St. Joseph High School
Student Code of Conduct
It is our belief that students of a St. Joseph High School are major partners in the creation of an effective learning environment. To this end, students and staff in our school work each day to establish and maintain a welcoming, caring, respectful, and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging within our school.
Students are expected to contribute to the positive nature of the school by acting in a mature manner. The atmosphere we create is suitable for motivated, independent people who want to further themselves by taking advantage of the educational opportunities we offer. Students are expected to follow at all times the behaviours outlined below which are modeled on a daily basis by our staff. The statements below are not an exhaustive list:
Acceptable Standards of Behaviour
Student expectations:
- show respect for the rights, property, and safety of themselves and others
- accept personal responsibility for their behaviour
- demonstrate socially appropriate behaviour
- respect and appreciate diversity of all school members regardless of their race, culture, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability or mental disability, mental illness, age, national or aboriginal origin, socio-economic status, or appearance
- treat school property and the property of others with a reasonable standard of respect
- refrain from visiting other schools during the school day
- attend regularly and punctually
- show respect for the roles and responsibilities of students, principals, teachers, parents, volunteers, and the school board
- demonstrate respect for the learning environment of the school and the classroom and school activities and events
- demonstrate and promote positive behaviour through the avoidance of all types of violence
- use information and communications technology, including the Internet, digital resources, and e-communication, and all forms of social media in a responsible and acceptable manner
- refrain from all forms of bullying and cyberbullying, intimidation, racism, and discrimination
- refrain from the possession of any weapons
- refrain from the use of items as weapons intended to harm another person or themselves
- refrain from the possession of, or being under the influence of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and vaping products, and all other forms of intoxicants on school property
- Refrain from plagiarizing another student's work. Plagiarism refers to:
- the presentation of the work of another person, in whatever form, as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement;
- the contribution by one student to another student of work with the knowledge that the latter may submit the work in part or in whole as his or her own;
- unauthorized collaboration between students;
Each student at St. Joseph High School must fully understand the importance of and take personal responsibility for following the acceptable standards of behaviour. It is the expectation of our school that students understand and fully comply with Section 31 of the Education Act. The Act clearly states that students must realize that they will be held accountable for unacceptable conduct whether or not the behaviours occur outside of the school building or school day and electronically (e.g. any form of social media), if the conduct negatively affect a member of the school or interferes with the overall school environment. While school staff are not able to control what students do outside of school, where that behaviour spills into the school environment, there may be consequences for that behaviour.
Failure to comply with Section 31 of the Education Act may lead to consequences for students. Identified unacceptable behaviour will take into account the student's age, maturity, and individual circumstances. The specific circumstances of any situation will be investigated fully and an appropriate consequence will be applied to each situation. The full range of possible consequences will be communicated to affected students deemed to be participating in unacceptable behaviour. In all cases, the final decision of any disciplinary action taken rests with the principal or designate of the school. In cases of extreme behaviours the student may be referred to Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools for transfer or expulsion from the school or district.
References:
Education Act
Alberta Human Rights Act
Red Deer Catholic Administrative Procedure 362 https://www.rdcrs.ca/download/133877