Student Discipline

Policy

Roadrunner School exists to provide students with additional assistance in dealing with emotionally/behavioral challenges which have, in the past, interfered with the learning process. We are a public school and our primary mission is quality education. Our expectations are that each student will be responsible for his/her behavior. Attending Roadrunner in no way renders a student exempt from personal responsibility or the consequences which follow decisions they make.

It is critical that we teach all of our students to take responsibility for their actions and to better understand that responsible choice making which is sensitive to the needs of others is much more likely to produce positive outcomes for everyone. One of the best ways to teach responsibility and to insure success is preventive teaching along with making students accountable for their actions. All our students receive consistent consequences for infractions of the rules of conduct. It is effective to teach a prosocial skill and then reinforce that skill regularly and then intermittently until the skill becomes part of the child’s behavior.

In keeping with the discipline policies adopted by the PVUSD Governing Board, Roadrunner School has rules and expectations for the conduct of students. Although these rules are supplemented by classroom rules, specialized classroom management strategies and individual student behavioral goals and contracts, they represent the broad behavioral expectations necessary for a successful program.

The following rules are intended to assure a safe and supportive environment for all students. Every student has a right to learn and develop in a setting free from serious distraction, coercion and fear. The following rules are intended to ensure these rights. Our classroom and school rules are supported by the following specific rules outlined by the Governing Board:

1. Students must attend school regularly and come prepared to learn to fully benefit from the educational process.

2. Students must respect the working/learning rights of others and not interfere in the learning process of others.

3. Students must conduct themselves responsibly and honestly.

4. Students must do their part to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

5. Students must treat staff and students with respect, dignity and kindness and should expect this treatment in return.

Roadrunner School is designed to support these rules. If these rules are followed, every student will have an opportunity to develop to their potential.

Specific behavior management tools that may be used are as follows:

Quiet Room – High School

Students are never told to go to the quiet room, however, they may request to do so. The quiet room may be used for the following reasons:

• To give the student time to think about what is happening

• To help the student consider and think about better ways to handle the problem.

A record is always kept to document when a student goes into the quiet room, when he/she leaves and the reason why the student was in the quiet room. The quiet room door is never locked or held shut.

Intervention Office: One on One Intervention

A student may be sent to the intervention office for a one on one intervention if he/she is unable to exhibit the appropriate social skill and is unable to take advantage of redirection and the individual teaching occurring in the classroom. The intervention staff offers each student individual time to discuss and practice the skills that the student was unable to execute in the classroom. The intervention office staff uses the time to teach social skills and anger management in a highly individualized and intensive manner. Any consequences necessary will occur during the one on one intervention process.

Physical Intervention

If a student engages in dangerous behavior, some type of physical intervention may be necessary. These interventions are designed to last only as long as is absolutely necessary to ensure safety. Only when a student is out of control and they are attempting to hurt themselves or someone else, and the staff ongoing teaching interactions and crisis intervention techniques are not successful, will a staff member intervene physically. If there is any physical intervention, the parent/guardian will be contacted that day for a full discussion.

If there are any questions about any information, you are encouraged to contact your child’s homeroom teacher, the school psychologist, or the principal to discuss those questions. Ongoing communication between home and school will help ensure success for your child. This communication should include developing strategies that everyone is comfortable with and can fully support.

It is important to note that teaching behaviors is a process of affecting change. It can include both negative consequences as well as reinforcing strategies. Teaching appropriate social skills is a primary focus for creating positive change and growth. Discipline also involves instruction. We must teach desired skills as we reinforce approximations of appropriate behaviors. Again, the teaching process works best when everyone is involved.

The objectives of using Roadrunner social skills are as follows:

• Increase pro-social behavior in all the participating students.

• Increase instructional time within the classroom setting.

• Increase academic time for each participating student.

• Decrease aggressive behavior of each student.

• Increase student-parent satisfaction with school performance.

• To develop a student who is able to transition to a regular campus and function acceptably on the regular academic setting.