Discipline Policy
Respect | Responsibility | Safety
PES Discipline Policy
School Discipline – A Brief Overview
According to Educator Ruth Charney, “The word discipline is derived from the Latin root discipline, meaning learning. It needs to be associated with positive acts and feats of learning, rather than negatively associated with punishment. Teaching discipline requires two fundamental elements: empathy and structure. Empathy helps us know the child, to perceive his/her needs, to hear what he/she is trying to say. Structure helps us set guidelines and provide necessary limits.”
PREMISES – Our Approach to Discipline
· Goal is to help children develop behaviors most conducive to learning
· Children need to share in responsibility and decision-making that affects their education
· External discipline leads to internal discipline - self- discipline - which becomes foundation for self- approval and self acceptance
· Discipline is encouraged by an orderly classroom
· Discipline is a form of instruction (not viewed as punishment); individual needs sometimes dictate individual programs
SCHOOL VALUES – Established by Universal Team (a representative group of staff)
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Safety
BEHAVIOR MATRIX – All Children and Staff Contributed
- What values look like in various school settings
PROACTIVE STRATEGIES – Recognizing Positive Behaviors and Addressing Negative Behaviors
- Reinforcing – noticing and encouraging
- Reminding – helping to remember
- Redirecting – focus on rules and expectations
LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES – Means to Respond to Inappropriate Behaviors
- You break it, you fix it
- Abuse a privilege, lose a privilege
- Take a break (thinking time)
TAKE A BREAK – Thinking Time
- Minor disturbance or offense
- Time out from activity
- Opportunity to reflect on behavior
TAKE A BUDDY BREAK – Removal from Classroom
- Serious disturbance or offense
- Failure to take break in orderly, respectful manner
- Excluded from classroom entirely
- Must demonstrate readiness to rejoin activity (typically 5-10 minutes)
- Discussion of behavior, reflection, alternatives
BACK ON TRACK – Student Support Center
- More serious disturbance or offense
- Continuation of misbehavior in buddy room
- Out of control
- Willful power struggle
- Must demonstrate readiness to rejoin activity, make apology of action, meet behavioral expectations
- Sending teacher makes parent contact
SCHOOL SUSPENSION – Exclusion from School
- Gross misconduct
- Refusal to conform to the reasonable rules of the school
- Suspension decision made by school administration
- Re-entry meeting required
- Re-entry meeting includes parent and adult involved
Maintaining high standards of student discipline in school that allow for optimal teaching and learning represents a significant challenge for us all. The understanding and support of our community have been important in this work and is greatly appreciated by our P.E.S. staff.