Walther Lutheran High School Family Handbook

Disciplinary Policies

The Student Code of Conduct explains the philosophy that undergirds the discipline policy of Walther Lutheran High School. St. Paul's admonition to the Corinthians "...for the love of Christ constraineth us..." is equally applicable. This means that cooperation with school regulations is expected in a spirit of Christian love. An overwhelming majority of students at Walther meet the behavioral expectations of their parents and the school. However, where there is a willful disregard and disobedience of school rules and regulations, it is necessary for us to deal with the unacceptable behavior and apply Christian discipline. Enrollment at Walther Lutheran High School is contingent upon agreeing to the regulations of the school.

The Designee of the Principal is charged with the responsibility for managing the overall general disciplinary policy for Walther Lutheran High School. The goals and purposes of this policy are as follows:

Christian Discipline is a positive term. It is preventative wherever possible and attempts to help students cope with problem areas in their maturation process.

The school seeks to demonstrate a Law/Gospel approach to Christian discipline, i.e. that there is forgiveness for wrongful acts but that the consequences for such actions still need to be faced.

The individuality and uniqueness of each situation is realized and the need to do what will benefit the individual must be balanced with what will provide for the common good of students and teachers.

By their signatures on the application form, students agree to abide by the Student Code of Conduct, and likewise, parents agree to be supportive of the same.

DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES: Any acts which are inappropriate at school or school sponsored affairs will result in disciplinary action by school officials. The behaviors listed below are some examples of behaviors that will result in disciplinary and/or legal action for students and visitors:

1. Use of foul, crude, obscene or otherwise un-Christian language.
2. Smoking or possession of tobacco products.
3. Cutting class.
4. Irresponsible or dangerous behavior in the parking lot or street.
5. Repeated expulsion from class for misconduct.
6. Leaving or being off school grounds without permission.
7. Theft of or damage to the property of the school or the property of anyone in attendance at an authorized school function.
8. Truancy as defined in the Attendance Policy.
9. Physical abuse or the threat of physical abuse against any person at any school authorized event; or any other conduct which threatens or endangers the health, safety, spiritual welfare or physical well-being of any such person. All parties involved in a fight will be removed from school as soon as possible and suspended.
10. Possession of, and/or being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, look alike drugs; or the misuse of prescription drugs, either on school grounds or at school activities. Possessing drug paraphernalia (including beepers).
11. Use or possession on school property of firearms, ammunition, knives, fireworks or other dangerous weapons or substances.
12. Repeated disrespect.
13. Interference with or demonstrated disrespect for worship activities sponsored by the school.
14. Cheating/falsifying information/lying.
15. Harassment.
16. Violation of the school’s “Acceptable Use Policy” regarding technology resources.
17. Gambling
18. Any other act deemed by the school administration to be injurious, detrimental or dangerous to the health, safety, spiritual welfare or physical well-being of other persons on school property or present at any school sponsored event.

The following general guidelines reflect the range of possible action from least to most severe. Based on the information available and the judgement of the faculty and administration, appropriate action will be initiated:

1. Warned and advised.
2. Referred to counselor, Principal’s Designee, or Principal.
3. Detention.
4. Parent conference.
5. Suspension (in-school or out-of-school).
6. Administrative withdrawal from class with failing grade.
7. Expulsion.

The disciplinary process at Walther Lutheran High School begins with the teachers. Teachers function “in loco parentis” (in place of parents) while students are under their supervision. They are responsible for general discipline in their classrooms, specific activities which they may supervise and the conduct of students in public areas of the building and grounds. Teachers may assign detentions or other penalties for offenses committed under their supervision.

If a problem reoccurs or goes beyond what can be immediately handled in the classroom, the responsibility for investigating the incident and assigning appropriate penalties rests with the Principal’s Designee. This also applies to offenses occurring in public areas of the building or at extra-curricular activities and, in the case of a serious violation of the Code of Conduct, which occur outside of the school. Parents, teachers, counselors and Principal are notified if the situation warrants.

In serious disciplinary cases, the Principal’s Designee may recommend appropriate measures, including expulsion, to the Principal. The final recommendation on expulsion of a student lies with the Principal, who brings a specific action item to the Board of Directors.

As many of our faculty members live in the communities which Walther serves, they also feel a responsibility to informally advise parents of situations which they may observe in public places which may appear to be harmful or hurtful to students or to the public's image of Walther. In extreme cases, the school reserves the right to proceed with disciplinary action.

Walther students are responsible for the actions and conduct of their guests.

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DETENTION POLICY: Detentions will be assigned to a student as a consequence of inappropriate behavior. Detentions are processed through the Principal’s Designee. Detention Hall is generally held on Monday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00-3:45 p.m. If a student receives a detention, he/she will be scheduled to serve the detention in a timely fashion.

Students are to use detention time to read, write, work or sit quietly and independently at their desk. Anyone found to be disturbing others will be removed from the detention hall and will not receive credit for having served. A removal from detention hall will result in assignment to Saturday Suspension.

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RESCHEDULING DETENTIONS: Detentions will only be rescheduled in extreme circumstances upon parental contact with the Principal’s designee at least one day in advance. A student’s detention will not be rescheduled for extra curricular activities.

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DISCIPLINE POINT SYSTEM: A point system is used in the school-wide discipline system which recognizes that not all detentions are of equal weight as levels of inappropriate behavior. The following point categories are used to identify values to disciplinary consequences:

The following levels are designated in the disciplinary point system:

10 points = Saturday Suspension

15 points = Mandatory parent conference / a disciplinary contract is established*

20 points = 1 day Saturday Suspension

25 points = 2 day Out-of-school Suspension / mandatory parent conference

* At this level and higher, points carry over to 2nd semester of the school year

Additional levels may be developed in a student’s contract at 15 points. The school reserves the right to take additional steps including expulsion in cases of gross misconduct.

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DISCIPLINARY PROBATION: This is an intervention used to outline the steps a student must take to continue as a student at Walther. The contents of this contractual arrangement will be determined by the administration. A conference attended by the parents, student and administration will outline the terms of the Disciplinary Probation. The Board of Directors will be notified of students who have been placed on Disciplinary Probation.

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IN-SCHOOL / OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND SATURDAY SUSPENSION: Students whose pattern of behavior demonstrates a persistent disregard for the student code of conduct may be suspended. Walther reserves the right to in-school or out-of-school suspend students or to assign Saturday suspensions when circumstances merit. Students may be suspended for accumulating tardies, detentions, or for other more severe violations of the Student Code of Conduct. The student will be given written notice of the intention to suspend and the reasons for the suspensions. Students will have the opportunity to discuss the reasons for the suspension and offer explanations regarding his or her actions Parents will be informed of a student suspension as soon as possible by phone or letter and the circumstances surrounding it. An excessive number of suspensions, Saturday, in-school or out-of-school, can constitute sufficient grounds for expulsion. Students are responsible for materials missed during a suspension period. Tests and quizzes will be rescheduled at a mutually agreed upon time. Students serving an out-of-school suspension will not receive credit for work missed.

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SATURDAY SUSPENSION GUIDELINES: Because the school incurs additional cost for supervision of Saturday suspended students, an additional fee of $30.00 will be assessed, payable before or on the day of suspension.

Saturday suspension will begin at 8:00 a.m. and last until 12:15 p.m. Students are to wear clothing in which they can work. Various tasks around the building and grounds (cleaning, light work, etc.) will be assigned. No student may participate in a public performance representing the school on a Saturday on
which he/she has been suspended. Students who fail to serve an assigned Saturday Suspension, without making prior arrangements with the Designee of the Principal in charge of discipline, will be assigned an additional suspension and charged a $10.00 rescheduling fee.

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REMOVAL FROM CLASS: A teacher has the option to remove a student from class. A student removed from class must report immediately to the School Office. A student removed from class will be seen by the Principal or his designee and counseled regarding the situation. The teacher removing a student from class will contact the student's parent/guardian by phone that day to discuss the circumstances leading to the removal. A conference between the teacher and student must occur before the student may be readmitted to class. A member of the administrative staff may be requested to attend the onference by the student or teacher involved. Should the problem remain unsolved, further involvement by parents, the Principal’s Designee, and/or the Principal may be necessary. A student removed from a class for a third time during a semester may, at the discretion of the Principal, be withdrawn from a course with a failing grade.

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EXPULSION: Expulsion may occur at any time. Students are expelled by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of the Principal. Any students whose behavior results in expulsion forfeits any claim for reimbursement for fees and tuition that has been paid.

The Board has adopted the following policy regarding expulsion:

1. 1. If any complaint or problem cannot be resolved by the Principal, the individual making the complaint can request a meeting with the Executive Director. The Executive Director will gather all pertinent information and render a decision as quickly as possible.
2. If the party making the complaint is not satisfied with the decision of the Executive Director, the individual may submit to the Board of Directors, in writing, all the information necessary for the Board to render a decision.
3. If the Board expels a student, parents will be notified as soon as possible. The last avenue of appeal is to request a hearing before a sub-committee of the Board. This committee will meet with the student, parents, Principal, and any other relevant parties and has the power to sustain
   the Board's action or define the conditions under which the student may remain in school. The decision of the sub-committee is final.

THIS PROCESS MUST BE INITIATED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF NOTIFICATION OF THE ACTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION.

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GANG POLICY: Since youth gangs are very often associated with violence and other forms of behavior inconsistent with the mission, philosophy, and ministry of Walther Lutheran High School, involvement with or imitation of gang activity is a very serious matter. In addition to likely violations of the student code of conduct described elsewhere, students involved in gang activities in, as well as outside of school, will be dealt with severely. When gang related violence, vandalism, threats, recruitment, hazing, initiation, or identification takes place in school, expulsion may result. Gang related activities outside of school may also result in equally serious consequences.

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TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY: Our students are blessed with access to the ever increasing world of electronic information. As good stewards of time and talents, individuals using electronic resources like the Internet or the World Wide Web must be aware that not all of the information is beneficial to the Christian or consistent with the mission and philosophy of Walther. Students who access the technological resources available through the school are governed by the Student Code of Conduct outlined in the Family Handbook.

Among other things, this means that students will not:

1. Access inappropriate material.
2. Use of personal e-mail accounts for any use other than school related assignments. Permission must first be granted from the supervising adult or instructor to use e-mail.
3. Enter or use blogs, bulletin boards, chat rooms, or any instant messaging service.
4. Use the Internet for cheating in any form. i.e. plagiarism
5. Listen to or down load music.
6. Download unauthorized software, games, or music onto the computer system(s).
7. Attempt to degrade or infiltrate restricted network resources.
8. Use school technological resources for personal financial gain.
9. Make unauthorized copies of software, music, or any copy write material.
10. Change or modify computer system configurations or control panel settings.
11. Eat food or drink beverages while working on a computer.

Walther reserves the right to discipline students violating the Student Code of Conduct as it applies to technological resources by denying access, assigning detentions, suspension, or in extreme cases, expelling students when appropriate.

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LIBRARY DISCIPLINE POLICY: The library at Walther is typically used either as a classroom (when reserved by a teacher) or as a study hall and the policy for student behavior will be one that is conducive to accomplishing the needs of the learners in either case.

Study halls are in place to allow students an opportunity to begin or complete homework and study assignments.

While in the library at Walther, students are to . . .

• Respect their neighbors, the facility and all library materials.
• Model behavior which allows others, both teachers and students, to complete their tasks.
• Use the library quietly for study or group work on projects.
• Bring appropriate materials for academic use.
• Use computers in keeping with the school policies for academics. Those students who have legitimate assignments will have priority in use of the computers. Word processing will take precedence over web surfing.

Students who do not use the library for study in the above manner may lose their privileges for five school days. If a student has a second infraction of the above, the Principal’s designee will be notified and a determination will be made concerning further library use.

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HARASSMENT: Walther Lutheran High School will not tolerate any harassment of any person by any staff member or students relating to the person's gender, race, color, religion, age or handicap. The term"harassment" includes, but is not limited to slurs, jokes, and other verbal, graphic, or physical contact relating to a person's gender, race, color, religion, age or handicap.

Harassment of any nature is a serious offense and strictly prohibited. Retaliation against any individual who makes charges of harassment is likewise prohibited. Those guilty of harassment or retaliation will meet with appropriate sanctions which may include suspension, expulsion, termination and/or prosecution by civil authorities. This policy is based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and numerous ensuing court decisions.

It is also the policy of Walther Lutheran High School that any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature by a male or female constitutes sexual harassment. Since such conduct creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive school climate, it has no place in a Christian setting.

Those individuals who believe they have been the victim of any type of harassment should immediately report the conduct to any administrator or counselor. The report will be held in confidence. Following an investigation of the incident, appropriate action will be taken.

It shall be the responsibility of all members of the Walther family (teachers, students, staff) to respect the rights, feelings and sensitivities of others and accept one another as gifts from God in the spirit of Christian love, even as Jesus Christ first loved us and gave His life for our sins.

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