problem relates to curriculum and curriculum delivery or whether it is a more personal matter. If the problem is curriculum-related then the solution should be arrived at by consultation between the teacher and the HOD. These consultations may involve the student.

If the HOD determines that the problem lies outside the curriculum domain then the problem should be referred to the form teacher in the first instance. The mechanisms for resolving the problem are similar in form to those used by an HOD i.e. consultation. A Guidance Counsellor may become involved at this level.

If the Dean and HOD have been unable to resolve the issue, then the matter will be referred to the Senior Administration person in charge of that form level. The final step in the school hierarchy is a referral to the Principal. Beyond the Principal, the matter becomes a Board one.

At each stage of this process, the stance will be consistent with restorative practices, so that what is sought is a solution that resolves the original matter and ensures that a repeat is unlikely. Restorative procees does not preclude the use by senior management of other reponses such as stand down or suspension, where that response is seen as appropriate.

WITHDRAWAL ROOMS

Each Department has a withdrawal room nominated for every lesson. These are used when a student’s behaviour is unmanageable at the classroom level and the student needs to be isolated from the rest of the students.

Follow up: The teacher who sent a student to a withdrawal room is responsible for informing the Deans and the HOD and noting the incident on Kamar. The behaviour must be addressed before the student returns to that class, through a meeting between the referring teacher, the student and the HOD/Dean.

Students who are continually being withdrawn will be followed up by the Deans, who will liaise with parents /caregivers as necessary to set up a meeting aimed at resolving the problem.

OUTRAGEOUS CLASSROOM BEHAVIOUR

It is the right of every student to learn unhindered by others. Outrageous classroom behaviour is wilful, deliberate and makes continuation of a lesson difficult while the student is still present. The behaviour could include:

• Direct abuse of/swearing at the teacher
• Ongoing defiance of teacher request or instruction
• Endangering the safety of others
• Being a harmful example to other students
• Vandalism
• Refusal to go to a withdrawal room when instructed to do so
• Refusing to comply with a teacher’s instructions in a withdrawal room.

In such instances the students should be immediately and directly referred to one of the deans for their year level, who will refer the matter to a member of the Senior Administration. The staff member will need to provide written accounts of the incident to the dean as soon as practical after the lesson. The dean/senior administrator will collect a written account from the student in each instance. Some kinds of outrageous behaviour may result in stand-down or suspension.

Since a legal ruling in 2007, schools have not been in a position to state fixed penalties for specific offences, as each student’s circumstances must be taken into consideration. Any incident that is likely to attract a stand down or suspension is discussed by the senior management team, so that the school’s response has been tested and weighed by several people.

Range of possible responses	Staff Member Responsible
Student withdrawn for at least duration of lesson Parents notified Consequences could include one or more of: restorative meeting; letter of apology to staff/class. Student to make up missed work; withdrawal from subject lessons for a specified period; community service; detention/s Referral to counsellor/assessment/anger management etc (optional)	Incident manager – Dean/HOD
Restorative meeting/student withdrawn from subject/classes until contract regarding required behaviour change is established with staff member making referral. Letter to parent Family meeting (optional) Referral to counsellor/anger management (optional)	Dean/HODSenior/Junior Dean
Letter to parent Restorative meeting between affected parties Family meeting re breach of contract and continual disobedience and offer of referral to counsellor/anger management/educational programme where appropriate Student withdrawn from subject/classes until a behaviour management plan is agreed by student, parent and staff.	Deans/Senior Admin/Guidance.
Letter to parent Family conference to hear options available including restorative processes/stand-down/ suspension	Convened by member of the principals’ team.

 DAILY REPORTS

Form Teacher’s Report

Form Teachers who are concerned about the progress or behaviour of a student can put them on a daily report to get an indication of how the student is performing in all their subjects. This is usually carried out after consultation with teachers, deans and caregivers.

The procedure for any staff member putting a student on a daily report is as follows;

1. Collect a Form Teacher’s report from the School Office. Notify appropriate Dean (an email with name, form, and reason should be sufficient)
2. Contact the student’s caregiver by phone. This is most important.
3. Fill in, on the report, when and where the student is to report, and to whom.
4. Make sure the student understands the procedure and consequences, as explained on the back of each report.
5. Deal with any offences.
6. If a student on a Form Teacher’s report offends for the third time, the consequence is being put on a Dean’s report. You will need to discuss this with the Dean.
7. All completed Form Teacher reports must go to the student’s file in the office.
8. Professional judgement will determine how long a student stays on report. If a student returns to school after being stood down or suspended, they will be put on a Principal’s report by the appropriate Senior Admin member to monitor their behaviour.

Deans’ Report

• Contact made with caregiver (possible meeting)
• Signed daily by Dean, teachers and caregiver/s
• Possible optional counsellor session
• Possible internal removal from class
• Incomplete or unsatisfactory behaviour may result in detentions and escalation to a Junior/Senior Deans’ Report

Junior/Senior Dean’s Report

• Meeting with student, caregivers, teachers and Dean
• Signed daily by Dean, teachers and caregivers
• Possible internal removal from class
• Possible removal from cultural and sporting activities short term
• Referred to weekly welfare meeting
• Incomplete or unsatisfactory behaviour may result in detentions and escalation to a Principal’s Report

Principal’s Report (Senior Management)

• Meeting with student, caregivers and Deputy Principal/Assistant Principal
• Signed daily by Senior Management, teachers and caregivers
• Possible internal stand down
• Possible removal from fields/grounds at break times
• Possible removal from cultural and sporting activities short term
• Incomplete or unsatisfactory behaviour may result in an escalation to possible stand down or suspension

BREACHES OF SCHOOL RULES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

All staff members are responsible for enforcing school rules. Outside classroom offences could include:

• Vandalism/tagging
• Unsafe behaviour
• Being out of school without a pass
• Behaving in a way that brings the school into disrepute
• Fighting
• Smoking* (see procedure following)
• Drugs or alcohol

Staff may use their discretion in dealing with breaches of school rules inside and outside the classroom. A warning may be an appropriate action for minor offences. At the other extreme, possession and/or consumption of drugs or alcohol are serious breaches of the rules and will usually result in standdown/suspension.

Likely or Possible Action/s	Staff Member Responsible
Consequences could include:Restorative processPicking up litter Community service Detention/s for being out of school without a pass	Teacher
Principal’s detentionContact with parentStudent enters into contract with Dean (Dean’s Report)	Dean
Restorative processFamily meeting re breach of contract and continual disobedience and offer of counselling or educational programme, Referral to counsellor where appropriate	Senior Admin/Senior Dean/Junior Dean/Guidance
Restorative processFamily conference to consider options available including stand-down/ suspension	Convened by member of the  principals’ team.

SMOKING PROCEDURES*

Note: Smoking is illegal on any school property in New Zealand. It is both a school and a legal offence.

If a student is caught smoking or in possession of cigarettes while in school uniform, whether on school property or not, the process is:

1st Offence

The student is referred to the Dean who makes a phone call to the caregivers and student receives a detention. A formal letter is sent home. The student is offered quit programme/counselling. The incident is recorded on Kamar by the Dean.

2nd Offence

The student is referred to the Dean who calls the caregivers in for a meeting at which a second fromal letter is given and counselling aimed at stopping smoking is offered to the student. A Principal’s Detention is issued to the student. Recorded on Kamar.

3rd Offence

Deans refer the student to Senior Management. Students should expect a stand down as a likely consequence. Recorded on Kamar.

These offences would usually be viewed within a calendar year.

Note: In some cases, standing with a group of students where cigarettes are being consumed will be deemed a smoking offence. Students are expected to have nothing whatsoever to do with smoking.

BULLYING/HARASSMENT

Hutt Valley High School expects all students to behave with courtesy, consideration and respect towards adults and each other so that all on the High School campus can work and learn in a safe, positive and encouraging environment.

Bullying/harassment is defined as follows:

“Bullying/harassment is comprised of direct behaviours such as teasing, taunting, unwelcome or offensive sexual attention, threatening, hitting and stealing that are carried out by one or more individuals against another person. Bullying may also be more indirect by spreading rumours and/or causing an individual to be isolated through intentional exclusion. A key component of bullying is that the physical or physiological intimidation creates an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse.”

Staff should be alert to evidence of bullying in the school environment and receive complaints without judgement. Staff will convey to students the seriousness with which bullying is regarded both when receiving complaints or when observing possible indications of bullying.

There is a group of contact staff and students from whom help can be sought. They will give confidential support and advice on what courses of action are available. Posters around the school give their names.

Hutt Valley High School does not and will not accept bullying behaviour which could include teasing, taunting, unwelcome or offensive sexual attention, threatening, hitting, stealing, spreading rumours, intentional exclusion, actions that create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse, text bullying (electronic harassment) or internet harassment.

All staff members are responsible for acting on reports or direct observation of bullying without judgement. Any issues should always be discussed with the year deans, with whom a plan to deal with the peoblem will be determined.

Serious incidents or allegations of serious bullying must be referred by deans to the Senior Management immediately. The matter will be investigated and appropriate action taken by Senior Management. 

Possible Action/s	Staff Member Responsible
Victim’s parents and bully’s parents contacted. Incident investigated, with process noted via Incident Report for HVHS Senior Management Team. Mediation with follow-up two weeks later. Offence recorded on bully’s record. Reference on victim’s record. Dean reports matter to Welfare Meeting, which includes notification to counsellors and principal.	Form Teacher/ Dean
Victim’s parents and bully’s parents contacted. Incident investigated, with process noted via Incident Report for HVHS Senior Management Team. Restorative process set up. Offence recorded on bully’s record. Reference on victim’s record. Family meeting (optional). In some instances programme or class changes might be made (optional). Offence recorded on bully’s record. Reference on victim’s record. Dean reports matter to Welfare Meeting, which includes notification to counsellors, who will normally have been involved in the process above, and principal.	Dean, liaising with senior management
Victim’s parents and bully’s parents contacted. Incident investigated, with process noted via Incident Report for HVHS Senior Management Team. Restorative process set up. Pathway discussed by senior staff including principal. All directions explored, including possible stand-down or suspension. Family meeting with offer of counselling or educational programme. All directions explored, including possible stand-down or suspension. Offence recorded on bully’s record. Reference on victim’s record. Report to Welfare Meeting, which includes notification to counsellors, who will normally have been involved in process above.	Dean/Senior Management/Principal

 CYBER BULLYING/HARASSMENT

Cyber bullying can create severe harm, and should always be treated seriously.

The following information is adapted from Ian Lillico of Boys Forward (www.boysforward.com.au).

 Many teens who cyberbully:

• Don’t think it is a big deal
• Don’t think about the consequences
• Are encouraged by friends
• Think everybody does cyber-bullying
• Think they won’t get caught

Those who are cyberbullied often react by:

• Blocking communications with the cyber-bully
• Deleting messages without reading them
• Talk to a friend about the bullying
• Report the problem to an Internet Service Provider or website moderator

Advice for parents:

• The natural response is to ‘pull the plug’, to remove kids from the source of bullying. This is a grave error as the technology is fundamental to the way modern children communicate. This may mean that the child will not then tell the parent when they are bullied, for fear of losing their computer, mobile phone etc. Being taken offline is social death!
• Keep the computer in a common area.
• Report any problems to the appropriate service.
• Learn how computers and the internet work.

 Ten steps to stop cyber bullying

1. Students should tell an adult if they have been cyber-bullied or know of any others who have been cyber-bullied. They should report it to their parents, teacher or the police.
2. Parents of children who have been bullied should send only positive texts and emails to their children, and on a regular basis.
3. Parents should look for signs their child might be a victim of cyber-bullying – including nightmares, avoiding school, acting sad or withdrawn, suddenly showing disinterest in computers or rapidly switching screens.
4. Parents should keep computers used by children in common areas of the home and NOT in bedrooms.
5. Parents should discuss bullying with their children and encourage them to report incidents.
6. Any bullying emails, texts etc should always be saved as evidence.
7. Parents should not respond directly to the source of the bullying. That only broadens the problem and can trigger an escalation from a problem affecting students to one affecting two sets of parents, as well.
8. Parents should instruct their children:
   a   Don’t respond to the detail of bully’s messages;
   b   If messages continue, take a break then reply strongly telling the sender to stop;
   c   Block / filter all future messages (see advice below);
   d   If necessary, change their email address, account, username or phone number.
9. Students should be told NEVER give out any private information or say anything in a chat room they would not want to be made public. They should not post any compromising image of themselves onto any electronic medium.
10. Families should file complaints with internet service providers and mobile phone companies – misuse is a clear violation of their ‘terms of use’.

 Further information

There are a number of very good websites offering advice and information regarding cyber-bullying.

www.netsafe.org.nz

www.netbasics.org.nz

www.cyberbullying.co.nz

www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/

 Advice to Students:

Popular social networking sites

If you receive threats to hurt you on your networking page you can make a police complaint. Take a screen shot of the abuse (press “Prnt Scrn” or “prt sc” button top right of keyboard), open a blank Word document and then paste (Ctrl V) into the blank document. Save the page somewhere safe, for it is evidence of the offence.

Facebook        Has a “reporting function” that any user can use to report any user, group, page or comment. Facebook will monitor this and remove the offending element where necessary. If the threat involves violence it should be removed straight away. They can be emailed directly on abuse@facebook.com . You should receive a response within 72 hours.

Bebo               Use the “contact us” link to learn how to report abuse. A quick read of the “Terms of Use” will help you decide if you have a case. You can also go directly to the violator’s homepage and click on “Report Abuse” which is directly below their main photo.

Myspace         Has a form to be filled in if you suspect their Terms of Use have been broken. Myspace also has cyberbullying pages, pages about other users pretending to be you and a Parents and Family Guide. Use the search function to find these.

MSN                You can block people who are harassing you by pressing “Tools”, “Options”, “Block”. This will block the person from knowing you are online or being able to talk to you.

If you want to lay a complaint about somebody it may be useful to include exactly which terms of use have been breached, and include your evidence.

 Email abuse

If you are harassed by email then the first thing you can do is block the sender’s emails from coming into your address. Use your email’s “Help” section for this. If you want to go further you can report the sender to their email provider. Forward the email to the abuse team at the email provider:

abuse@yahoo.com

abuse@hotmail.com.

If you are not sure what the address is for the abuse team of a provider then go to www.abuse.net/lookup.phtml .

 Text bullying

If you are being text bullied, stop replying straight away. Make a list of the exact times and dates you received at least four of the unwanted texts. Call your mobile phone company’s customer service centre.

Vodafone         The charge is refunded for calls about harassment and bullying. Call 777 from your mobile. If you are short on credit and have the four unreplied to texts, then text “bully” to 4001 and someone will call you back within two working days.

Telecom          Call 0800 809 806 between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

TelstraClear    0800 299 500

2degrees         200 from your mobile or 0800 022 022.

If the messages include threats to hurt you physically the sender is breaking the law. Save the messages, show them to the police and ask to make a formal complaint. You can also make a complaint to your mobile company.