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POLICY STATEMENT

British Columbia schools strive to develop positive and welcoming school cultures, and are committed to fostering optimal environments for learning. Members of these school communities share a commitment to maintaining safe, caring and orderly schools.

RATIONALE

To respond to increased interest in the issue of school safety both within the school system and among the general population - interest that stems partly from increasing concern about violence within our communities and, as well, from a recognition of the relationship between feelings of safety and belonging and a student’s ability to learn.

British Columbia schools are striving to create and maintain environments that support student achievement by addressing safety issues that can become barriers to optimal learning.

LEGISLATION/ REGULATIONS

School Act - Preamble, Sections 2, 6(1), 75(1), 76(2)(3), 85(1)(1.1)(2), 169(3), and 177.
PROVINCIAL STANDARDS FOR CODES OF CONDUCT ORDER E-87.1 October 23, 2007 Authority: School Act, sections 85(1.1) 168 (2) (s.1)
Statement of Education Policy Order (OIC 1280/89) Mandate for the school system.

Also:   

The Constitution Act (1982)
(a) The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
(b) The Rights of Aboriginal Peoples
The Multiculturalism Act (RSBC 1996)
The Human Rights Code (RSBC 1996, c 210)
The Employment Equity Act (1995)
The Official Languages Act (1985)

POLICY

British Columbia schools are striving to develop positive, welcoming school cultures and are committed to fostering optimal environments for learning. Members of these school communities share a commitment to maintaining safe, caring and orderly schools. They are striving to:

• develop positive school cultures and focus on prevention;
• use school-wide efforts to build “community,” fostering respect, inclusion, fairness and equity;
• set, communicate and consistently reinforce clear expectations of conduct;
• teach, model and encourage socially responsible behaviours that contribute to the school community, solve problems in peaceful ways, value diversity and defend human rights;
• assume responsibility, in partnership with the wider community, for resolving critical safety concerns;
• work together to better understand issues such as bullying, intimidation and harassment, racism, sexism and homophobia, and to learn new skills to respond to them;
• respond consistently to incidents in a fair and reasoned manner, using interventions that repair harm, strengthen relationships and restore a sense of belonging;
• participate in the development of policies, procedures and practices that promote school safety;
• monitor and evaluate their school environments for evidence of continuous improvement; and
• recognize and celebrate achievements, while acknowledging areas that need improvement.

PROCEDURES

The provincial standards in the Provincial Standards for Codes of Conduct Order outline both process and content elements that must, at a minimum, be addressed in the development of all codes of conduct in British Columbia school districts.

The standards in the Ministerial Order set out the processes that must be followed in the development of codes of conduct:

• involving students, parents and staff in the development and review of codes of conduct;
• ensuring that there is wide knowledge of conduct expectations in school communities; and
• keeping codes up-to-date, to address current school circumstances and emerging issues.

In addition, Safe, Caring and Orderly Schools: A Guide sets further expectations for processes:

• incorporating the active teaching of conduct expectations into regular classroom learning activities;
• monitoring the implementation of existing codes and improving strategies as needed; and
• consulting with other schools in the district to ensure compatibility of conduct expectations.

The standards in the Ministerial Order set out the content that must be included in codes of conduct:

• one or more statements that address the prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in the BC Human Rights Code in respect of discriminatory publication and discrimination in accommodation, service and facility in the school environment;
• a statement of purpose - a rationale for the code of conduct, with a focus on safe, caring and orderly school environments;
• what is acceptable behaviour, and unacceptable behaviour, including aggressive behaviours such as bullying behaviours while at school, at a school-related activity or in other circumstances where engaging in the activity will have an impact on the school environment;
• consequences of unacceptable behaviour, which must take account of the student’s age, maturity and special needs, if any; and
• an explanation that the board will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation by a person against a student who has made a complaint of a breach of a code of conduct.