Huron Expositor, 2002-08-28, Page 11News
TN* WWII EXPOSITOR, $Mtn 12, 2001-7
New code of conduct lets schools discussbehavour
Sy Susan Hundertnark
Expositor Staff
A new code of conduct
distributed across the Avon
Maitland District School
Board is allowing local
schools to have more
discussions about the
standards of behaviour that
are already in place, say local
principals.
"It's helpful being able to
have a discussion around
respect for other people and
property," says Seaforth
Public School principal Jane
Morton of the pocket -sized
booklet entitled Together for
Safe Schools that was
distributed to students last
week.
The 12 -page booklet
"explains that all students,
parents, guardians, teachers
and staff have a right to be
safe and feel safe in their
school community," says an
Avon Maitland press release.
The booklet, which is
being sent home to be
reviewed by parents, also
outlines consequences of
unacceptable behaviour such
as both mandatory and
discretionary suspension and
.expulsion.
But, Morton says she
thinks it would be a "very
rare" ,situation that would
cause an expulsion at
Seaforth Public School.
Seaforth District High
School principal Wayne
Tessier agrees, saying, "I've
never in my career been at
the• point when even the new
laws would cause me to
'move to expulsion and I'm in
the 31 st.year of my career."
Tessier says the code
improves the clarity of the
causes of expulsion, such as
possessing a weapon,
trafficking in drugs or
weapons, robbery, use of a
weapon to cause or threaten
serious bodily harm, physical
Sale of PUC
in Hensall
and Zurich
to Festival
Hydro
to close
on Sept. 4
Bluewater Council
Bluewater Treasurer
Luanne Phair advised
council on Sept. 4 the sale
of the Zurich and Hensall
public utilities to Festival
Hydro of Stratford was
anticipated to close on Sept.
7.
She said Festival Hydro
has also agreed to pay the
Municipality of Bluewater
four per cent interest on the
monies from Jan. 1 to Sept.
7, 2001.
Council agreed to approve
two bylaws necessary to
complete the formalization.
The money will be
deposited into reserve funds
in the Wards of Zurich and
Hensall.
Burned out refrigeration
motor
The Municipality of
Bluewater will file an
insurance claim of between
$5,000 and $6,000 as a
result of a recent electrical
outage that caused the
motor on the Hensall
arena's refrigeration
machine to bum out.
Facilities Manager Tom
Dickens advised council of
the estimated claim last
week.
New grader purchased
The Municipality of
Bluewater approved the
purchase of a $233,795
Volvo road grader, which'is
$53,205 less than
budgeted.
Public Works Manager
Ross Fisher said the
Champion services branch
(Volvo) was the only
company of three to reply
to his purchase query.
Delivery of the new
machine is expected in mid-
November.
assault causing harm that
requires medical treatment,
sexual assault and providing
alcohol to minors.
Before the new code,
Tessier says the reasons for
expulsion were more open to
interpretation.
"Now, with a province -
wide code, there will not be
so wide a diversity of
interpretation and students
will be treated the same
across the system," he says.
Causes of suspension are
also clearly laid out,
including uttering a threat to
inflict serious bodily harm,
possessing illegal drugs,
causing extensive damage
with vandalism, swearing at
a teacher and being in
possession or under the
influence of alcohol.
Tessier says that intent
factors into whether a student
is suspended for swearing.
"While students are not
allowed to swear at a teacher
while being disciplined, they
won't be suspended if a
teacher is just walking by and
hears a student swear," he
says.
With increased levels of
violence at schools across
North America, Tessier says
the new code reflects
measures that schools would
be taking anyway.
"We would all be clamping
down on behaviour that
previously would have been
seen as just horsing around.
This legislation is timely and
helpful," he says.
He says at SDHS, the
return of signed forms stating
that students and their
parents have read the code of
conduct, will be followed by
classroom sessions where
students will be run through
the code step by step.
"We want to make sure
they understand it and make
sure there is no way anyone
can misinterpret it," he says.
Tessier says the code is
helpful in allowing the
school community to
reexamine its behaviour.
"We have a very good
student body in Seaforth and
a lot of the measures would
only be used for rare
occurrences," he says.
Seaforth's small and close-
knit community makes
unacceptable behaviour less
likely because"students are
more likely to
know,understand and respect
each other," he says.
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