Provincial Code of Conduct
The Provincial Code of Conduct is mandated by the Government of
Ontario and applies to all students.
A school should be a place that promotes responsibility, respect,
civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching
environment. A positive school climate exists when all members of
the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. All
students, parents, teachers, and staff members have the right to be
safe, and to feel safe, in their school community. With this right
comes the responsibility to contribute to a positive school climate.
The promotion of strategies and initiatives such as Student Success
and character development, along with the employment of prevention
and intervention strategies to address inappropriate behaviour,
fosters a positive school climate that supports academic achievement
for all students.
The provincial Code of Conduct sets clear provincial standards of
behaviour. These standards of behaviour apply not only to students,
but also to all individuals involved in the publicly funded school
system – parents, volunteers, teachers, and other staff members –
whether they are on school property, on school buses, at
school-related events or activities, or in other circumstances that
could have an impact on the school climate. Responsible citizenship
involves appropriate participation in the civic life of the school
community.
Active and engaged citizens are aware of their rights, but more
importantly, they accept responsibility for protecting their rights
and the rights of others.
Guiding Principles &
Purposes of the Code
All members of the
school community are:
- To be treated with
respect and dignity, especially persons in positions of authority
- To promote
responsible citizenship by encouraging appropriate participation
in the civic life of the school community
- To maintain an
environment where conflict and difference can be addressed in a
manner characterized by respect and civility
- To encourage the
use of non-violent means to resolve conflict
- To promote the
safety of people in the schools
- To discourage the
use of alcohol and illegal drugs.
Roles & Responsibilities
School boards provide
direction to their schools to ensure opportunity, academic
excellence, and accountability in the education system. It is the
responsibility of school boards to:
- develop policies
that set out how their schools will implement and enforce the
Provincial Code of Conduct and all other rules that they develop
that are related to the provincial standards that promote and
support respect, civility, responsible citizenship, and safety;
- seek input from
School Councils, their Parent Involvement Committee, their Special
Education Advisory Committee, parents, students, staff members and
the school community;
- review these
policies regularly with students, staff, parents, volunteers and
the community;
- establish a
process that clearly communicates the Provincial Code of Conduct
and school board codes of conduct to all parents, students, staff
members and members of the school community in order to obtain
their commitment and support;
- ensure an
effective intervention strategy and response to all infractions
related to the standards for respect, civility, responsible
citizenship and safety;
- provide
opportunities for all staff to acquire the knowledge, skills and
attitudes necessary to develop and maintain academic excellence in
a safe learning and teaching environment;
- wherever possible,
boards should collaborate to provide coordinated prevention and
intervention programs and services and should endeavour to share
effective practices.
Principals
Principals, under the
direction of their school board, take a leadership role in the daily
operation of a school. They provide this leadership by:
- demonstrating care
for the school community and a commitment to academic excellence
in a safe teaching and learning environment
- holding everyone,
under their authority, accountable for their behaviour and
actions;
- empowering
students to be positive leaders in their school and community;
- communicating
regularly and meaningfully with all members of their school
community.
Teachers & Other School
Staff Members
Teachers and school
staff, under the leadership of their principals, maintain order in
the school and are expected to hold everyone to the highest standard
of respectful and responsible behaviour. As role models, staff
upholds these high standards when they:
- help students work
to their full potential and develop their self-worth;
- empower students
to be positive leaders in their classroom, school, and community;
- communicate
regularly and meaningfully with parents;
- maintain
consistent standards of behaviour for all students;
- demonstrate
respect for all students, staff, parents, volunteers, and the
members of the school community;
- prepare students
for the full responsibilities of citizenship.
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
themselves, for others 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
action.
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 fulfill their role
when they:
- show an active
interest in their child’s school 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;
- promptly report 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
The police play an
essential role in making our schools and communities safer.
Police investigate incidents in accordance with the protocol
developed with the local school board. These protocols are based on
a provincial model developed by the Ministry of the Solicitor
General and the Ministry of Education.
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