Discipline

Discipline at St. Luke’s School is based on the assumption that all students and their parents have chosen to be a part of this community and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the School’s philosophy and principles regarding good character, and the School’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy environment for students. Students whose behavior reflects the School’s objectives will find that the School is flexible and willing to consider increased responsibility and privileges. Students whose behavior does not reflect the School’s objectives will find the School less flexible and that privileges may be curtailed. Indeed, students in poor disciplinary standing may be denied the opportunity to participate in any School-sponsored trip or activity.

Most important to the functioning of the St. Luke’s community are issues of physical and emotional well-being, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Students are expected to show respect for each member of the School community. On a daily basis, students are required to arrive to classes on time, in dress code, and prepared for the lesson. Respect for the learning environment in each class is critical to the School’s success as an academic community. Failure to meet these basic requirements may raise the question of the suitability of the St. Luke’s environment for that student.

The guidelines in this section apply to all conduct by students, whether on or off campus, as long as they are enrolled at the School. Furthermore, students who choose to remain present when other students are engaging in misconduct may be subject to disciplinary action. The School may, in its discretion, contact parents to address both minor and more serious instances of misconduct, at any stage of the discipline process.

Consequences of misconduct (and/or attempting misconduct) applicable to all students are detailed below. These examples are intended to provide students and their families with a general understanding of the School’s disciplinary approach; however, the School will respond to each situation with a response that the School determines, in its discretion, is appropriate.

Middle School Discipline Philosophy

Given the playfulness, energy, and unique qualities of the Middle School student, St. Luke’s School recognizes the need to seize upon “teachable moments,” and provide for greater flexibility in matters of discipline for Middle School students. Therefore, both expectations and consequences are age and developmentally appropriate. The primary goal of Middle School discipline for infractions is to educate students about the consequences of unacceptable behavior, to curb such behavior, to teach accountability and to help foster the Middle School belief that moral character and good citizenship are the cornerstones of adolescent development. To help students make the necessary

connection between behavior and consequences, more immediate action and parental involvement may be required. To this end, Middle School discipline often involves the personal attention of the Head of Middle School, the Dean of the Middle School and/or the Counselor.

Honor Council

Upper School disciplinary infractions that conflict with our Honor Code may require a student to meet with the Honor Council.

The Honor Council is a group of teachers and students who are selected in the spring of the previous year by peer and faculty election. The Honor Council is led by Kate Parker-Burgard and typically includes seven twelfth grade students, five eleventh grade students, three tenth grade students, and several faculty representatives.

The Honor Council is convened at the discretion of the Upper School Dean of Students or Head of Upper School, or their designee. The Council’s recommendations will go to either the Dean of Students or Head of School for a final decision.

Students appearing before the Honor Council may be accompanied by their advisor. Parents may not attend these meetings. All information shared in the Honor Council meeting is considered confidential, but may be shared by the School on a need-to-know basis.

Major Offenses

Major offenses are serious or egregious acts of misconduct and violations of the School’s Honor Code, which include, but are not limited to, the following: • Possession or use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs; • Improper sexual conduct; • Sexual or other harassment; • Threat or use of physical violence; • Repeated acts of racial aggression or antagonizing behavior in any form; • Repeated acts of aggression or antagonizing behavior in any form, based on ones’ gender identity or sexual orientation; • Possession or use of matches, lighters, fireworks, explosives, weapons, or other dangerous materials; • Reprehensible conduct tending to reflect serious discredit to the School; • Willful destruction of property; • Stealing; • Dishonesty, including academic dishonesty and cheating; • Bullying or malicious gossip; • Distribution or electronic transmission of material that the School determines contains obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, disrespectful, threatening, discriminatory, prejudicial, false, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate language or pictures. • Repeated acts of unkindness or misconduct;

• Repeated classroom behavior that impedes other students’ learning; • Behavior, on or off campus, which endangers the student’s safety or welfare or the safety or welfare of others; • Behavior that is seriously disruptive of the educational environment; and • Refusal to cooperate with an ongoing investigation into interpersonal misconduct

Major offenses typically result in probation, suspension, or dismissal from the School, and other appropriate disciplinary responses, as determined by the School, in its sole discretion.

Disciplinary Infractions

At St. Luke’s, we are committed to community restoration as a practice for disciplinary reconciliation. This practice allows to students to give back to their community, while also working to help positively heal any relationships with their school community that may have been fractured based on their actions. Students are held accountable, while also holding themselves accountable to the actions they committed and the work that they need to do and complete. Community restoration also serves as a way for us all to build community. The actions of one, affect us all, and while there are consequences for the choices we make, we will always look for ways to build and move our community forward in a positive, constructive, and healthy way.

Certain other offenses are considered serious within the St. Luke’s community. Normally, the School will act on the first violation of any of the following infractions with a written or verbal warning, loss of privileges, Community Restoration hours, Restorative Practices, Administrative Review, Warning, Disciplinary Probation, or Suspension. Examples of such infractions include, but are not limited to: cutting class, leaving campus without permission, smoking tobacco, aggressive behavior, or behavior that is disruptive or annoying to others at School or on School vehicles.

Disrespectful behavior is not tolerated at St. Luke’s School. When a student is engaged in activities that have a negative impact on the character or property of the School, they can expect serious consequences, including separation from St. Luke’s School.

Types of Disciplinary Action

Behavior Agreement: The Division Head, Assistant Division Head, or Dean of Students will follow up with a student who is not behaving in accordance with St. Luke’s School expectations. Follow up with students will generally include a meeting with the student, possibly a letter home, and generally a Behavior Agreement that both indicates what the student will do to correct behavior and outlines consequences if the behavior is not changed. MS and US Deans Meeting: A Deans Meeting is automatically called when an Upper School or Middle School student reaches six points in the infraction system, or at the discretion of the Class Deans. The purpose of the meeting is to address a student who is not behaving in accordance with basic St. Luke’s School rules and expectations (examples: dress code, parking, cell phone use). The meeting is run by one or both Class Deans at the grade level in Upper or the Middle School Dean of

Students. Outcomes of the meeting could include no action, behavioral plan, restorative practices, community restoration hours, or parent communication (phone call, letter, in-person meeting). Note: a Deans Meeting is not reportable to colleges or next schools. Community Restoration: Students will give back to the St. Luke’s community and be assigned hours of community restoration to complete, based on the infraction points that they have accumulated by semester. Hours are prescribed based on the severity of the infraction. Once notified of the number of assigned hours, it is the responsibility of the student to schedule and complete those hours. They will also need to have their supervisor complete a form confirming completion. There will be a designated list of faculty and staff members that have offered to supervise these hours. Please note that the student must make contact with one of the supervisors individually and should not send mass emails to setup their hours. Note: these hours are not reportable to colleges or next schools. Restorative Practices: As it relates to the Middle School Discipline Philosophy, students in the Middle School may be asked to participate in restorative practices with the Middle School Dean of Students or an adult in the community. For students, this offers them a time to pause, reflect, and restore relationships with peers and/or teachers so that students can move forward in a positive manner.

Administrative Review: In the event that a student is suspected of a serious disciplinary infraction, misconduct, or behavior which may present a threat to the student or others, as determined by the School in its sole discretion, the student may be immediately placed on Administrative Review and, if appropriate, sent home from School pending the School’s investigation and determination regarding the appropriate disciplinary action, if any. Once the matter has been investigated and reviewed, the student may be placed on Warning or Disciplinary Probation, suspended, dismissed, referred to the Honor Council (in the case of Upper School students), given another disciplinary consequence, or returned to regular status as determined appropriate at the discretion of the Head of School or Division Head. Note: Administrative Review is not reportable to colleges or next schools.

Warning: Warning may be recommended by the Honor Council and/or assigned at the discretion of either the Head of School or Division Head when there is a serious concern about behavior, attitude, or either a specific incident or series of incidents that call into question the student’s short or long term likelihood of success at St. Luke’s. The length of the Warning period, and the responsibilities of the student while on Warning, will vary depending on the specific context and nature of the concerns. The purpose of a Warning is to express the School’s level of concern about the student’s future and to offer the student an opportunity to learn from mistakes, thereby maintaining the student’s good standing at St. Luke’s School. Note: Warnings are not reportable to colleges or next schools.

Disciplinary Warning with Review: Disciplinary warning with review follows the same language as disciplinary warning above, with the addition of having that warning officially reviewed after a certain amount of time. This time, as well as the responsibilities of the student, will vary depending on the specific context and nature of the concerns. Generally, the administrator in charge of the review, and

the student, will develop an action plan to follow, and the student will be required to demonstrate they have fulfilled the plan. The time frame for warning with review could range from four to eight weeks. Note: Disciplinary Warning with Review is not reportable to colleges or next schools. Disciplinary Probation: Probation is the most serious warning status for students. It may be recommended by the Honor Council and/or assigned at the discretion of either the Head of School or Division Head. The student is generally warned that subsequent offenses can result in dismissal. Students on Disciplinary Probation will generally not be allowed to attend School-sponsored social events or trips. If a student on probation would like to attend a School-sponsored event, the student may submit a written request to the Division Head. In addition, for those students who are on probation, Re-Enrollment Agreements will generally be withheld for the year and reviewed by the Division Head at the end of the year. Other specific conditions of a Disciplinary Probation may be outlined for each student individually. Note: Disciplinary Probation is reportable to colleges and next schools.

Suspension: Serious disciplinary infractions or misconduct may result in Suspension as determined appropriate in the sole discretion of the Head of School’s designee.

Suspension may be either short-term or long-term. Short-term suspension is usually served out of School and may last for up to one week. During this time, students are separated from the community so that they can reconsider their commitment to St. Luke’s School. Students who receive a suspension from School for any period of time are considered unexcused for the days they miss. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate conversations with teachers regarding how and when any missed work will be made up. Any work that a student does not make up will receive a zero.

Long-term suspension results in the student’s withdrawal from the School for a specified period of up to one year. The student must enroll at another school and have a satisfactory academic and behavioral experience there. The student may apply for re-admission after a designated period if certain requirements are met, as determined by the School, in its sole discretion.

Students may not come to campus during a suspension, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Division Head. Students returning from a suspension are generally placed on Disciplinary Probation. Note: Suspension is reported to schools and colleges. Requirement to Withdraw: Requirement to Withdraw is a permanent separation from St. Luke’s School and will be imposed for serious disciplinary infractions, misconduct, or a pattern of poor behavior, in addition to the failure of parents to comply with the comportment and School support policies and/or the terms of the Enrollment Contract, as determined by the absolute discretion of the Head of School.

Note: Requirement to Withdraw is not reportable to schools and colleges, though midyear withdrawals are reflected on the academic transcript. Dismissal: Dismissal is a permanent separation from St. Luke’s School and will be imposed for serious disciplinary infractions, misconduct, or a pattern of poor behavior, in addition to the failure of parents to comply with comportment and School support policies and/or the terms of the

Enrollment Agreement, as determined by the sole discretion of the School. Students returning from a suspension are warned that further violation of School rules would likely result in permanent separation from the School.

In certain situations, the School may allow students to withdraw pending discipline. In this scenario, the School will annotate a student’s transcript as “withdrawal pending discipline.” Additionally, the student will be expected to report this change of status to any next school, college, or other educational institution to which the student has applied or is attending, consistent with the School’s Disclosure to Colleges and Disclosure to Next School policies. Note: Dismissal is reported to colleges and next schools.