Main Menu

Explore More

Our Schools

Student Conduct

         Student Handbook     ~     General Information       ~       Academics          ~        Student Conduct        ~        Health and Wellness
 
Three Universal Expectations of All TPSD Students
 
1. Be Respectful- Respect the rights and property of others.
2. Be Responsible- Be responsible for your own actions.
3. Be Safe- Provide a safe environment that is conducive to teaching and learning

 

Student Code of Conduct

 Good Citizenship/Behavior/Discipline
 
In the Tupelo Public School District, students are expected to exhibit responsible behavior and to maintain positive attitudes that will contribute to their own well-being as well as the well-being of others. One goal is to promote an atmosphere within the schools conducive to learning, and another is to help children become responsible for good personal conduct at school.
 
Rules and procedures are in place for the children’s safety and to ensure good conduct among the students. Each teacher sets a standard of conduct for students that they are expected to follow. However, the guidelines below provide what are general expectations of our students. Please discuss these guidelines with your child to ensure a successful school year.

 

16 Required Social Skills for a Compliant Student
  1. Follow Instructions: not only needed for the social aspects of the class but also for the academic components
  2. Getting the Teacher’s Attention: varies from class to class, how do students get attention in class
  3. Accepting “No” for an Answer: students are usually expected to accept “no” as an answer without responding back
  4.  Accepting Criticism or a Consequence: can be in regards to a student’s behavior and/or a needed correction on an assignment
  5. Asking for Help: students need to learn the appropriate and polite way to ask for help in his/her classroom
  6. Asking Permission: students need to know the polite way to ask permission and accept answers calmly
  7. Disagreeing Appropriately: students need to be able to explain why they feel differently in a polite voice and be able to listen to others’ opinions
  8. How to Resist Peer Pressure: students need to know how to say “no” to their peers and be able to “save face”
  9. Waiting Your Turn: students must learn patience and how to wait for materials and attention
  10. Working with Others: students need to listen to others’ ideas and work on tasks cooperatively
  11. Giving Criticism: students need to learn to be specific and use a pleasant tone in correcting another student
  12. How to Apologize: students need to learn when to say, “I’m sorry” and how to do it with sincerity, which will show that they care about others
  13. Listening: students need to learn how to listen politely without interrupting and respond appropriately
  14. Staying on Task: students will learn to plan the steps needed to complete a task and stay focused on the task.
  15. Mind your Own Business: students will learn to keep comments to themselves and ignore distractions
  16. Use an Appropriate Voice Tone: students will learn to adjust their voice level to various situations
 
 
                                                                                   Expectation Matrix
Expectation Matrix
When students are unable to follow these guidelines, appropriate discipline will be administered. Students who follow the rules are often rewarded. To encourage good behavior and wise decision making, Lawhon uses a positive behavior approach. Students strive to earn daily points that aid in earning quarterly rewards.

 

Encourage your child to make good choices in behavior EVERY day!

 

Guidance Counseling/Character Education
Each school has a certified guidance counselor who provides one-on-one and group counseling. The guidance counselor also conducts classes and workshops for the students in their classroom as needs arise. Topics include goal setting, time management, responsibility training, and citizenship.
Positive Behavior Support provides unique programs designed to help decrease discipline referrals and increase positive and appropriate behaviors. The programs build self-esteem and provide students with many opportunities to be responsible. Students also become aware of socially acceptable behaviors and positive character traits. When we provide direction and security, students often respond quickly with better behavior and improved academic performance.
We want our students to have lives filled with satisfying work, meaningful achievements, and good relationships. We want them to make good decisions, and we want them to be active participants in their democracy.
Character must be consciously taught, developed, and practiced. This teaching has always been a parent's job, but there are also critical supporting  roles to be played by everyone in a community. After all, character really counts in school, in the workplace, and in life. Acknowledging student demonstrations of recognition is emphasized more than reward when it comes to reinforcing positive character traits for long-lasting effects.
Examples of recognition strategies abound. Staff and students alike send notes to anyone living out a character trait; assemblies, parties, and picnics are great opportunities for school communities to celebrate progress and publicly TPSD's commitment to character education.
Drug abuse prevention instruction is incorporated into the regular classroom through the use of a curriculum that is taught by the teachers. In addition, Red Ribbon Week is celebrated at each school annually. During this week, special activities are planned that emphasize drug and alcohol prevention. These might include a Red Ribbon parade and an I Can Do Better Things Than Drugs Fair. DARE is offered for 5th Graders.

 

Bullying Prevention
Bullying prevention and violence prevention activities are emphasized during the spring Be Smart Week. Throughout the school year, activities district-wide and in the classrooms teach and reinforce the importance of respect and treatment of others. Students are taught the importance of treating others with kindness and respect.
Information on Bullying
Practically speaking, bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Behaviors are repeated or have the potential to be repeated, over time, and most often occur away from the eyes and ears of adults. Children who bully use their power such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity to control or harm others. Making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose are universal examples.
The Tupelo Public School District and Tupelo Police Department School Resource Officers (SRO) work with students K-12 to develop positive habits and behaviors. This enables our students to deal with character issues directly and at an age that is developmentally appropriate. Our students work with a role model in a positive environment.

 

Student Search
According to TPSD board policy JCDA, as student, or student’s personal effects, may be searched by a certified
employee when that employee has reasonable suspicion, at the inception of the search, that the student is in
possession or control of weapons, illegal drugs, or other materials that are illegal or in violation of school policy.
See policy for more information.

Code of Conduct Board Policy

District Discipline Supervisors:
Mrs. Kim Britton, Elementary
Dr. Brock English, Secondary

Student Discipline

School is a place that provides rewarding experiences for a large group of students working together from day to
day. In order for all to benefit, enjoy, and learn from these experiences in a safe environment; discipline and
order must be maintained. The primary responsibility for the conduct of a student rests with the student, the
parents, and then the school. Parents should discuss with their children the importance of, and need for, good
behavior and a good attitude while in school. Our goal is to promote an atmosphere within the school that is
conducive to learning while protecting the rights of students. No student's behavior will be allowed to interfere
with the learning opportunities of others. We work to preserve the dignity of the individual while at the same
time not allowing them to manipulate the system. In carrying out these guidelines - students, parents, teachers
and administrators must be consistent in their decisions and be supportive of each other. Parent involvement
with the school is required for a positive school environment. Parents are required to: attend conferences, make
arrangements for children upon suspension, and provide current emergency information.

 

Student Discipline Grades 3-5 Board Policy

Classroom Management Plan and Procedures

All teachers will have a classroom management plan in place based on the following disciplinary guidelines. The principal must approve the plan. Each classroom management plan will include some type of parent contact and/or conferencing as one of its steps. The plan will be based on these district-wide elementary rules:
A.    Respect the rights and property of others.
B.    Be responsible for your own actions.
C.    Be resourceful with your assets and abilities.
It should include all procedures for:
  •   Use of classroom space and facilities.
  • Use of other parts of the school.
  • Whole class activities and seat work.
  • Small group activities.
  • Keeping students accountable for their work  
  • Beginning and end of day activities.
  • Administrative and housekeeping chores.
  • Special activities and safety rules.
  • Time out within the classroom.
Prior to sending a student to the office for disciplinary infraction, steps are taken within the classroom to correct misbehaviors. Teachers document these corrections with a low-level referral form. Low level forms should be attached to discipline referrals if/when the teacher refers to student to the principal.  
However serious infractions require immediate referral to the office. All administrators are trained with the TPSD discipline ladder. 

 

Consequence Ladder

LADDER OF CONSEQUENCES  
Depending on the severity of the offense, the discipline ladder may be entered at any point.
Step 1  
  1. Warning  
    Parent/Guardian Contact
  2. Time-out of class  
    Parent/Guardian Contact  
    Removal from ladder if not referred to office for twenty school days from date of entry into ladder
  3.  Overnight Required Conferences (ORC)  
    Parent/Guardian Conference  
    Removal from ladder if not referred to office for twenty school days from date of entry into ladder
  4. Administrative Detention-2hours  
    Parent/Guardian Contact  
    Probation for twenty school days
  5. 1/2 day-1 day In-School Suspension (ISS)
    Parent/Guardian Contact   
    Probation for twenty school days
  6.  2-3 days In-School Suspension (ISS)
    Parent/Guardian Conference
    Probation for twenty school days
  7. 1-3 days Out-Of-School suspension (OSS)
    Parent/Guardian Conference
    Probation for twenty school days
  8. Up to 10 days Out-Of-School suspension  
    Parent/Guardian Conference   
    Probation for twenty school days
  9.  Alternative assignment  
                   OR  
    Out of school suspension up to 10 days pending a district disciplinary committee hearing; Parent/ Guardian Conference prior to hearing  
10. Expulsion

Definitions and Exceptions