To ensure safe, caring and inclusive schools, there is a board-wide Code of Conduct. In addition, each school has their own Code of Conduct. For the specific school code of conduct, students and parents can contact their school or go to the school website.

Code of Conduct for Safe and Accepting Schools

DOWNLOAD HDSB CODE OF CONDUCT (PDF)​

A Shared Responsibility

When staff, students and parents/guardians work together to keep their school safe, it has a powerful impact on the culture and climate of the school. Each partner has an important contribution to make towards the establishment of a positive school climate in which all members of the school community feel safe, included, accepted, and actively promote positive behaviours and interactions.

The s​chool’s responsibility:

• Provide a safe, caring, equitable and inclusive learning environment free from distractions

• Teach and model positive behaviour and good citizenship

• Teach acceptance of and respect for others

• Foster open, honest communication

• Help students work to their full potential and develop their sense of self-worth

• Maintain consistent standards of behaviour for all students

• Integrate bullying prevention strategies ​throughout the curriculum in daily classroom teaching and school activities

• Notify parents/guardians of students who have been harmed, and students who are believed to have caused harm

• Provide support for students who have been harmed, students who have witnessed harmful behaviors and students who have caused harm

• Prepare students for the full responsibility of citizenship​

The student’s responsibility:

• Practice honesty and integrity

• Exercise self-control and self-discipline

• Refrain from bringing anything to school that may compromise the safety of others

• Refrain from bringing to school tobacco or vaping paraphernalia​

• ​Come to school prepared, on time, and ready to learn

• Be engaged in the school community

• Show respect for self, others and school property

• Treat others with kindness and dignity

• Report real or perceived bullying incidents to an adult or school staff member

• Report activities motivated by bias, prejudice or hate to an adult or school staff member

• Adhere to the Responsible Use Procedure for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) regarding the use of person electronic devices in school/classroom​​

The parent’s/guardian's responsibility:

• ​Understand the Board Code of Conduct and the Provincial Code of Conduct

• Encourage and assist your child in following the rules of behaviour

• Encourage and assist your child to attend school regularly and on time

• Show an active interest in your child’s academic and social development

• Talk with your child about how they can contribute to keeping their school a safe and inclusive place

• Be a positive role model for your child

• Assist your school’s staff in dealing with disciplinary issues involving your child

• Refrain from disrespectful conduct that includes but is not limited to:​

  • ​excessive demands for meetings or unreasonable communication requests

  • making derogatory/insulting comments to staff

  • shouting/swearing at staff

  • bullying/gossiping​​​​

​Progressive Discipline

Progressive Discipline is a whole school approach using a continuum of interventions, support and consequences that include opportunities for reinforcing positive behaviour and helping students make good choices.​

When a student behaves inappropriately, the following are taken into consideration before any consequences are applied:

• The particular student and mitigating factors

• The nature and severity of the behaviour

• The impact on the school climate

• The impact on the student harmed

• The relationships within the school community

Activities leading to a possible suspension:​

• Uttering (verbalizing, writing or sending) a threat to inflict serious bodily harm on another person

• Possessing alcohol, cannabis (unless the recipient is an individual who has been authorized to use cannabis for medical purposes) or illegal drugs. ​

• Being under the influence of alcohol or cannabis

• Swearing at a teacher or at another person in a position of authority

• Committing an act of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property at the student's school or to property located on the premises of the student's school

• Bullying (physical, social, verbal or cyber)​

• Disorderly conduct, persistent opposition to authority, conduct injurious to the moral tone of the school or to the physical or mental well-being of others in the school

• Possession or use of explosive devices, including fireworks

• Fire setting, initiating a false alarm, making a bomb threat ​or an act that places individuals, property or community at risk

• Extortion

• Harassment

• Hate crimes

• Smoking or vaping on school property

• Theft

• Vandalism of school or Board property

• Reckless or dangerous use of a vehicle (e.g. car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.) on school property

Activities leading to a suspension and possible expulsion:​

• Possessing a weapon, including possessing a firearm​

• Using a weapon to cause or to threaten bodily harm to another person

• Committing physical assault on another person that causes bodily harm requiring treatment by a medical practitioner

• Committing sexual assault

• Trafficking in weapons, illegal or restricted drugs

• Committing robbery

• Giving alcohol or cannabis to a minor

• Bullying if the pupil has previously been suspended for engaging in bullying and the pupil’s continuing presence in the school creates an unacceptable risk to the safety of another person​

• Any activity listed the Education Act Subsection 306 (1) that is motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other similar factor

• An act considered by the principal to be significantly injurious to the moral tone of the school and/or the physical or mental well-being of others

• A pattern of behaviour that is so inappropriate that the student’s continued presence is injurious to the effective learning and/or working environment of others​

• Activities engaged in by the student, on or off school property, that cause the student's continuing presence in the school to create an unacceptable risk to the physical or mental well-being of other person(s) in the school or Board

• Activities engaged in by the student, on or off school property, that have caused extensive damage to the property of the Board, or to goods that are/were on Board property

Mitigating factors that must be considered:

• Does the student have the ability to control their behaviour?

• Does the student have the ability to understand the foreseeable consequences of their behaviour?

• Does the student’s continuing presence in the school create an unacceptable risk to the safety of any person?

• Has a progressive discipline approach been used with the student?

• Was the student’s inappropriate behaviour related to any harassment of the student because of race, colour, ethnic origin, place of origin, religion, creed, disability, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or harassment for any other reason?

• Does the consequence affect the student’s ongoing education?

• Was the student’s age a factor?

• For a student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or disability-related needs:

  • Is the behaviour a characteristic of the developmental and physical disability?​

  • Have appropriate accommodations been made?

  • Is the consequence likely to aggravate or worsen the behaviour or conduct?

Standards of Behaviour​

Respect, Civility and Responsible Citizenship

All members of the school community must:

• Respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal laws

• Demonstrate honesty and integrity

• Respect differences in people, their ideas, and opinions

• Treat one another with dignity and respect at all times and especially when there is a disagreement

• Respect and treat others fairly, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability

• Respect the rights of others

• Show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others

• Take appropriate measures to help those in need

• Seek assistance from a member of the school staff, if necessary, to resolve conflict peacefully

• Respect all members of the school community, especially persons in positions of authority

• Respect the need of others to work in an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching, including by ensuring that personal mobile devices are only used during instructional time for the educational and other permitted purposes.​

• Not swear at a teacher or at another person in a position of authority​

Safety

All members of the school community must not:

• Engage in bullying behaviours

• Commit sexual assault

• Traffic in weapons or illegal or drugs

• Give alcohol or cannabis to a minor

• Commit robbery

• Be in possession of any weapon, including firearms

• Use any object to threaten or intimidate another person

• Cause injury to any person with an object

• Be in possession of, or be under the influence of, or provide others with alcohol, cannabis or illegal drugs

• Inflict or encourage others to inflict bodily harm on another person

• Engage in hate propaganda and other forms of behaviour motivated by hate or bias

• Commit an act of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property or to property located on the premises of the school​

Questions about Safe Schools and the Board’s Code of Conduct, including the application of progressive discipline, suspensions, expulsions, and matters pertaining to student safety should be directed to:

Jonathan Shoss

System Principal, Safe and Inclusive Schools

​shossj@hdsb.ca