Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an approach to teaching and supporting positive behaviors. This school-wide approach focuses on building a safe and positive environment in which ALL students can learn.
Often school discipline focuses mainly on reacting to specific student misbehavior by using punishment based strategies. Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior have been found to be more effective than punishment based discipline plans.
The purpose of school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm. School-wide systems of support include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Research and evidence has found teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is appositive approach and much more effective than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding.
Consequences for Misbehavior
Students receive appropriate and timely consequences for inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate behaviors are categorized as Minor or Major. Minor infractions of school/classroom rules may be resolved with a conference between the student and their teacher.
Students are sent to the office for Repeated Minor or Major offenses. A Repeated Minor is when a student commits a minor behavior infraction, but does so repeatedly (3-4 times) as the teacher repeatedly attempts to help the student change the behavior. Based on the teacher’s judgment, this may be during the course of a single lesson, day, or week. If the teacher’s efforts are not successful, the student may be sent to the office for an Office Discipline Referral (ODR)
Student Suspension
Suspension is a traditional consequence for misbehavior and students may be suspended from school due to ongoing or severely inappropriate behaviors. However, compared to alternate strategies for minimizing and preventing future misbehavior suspension, in many instances, is not the most effective strategy. At Sprucewood Elementary, we use a variety of consequences to address misbehavior. Consequences are determined by first gathering as much information about the student and the behavior incident. To select the appropriate consequence, the goal is to provide a fair structure specific to the student with the greatest likelihood for preventing future occurrences. Student consequences are not a punitive act or retribution.
When gathering information, we often seek input from the parents and hope to work in partnership to support all students involved. A difficult challenge yet important challenge in this process is maintaining student privacy. School faculty and staff will only discuss matters of the incident specific to your child.
Three considerations taken into account when determining if suspension is appropriate:
- What response is most likely to change the student’s behavior?
- What response will best communicate to the student and family the seriousness of the behavior?
- What response will help other students at school feel safe?
Substantial Disruption and Dangerous Conduct
For Complete Policy Refer to Canyons School District Board Policy 500.2-3
Substantial Disruption and Dangerous Conduct is conduct for which suspension shall or may be imposed, and is prohibited on school property, at school-sponsored activities, or while traveling in school-funded or school-dispatched vehicles (e.g., buses).
Hazing and Bullying
For Complete Policy Refer to Canyons School District Board Policy 500.2-7
Hazing and bullying activities are abusive and illegal behaviors that harm victims and negatively impact the school environment.
Canyons School District strictly prohibits any student or school employee from engaging individually or collectively in any form of hazing or bullying on school property, in conjunction with any school activity, or involving any person associated with a school activity regardless of where it occurs. Students or school employees who initiate, promote, and/or engage in hazing, bullying, cyberbullying, or retaliation activities will face disciplinary action, up to and including suspension, expulsion, loss of participation in extracurricular activities, probation, and/or termination of employment. In addition, conduct that may rise to the level of suspect criminal activity will be referred to law enforcement.
Bullying: means a school employee or student intentionally committing a written, verbal, or physical act against a school employee or student that a reasonable person under the circumstances should know or reasonably foresee will have the effect of:
- causing physical or emotional harm to the school employee or student;
- causing damage to the school employee’s or student’s property;
- placing the school employee or student in reasonable fear of:
- harm to the school employee’s or student’s physical or emotional well-being; or
- damage to the school employee’s or student’s property;
- creating a hostile, threatening, humiliating, or abusive educational environment due to:
- the pervasiveness, persistence, or severity of the actions; or
- a power differential between the bully and the target; or
- substantially interfering with a student having a safe school environment that is necessary to facilitate educational performance, opportunities, or benefits.
Hazing: means a school employee or student intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly committing an act or causing another individual to commit and act toward a school employee that:
- endangers the physical health or safety of a school employee or student
- involves any brutality of a physical nature, including whipping, beating, branding, calisthenics, bruising, electric shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or exposure to the elements;
- involves consumption of any food, alcoholic product, drug, or other substance; or other physical activity that engenders the physical health and safety of a school employee or student; or
- involves activity that would subject a school employee or student to extreme mental stress, such as sleep deprivation, extended isolation from social contact, or conduct that subjects a school employee or student to extreme embarrassment, shame, or humiliation; and
- is committed for the purpose of initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, holding office in, or as a condition for, membership or acceptance, or continued membership or acceptance, in any school or school sponsored team, organization, program, club or event; or
- is directed toward a school employee or student who the individual who commits the act knows, at the time the act is committed, is a member of, or candidate for membership in, a school or school sponsored team, organization, program, club, or event in which the individual who commits the act also participates.
- The conduct in 7.2-7.2.6, constitutes hazing, regardless of whether the school employee or student against whom the conduct is committed, directed, consented to, or acquiesced in, the conduct.
Cyberbullying: means using the Internet, a cell phone, or another device to send or post text, video, or an image with the intent or knowledge, or with reckless disregard, that the text, video, or image will hurt, embarrass, or threaten an individual, regardless of whether the individual directed, consented to, or acquiesced in the conduct, or voluntarily accessed the electronic communication.
Retaliate: means an act or communication intended as retribution against a person for reporting bullying, hazing, harassment, or cyberbullying, or to improperly influence the investigation of, or the response to, a report of bullying or hazing.
Student Dress Code Standards
For Complete Policy Refer to Canyons School District Board Policy 500.2-8
Students shall dress in a manner suitable to the day’s activities consistent with the standards of health, safety, and acceptable behavior.
Student clothing and accessories must not present a health or safety hazard or distraction, which would disrupt the educational mission.
Dress code standards prohibit: immodest or suggestive clothing; apparel advocating illegal or inappropriate behavior or language; head wear; gang symbols; disruptive apparel; and unsafe apparel.
- Students shall not wear clothes that are mutilated, cut off, or immodest. (e.g., short shorts, mini-skirts, bare midriffs, halter-tops, spaghetti straps, tank shirts, or similar clothing).
- Clothing shall cover the midriff, underwear, backs, and cleavage at all times. Skirts, dresses and shorts must be at least mid-thigh length or longer when seated.
The student dress code standards include, but are not limited to the following:
- All students shall wear clean clothing.
- Shoes shall be worn at all times to ensure personal safety and hygiene.
- Items that disrupt the educational mission shall not be allowed.
- Clothing that may draw undue attention, disrupt, interfere with or pose a health or safety issue to the learning atmosphere, shall not be allowed.
- Items which bear advertising, promotions and likeness of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs or which are contrary to the educational mission, shall not be allowed.
- Personal items such as clothing, paraphernalia, jewelry, backpacks, gym bags, water bottles, etc., shall be free of writing, pictures, or any other insignias, which are crude, vulgar, profane, violent, or sexually suggestive.
- Gang-related clothing, colors, and paraphernalia shall not be allowed in school or activities. School officials will determine what constitutes “gang” clothing, colors, and paraphernalia after consultation with law enforcement agencies as needed.
- Hats of any kind are not allowed within the building except as part of an approved activity, or for religious or medical purposes.
- Students shall comply with the laws that govern wearing military uniforms and insignias (Title 10) USC § 771-772, and Army Regulations 670 1 §29-4.
Accommodations will be made for students whose religious beliefs are substantially affected by dress code requirements.
School officials may require students to wear certain types of clothing for health and safety reasons in connection with certain specialized activities.
Students who violate dress code provisions may be subject to student discipline and due process procedures must be followed.
Cell Phones and Other Valuable Property
Possession of a cell phone is a privilege that may be forfeited by any student that uses the phone inappropriately. The school and District will not be responsible for preventing theft, loss of or damage to cell phones brought to school. Cell phones may not be used during classroom time, instructional activities or field trips. Phones must remain off during these times and stored in a backpack. In addition, if the device becomes a distraction it will be taken away for the day (like all items causing distractions) and given back to the student at the end of the day.
If parents permit their student to bring their devices to school the following procedures must be followed.
- Devices must be off during the school day.
- Devices may only be used before and after school outside the building.
Electronic Devices
Electronic devices are prohibited at school. Students and parents must assume the risk if a student brings an electronic device to school. The school will not be responsible for lost or stolen electronic device. Any use of an electronic device that exploits personal information, disrupts the educational process, invades personal privacy or compromises the integrity of educational programs is strictly prohibited. Students violating these guidelines will receive appropriate consequences.
