The Code of Student Conduct provides a description of a broad range  of behavior considered to be student misconduct. The behavior described should be viewed as representative of the misconduct that most frequently causes a disruption to the orderly educational process.

 

The acts of misconduct listed in Levels I, II, III, IV, and V are not

inclusive. The student who commits an act of misconduct that may

be classified into any of the five levels will be subject to disciplinary

action by the classroom teacher, assistant principal, and/or principal.

 

The policies and administrative procedures concerning student conduct apply to actions of students on school property and school buses and, in some cases, for conduct occurring off of school property. Additionally, these rules are applicable to students placed in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). Under state

law, a student may be expelled by HISD for Level V misconduct that occurs on the property of another school district within Texas.

 

Additionally, the rules apply to actions of students at all schoolsponsored or school-related activities or events, such as field trips, sporting events, stadium assemblies, fairs, or evening school-related activities. Students should be aware that the commission of any felony offense, whether at school or away from school, may result in placement of the student in an HISD DAEP or in expulsion.

Finally, students should be aware that administrators who are made aware of criminal activity whether on or off of campus will make a report to appropriate law enforcement agencies and that, in addition to these administrative rules, students

may be subject to criminal charges for violations of the law.

 

 

When administering discipline, district personnel shall adhere to the following general guidelines:

1. Discipline shall be administered when necessary to protect students, school employees, or property and to maintain essential order and discipline.

 

2. Students shall be treated fairly and equitably. Discipline shall be based on a careful assessment of the circumstances of each case. Administrators should use caution and should ordinarily consider developmentally appropriate interventions for very  young children who engage in misconduct. Factors that must be considered in each decision concerning suspension, removal to a disciplinary alternative education program, expulsion, or placement in a juvenile justice alternative education  program, regardless of whether the decision concerns

 

a mandatory or discretionary action, include such factors as:

a. seriousness of the offense

b. student’s age and intent or lack of intent at the time the

student engaged in the conduct

c. student’s disciplinary history

d. student’s attitude

e. potential effect of the misconduct on the school

environment

f. state law requirements for certain disciplinary consequences

g. whether the facts of the case warrant consideration of

self-defense as a mitigating factor in the assessment

of any punishment

h. whether the student has a disability that substantially

impairs the student’s capacity to appreciate the

wrongfulness of the student’s conduct

 

3. Serious offenses are those that substantially disrupt or materially interfere with the orderly process in the classroom, HISD transportation, the school, or any school-related activity and may include persistent misbehavior or Level II or higher misconduct. Persistent shall be defined as more than one instance of Level II or higher misconduct. An administrator may find, on the basis of the facts and circumstances of the case, that a Level III offense constitutes a serious offense. Finally, a finding that a student has engaged in any offense listed as an offense under Level IV or Level V constitutes a finding that the student has engaged in serious misbehavior.

 

Acts of misconduct are categorized into the following five levels of offenses:

Level I—Violation of Classroom Rules:

• Offenses that generally occur in the classroom and can be corrected by the teacher.

Level II—Administrative Intervention:

• Offenses that are more serious in nature or a continuance of Level I misconduct.

Level III—Suspension and/or Optional Removal to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program:

• Offenses that seriously disrupt the educational process in the classroom, in the school, and/or at school-related activities, or repeated instances of Level I, II, or III misconduct. A finding that a student has engaged in a Level III offense may constitute

a serious offense. 

 

1. Any staff member who observes a student violating class rules may correct the student.

2. A record of the offenses and disciplinary actions should be maintained by the teacher or staff member on the appropriate form.

3. The teacher should discuss the misbehavior with the parent, an administrator, or support personnel.

4. Level I behavior violations and discipline options/responses are not limited to those provided. Serious or repeated violations may result in a more severe response or referral to Level II.