George Jay’s CODE OF CONDUCT
2024 – 2025 (reviewed June 2024)

A caring, respectful environment that supports learning for all

Our code of conduct highlights a child-focused lens.  Students co-constructed the criteria to build and understand their rights and responsibilities.  Check out the Student Code of Conduct.

Our multicultural school population has a wide range of beliefs and assumptions with respect to socially responsible behaviors. A respectful, and safe school is the foundation for a successful learning community and honors all.

Code of Conduct – Our guiding principles for working together

• Establish and maintain safe and caring learning environments in all school spaces
• Establish and maintain appropriate balances between individual and collective rights, freedoms, and responsibilities
• Clarify and publish expectations for positive student behaviour while at school, while going to and from school, and while attending any school function or activity at any location that is consistent, fair and respectful.
• Restorative Practices respectfully includes and honours everyone.

The students at George Jay Elementary are learning to be responsible global citizens. All students have the right to receive an education in a safe, positive, and caring environment. With these rights,  come responsibilities. We model and teach these rights and responsibilities to all members of our learning community.

 Our Guiding Principles for Working Together are: 

Implementation:

Behaviour expectations outlined in the Code of Conduct are consistently taught and actively promoted. Teachers introduce/review the Code of Conduct with their students at the beginning of the school year and refer to it throughout the year, using a variety of strategies and programs, including:

• Co-constructing criteria for what: taking care of myself, each other and this place looks like at George Jay.
• Engaging in Restorative Practices
• Modelling the behaviours expected from students
• Listening actively and openly
• Using our common language (take care of myself/each other/this place) for problem-solving
• Collaborating around solution-oriented problem-solving
• Acting with compassion

Unacceptable Conduct:

Our guiding principles for working together at George Jay align with the BC Human Rights Code, which prohibits discrimination and discriminatory publications on the basis of an individual’s Race, Colour, Ancestry, Place of Origin, Religion, Marital Status, Family Status, Physical or Mental Disability, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Age. George Jay’s Code of Conduct promotes a climate of understanding and mutual respect where all are equal in dignity and rights.

Unacceptable Conduct is defined as behaviour that:

• Interferes with the learning of others
• Creates unsafe conditions
• Acts of physical violence
• Theft or damage to property
• Possession of anything illegal
• Possession or use of weapons
• Bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, intimidation, threatening behaviours

 Expectations – Guiding Good Choices

• Applying appropriate resolution strategies
• Increasing personal responsibility and self-discipline. Teachers review our guiding principles with students and develop strategies and skills that lead to children making appropriate behaviour choices.
• Involving parent(s)/guardians with the school to plan the necessary strategies and skills to support their child in making good behaviour choices.  When incidences are repeated, a school team will work with parent(s)/guardians to form plans to assist their
• An understanding that all behaviour is communication.

Code of Conduct – Restorative Practices

Guiding principles of school restoration processes are to identify the need behind the behaviour, to bring understanding as to how the behaviour affects self and others. To develop and increase student agency, strategies and skills to appropriately advocate for their needs in peaceful ways.

The results and next steps for not meeting the expectations of the code of conduct will vary according to the severity and frequency of actions.  Whenever possible, restorative practices will be applied to support the children involved.

The focus of restoration is to change behaviour, fix the problem, restore relationships and maintain the dignity of the child.  The restitution model emphasizes working with the student, rather than doing something to the student.  Examples of this are:

• incidence debriefing/restitution
• a member of Student Services will follow up, check in and support students affected
• one-to-one conference with the child (with teacher, counselor, educational assistant, supervisor or administrator)
• meeting with all parties concerned to develop a plan of appropriate restitution
• incidence report home, phone call home and/or conference with parent(s)/guardian(s) and student
• loss of privileges
• suspension (in school/out of school)

Special considerations around the restorative process may apply to students with special needs who are unable to comply with expectations because of complexity due to an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional, or behavioural nature.

Restorative Guiding Questions

Primary:

• What’s bugging you?
• How are you feeling?
• What do you wish for?
• How are you going to make things better?

Intermediate:

When things go wrong …

• What happened?
• What were you thinking at the time?
• What have you thought about since?
• Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?
• What do you think you need to do to make things right?

When someone has been harmed …

• What did you think when you realized what had happened?
• What impact has this incident had on you and others?
• What has been the hardest thing for you?
• What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

The Process

• This process is intended for:
  • Student to student incident – punching, fighting, verbal abuse or any other behaviour that is not rough play.
  • Student to staff incident – student pushes, kicks, hits, bites (i.e. physical contact)
  • Damaging school property – damaging walls, doors, etc., with an aggressive intention (i.e. not an accident)
  • Leaving school property – past the sidewalk area around the school perimeter (i.e. past the school lap for cross country)
• First Incidence: everyone makes mistakes
  • Phone call or E-mail home to the parent(s)/guardian(s) to all students involved by the teacher
  • Incident is documented
  • Admin is notified of incident
  • If appropriate, reflection sheet completed, when student is calm and had time to process events
  • Student(s) harmed will have a conversation with personnel to support next steps (* see Restorative Guiding Questions
  • Consequence (more info below) managed by teacher and EA, if applicable
  • Reflection sheet completed during the day and sent home to be signed – email to follow up informing reflection sheet was sent home.
    • We use Reflection Sheets to help guide this work with our students.
      • Primary Reflection Sheet
      • Intermediate Reflection Sheet
• Second Incidence:
  • Student will not return to class after incident, with the intention that all involved will have time and space so as to engage in the restorative process.
  • Incident is documented via Incident form / summary of incident.
  • Personnel to contact parent(s)/guardian(s) of student who instigated incident for a meeting after school or the next morning (child would be included in the meeting). At meeting Parent(s) / guardian(s) informed of the incident and invited to collaborate on solutions for the next day at school.
  • Admin to contact parent(s)/guardian(s) of students impacted by incident by e-mail/phone.
  • Work provided by classroom teacher for student to do independently in an alternative space
  • If appropriate, recess and lunch will be spent either with their classroom teacher or another supervising adult to engage in the restorative process.
• Third Incidence
  • Repeat steps for “Second Incidence”, however the meeting with parent(s)/guardian(s) will be to discuss next steps to support the process of “making it right” for all people involved and if appropriate additional supports required and actions to be taken.

Note:

The school community and school district will be made aware of serious situations or incidence and will be communicated to about how these issues are being addressed.

Retaliation – the school district will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation against a student who has made a complaint of a breach of a code of conduct.

Consequences – Guiding principles of a school consequence are to identify the inappropriate behaviour, to bring understanding as to how the behaviour affects self and others, and to develop strategies and skills that change the child’s behaviour.
Consequence for violating the code of conduct will vary according to the severity and frequency of actions. Whenever possible, restitution approaches will be applied to support children affected by inappropriate behaviour. The focus of restitution is to change behaviour, fix the problem, restore relationships and maintain the dignity of the child. The restitution model emphasizes working with the student, rather than doing something to the student. Examples of consequences are:
● incident debriefing/restitution
● one-to-one conference with the child (with teacher, counselor, educational assistant, supervisor or administrator)
● meeting with all parties concerned to develop a plan of appropriate restitution
● incident report home, phone call home and/or conference with parent(s) and student
● loss of privileges
● suspension (in school/out of school)
Notification – The school community and school district will be made aware of serious situations or incidents and will be communicated to about how these issues are being addressed.
● police and/or other agencies within the school community will be informed and team together with the school to best address the conflict
● District Crisis Incident Response Team may also be called upon to form a partnership with the school as an intervention resource
Retaliation – the school district will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation against a student who has made a complaint of a breach of a code of conduct

Cell Phones & Personal Digital Devices

A ‘personal digital device’ is a student owned device that can be used to communicate or access the internet, such as a cell phone, tablet, smart watch, gaming device, and/or electronic toy. Earbuds and headphones connected to personal digital devices may also be restricted.

Equity must be considered when using and directing the use of personal digital devices in a manner that is culturally responsive and inclusive. Accommodations such as access to a computer or Chromebook can be made for students without personal digital devices who may need access to the internet to complete schoolwork. The use of personal digital devices may support students with disabilities, diverse abilities, or medical needs as outlined in the student’s support plan and Individual Education Plan and/or other agreed upon plans.

The use of personal digital devices is restricted during instructional hours to facilitate focused learning and promote online safety. It is expected that personal digital devices are always stored out of sight and on silent or airplane mode (this includes recess and lunch). Students are expected to follow protocols set by their school and/or teacher(s).

The use of personal digital devices during instructional hours is at the teacher’s discretion and direction for the purposes of instruction and promoting digital literacy. Instructional time includes classroom settings, assemblies, guest speakers, field trips, and other events organized by school district staff.

The use of personal digital devices outside of instructional hours is not permitted on school grounds, during field trips, or other school activities.

No photos, video, or audio recordings will be taken of students or staff without consent from the individual or the individual’s parent or caregiver for children under the age of 13.

The main office phone at the school may be used to make and receive calls if students and their parent(s) or caregiver(s) need to communicate during the school day.