Code of Conduct

The following Code of Conduct defines Webster Street Academy guidelines regarding behaviors that are considered serious student misconduct. Any student in violation of these guidelines will receive consequences, which may be as severe as suspension or discharge from the program.

The Code of Conduct is established to help students frame an understanding of behaviors that are acceptable, not only in a learning environment, but also in society. Webster Street Academy focuses on students recognizing what makes them upset (i.e., angry, stressed, confused, sad) and developing strategies to better cope with those situations.

Learning appropriate behaviors and appropriate coping strategies comes from teaching students alternatives that are successful and NOT from punishing them. Webster Street Academy operates on the assumption that a student’s inappropriate behaviors are based on decisions representative of a limited list of options. The program staff members teach children to slow down, evaluate the situation, consider consequences and make appropriate choices from a new list of options.

The following behaviors are considered violations of the Code of Conduct:

Damage, Destruction or Loss of Property
Willful damage, destruction or loss of Webster Street Academy and Family Center property may result in immediate suspension from the program. Restitution will be sought in these cases. Restitution may include cost and/or repair (e.g., a hole in the wall is $50 to repair) and is the shared responsibility of the student and the parent/guardian.

Drugs, Alcohol, and Other Illegal Substances
Drugs of any type, including alcohol, will not be tolerated at Webster Street Academy. Any student suspected of using an intoxicant, will be subject to immediate corrective action up to and including notifications of law enforcement and removal from the program. In addition, parents may be referred to Crisis Care to have a Drug and Alcohol assessment completed before consideration will be made to allow the student to return to Webster Street Academy.

Possession of any illegal substance, including unauthorized prescription medication, will result in the immediate notification of law enforcement.

Webster Street Academy enforces a zero tolerance policy regarding distribution or attempted distribution of any substance as an intoxicant. Parents should be advised that ANY substance, portrayed as an illegal substance, is by law, punishable as if it were an illegal substance (e.g., flour portrayed as cocaine, oregano portrayed as marijuana, or Sudafed portrayed as speed). Additional consequences, including discharge from the program, may be enforced.

Harassment
Students are expected to treat others with respect and courtesy at all times. The repeated pestering, intimidation, threatening, teasing, persecution, or disturbing of another person, for any reason, is considered harassment and is a violation of the Code of Conduct. Sexual Harassment is prohibited by state and federal law and may result in legal action. This includes all forms of communication even telephone, e-mail, or writing notes/text messages.

Leaving the Grounds Without Permission
Students may not leave the grounds without the expressed consent of a staff member and/or without prior approval from the student’s family/guardian. Students leaving the grounds without permission are considered to have “eloped”. This behavior (i.e., elopement) will result in immediate suspension from the program. Parents/guardians will be immediately notified of the student’s departure. The child’s home school system will also be notified. Law enforcement may also be notified to issue a citation to the child for Violation of Daytime Curfew.

Physical Violence / Fighting
Students will not engage in any physical assault/fighting on the Webster Street Academy and Family Center grounds before, during or after program hours. Furthermore, students will not use force, noise, coercion, threats, intimidation, or fear to disrupt, interfere or obstruct the general operations of the Webster Street Academy or any other activity conducted at The Family Center.

Families/guardians should be advised that the students enrolled in Webster Street Academy have occasional problems dealing with stressors and, as such, sometimes display inappropriate responses in conflict situations. In such instances, program staff work to effectively help students resolve their conflicts in positive ways; therefore, disciplinary action may be withheld if therapeutic interventions are successful in resolving the situation.

Any student fighting at the RTA bus stop (Webster and Keowee) will be immediately discharged from the program.

Profanity and Disrespect
The use of profanity is often the result of frustration. Although Webster Street Academy does not condone the use of profanity, there must be some level of tolerance when profanity is used in frustration. To exclusively focus on inappropriate verbal outbursts could detract from the staff’s primary concern, which is to deal therapeutically with the underlying causes of such outbursts.

Students who arbitrarily use profanity will receive disciplinary action.

The disrespect of people, including staff, will not be tolerated. Disciplinary action will be taken with any student who treats another with malice. This includes teasing, harassment, rudeness or any other disrespectful behavior.

Smoking / Tobacco
Ohio law strictly prohibits children/adolescents from smoking and holds adults responsible. Therefore, smoking by minors (including possession of smoking materials and paraphernalia) will be prohibited on or near the premises of Webster Street Academy and Family Center. Any confiscated items will NOT be returned.

Theft / Stealing
Students should respect the property of other students, staff and the program, and refrain from taking something that does not belong to them without permission. Webster Street Academy does NOT assume responsibility for any personal materials that are damaged or stolen. Students are encouraged to refrain from bringing valuables to the program. Students caught stealing will be subject to disciplinary and/or legal consequences, including discharge from the program and possible arrest.

Weapons and Dangerous Instruments
Webster Street Academy has a zero tolerance policy for weapons. Possession of any weapon or dangerous instrument will result in the immediate notification of law enforcement.

Possession, handling, transmitting, use of, or attempted use of, any weapon (i.e., knife, ice pick, gun, brass knuckles, explosives, pencil, pen, scissors, etc.) on the property before, during, or after program hours is prohibited, as is threatening to harm another person.