The Niskayuna Central School District Code of Conduct is based on key principles for ensuring that our schools are safe, healthy and supportive environments.
All adults have an obligation to help students learn to be good citizens by:
- Helping kids learn right from wrong
- Fostering in them a desire to make good decisions
- Encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions and words
- Modeling behaviors that we want to cultivate
Policies and practices must be implemented in ways that are considered to be respectful. Adults are expected to protect the dignity of every student and ensure a tone of decency, compassion and respect.
Improving educational outcomes for all students requires that schools provide support and that behavior support is directed at addressing academic learning gaps and the causes of misbehavior. Prevention and intervention strategies may include more personalized instruction, support, service and programming to address personal and family circumstances and social-emotional learning. Examples of strategies include conflict resolution, peer mediation, anger management, behavior replacement strategies, circles and other restorative interventions.
School personnel are responsible for developing and using strategies that promote learning and positive behavior in school, and for addressing behaviors which disrupt learning.
Administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, other school staff and parents are expected to engage students in the intervention and prevention strategies that address behavioral issues.
Restorative Practices
Student discipline, policies and practices should be implemented in ways that are accountable and restorative. Students and families need to know that the school will provide interventions inside and outside the classroom that support a restorative, rather than punitive, response. Students have the opportunity to accept assigned consequences and fully participate in the interventions designed to address specific behaviors. These interventions require students to own the problem, reflect on the impact of their behavior on themselves and others and understand why the behavior was unacceptable or inappropriate. It does not mean there are no other consequences to the behavior, but we know that administering consequences without re-teaching and reflection does little to change behavior in the long run.
We need to be aware that the person whose actions we are attempting to correct, must be in a place where they admit they were wrong, and they want to make amends or alter their behavior.
- What happened?
- What were you thinking about at the time?
- What have you been thinking about since?
- Who has been affected by what you have done?
- In what way have they been affected?
- What needs to be done to make things right with this teacher, student or other person so you can access your education?
Restorative practices and the use of affective statements are practices on a continuum. These can lead to restorative justice for larger offenses that would usually involve long-term suspension or involvement with law enforcement.
Examples of Restorative Practices
- Affective Statements refer to the tone in which we speak to students to build relationships and show we care about the student. For example, “I liked the way you worked for the whole class period today,” is more effective than, “good job.”
- Classroom Circles can be used as a response to wrongdoing and as a vehicle for discussion while creating respect and classroom norms. These could be used from the beginning of the school year so that students understand how they work before significant issues need to be discussed.
- Restorative Conference is a formal response to wrongdoing where the facilitator helps all parties explore what happened and who was affected. This can be done with a facilitator, teacher and a student after a disruption to the learning environment has occurred.
- Restorative Reflections is an exercise in which students complete a writing assignment and go through the restorative questions and steps as they try to reflect on their actions and make a better plan for the future.
The district will support this by:
- Leading training opportunities for staff
- Providing resources for meeting the goals of the code of conduct
- Continuing to build community partnerships
- Engaging in creative thinking to support all students
- Creating Professional Development opportunities for school teams to collaborate
- Sharing data and reviewing other schools implementation and practices
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
The Niskayuna Central School District defines equity as our commitment to ensuring that all students are able to fully access educational experiences and services in our schools — and understanding and eliminating necessary barriers to achieving this. It is doing everything it takes to ensure that
all students feel valued, safe, and welcome. Equity is not giving all students the same experience; it is about giving each student what they need to meet their potential and have full access to the opportunities that make up a Niskayuna education.
This requires building authentic relationships with students and families and embracing the unique perspectives and contributions of all in our community.
Our commitment to diversity and equity will help guide how we create and implement student discipline, policies, and practices. This means working with parents, guardians, and caregivers as partners when addressing student behavior issues. Also, it means further developing our capacity as culturally responsive practitioners in and outside of the classroom.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Niskayuna is invested in supporting students to develop self-awareness and self-management skills essential to success in school and in life. This support is integrated into our daily interactions with students promoting social-awareness and interpersonal skills that establish and maintain positive relationships. Niskayuna encourages all students to develop and demonstrate ethical decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.
The ability to recognize the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of other individuals, including ideas and viewpoints that are different from one’s own, and to empathize with others from diverse backgrounds, is central to forming and maintaining positive relationships at all life stages.
Pro-Social Behavior
Each Niskayuna school is expected to promote a positive school climate and culture that provides students with support so that they can grow both academically and socially. Schools are expected to take a proactive role in nurturing students’ pro-social behavior by providing a range of positive behavioral supports as well as meaningful opportunities for social-emotional learning. Effective social-emotional learning helps students develop fundamental life skills.
Student Engagement
Engagement is integral to creating a positive school climate and culture that effectively fosters academic achievement and social-emotional growth. Providing students with ample opportunities to participate in a wide range of pro-social activities and develop a bond with caring, supportive adults, positively influences behavior. A few examples include providing students with opportunities to share ideas and concerns and participating in school-wide initiatives.
Expectations, Respect and Accountability
It takes the commitment and responsibility of all staff for the healthy development of students including modeling the skills, behaviors and mindsets that they seek to cultivate in students. All staff members are urged to set high expectations for student success, build positive relationships with students and model how to behave successfully in school settings.