Serious Student Behavioral Infractions

Serious Behavioral Infractions

The following are behaviors for which students may face significant disciplinary actions:

• Physical assault or battery, or any threat of force or violence (gesture, verbal, written, or online) directed toward a student, a teacher, or a member of the AMHS community.  Continuing to fight after receiving a warning from a member of the faculty or staff.  Striking an employee in any way, even if the student does so inadvertently, while the employee  is attempting to break up a fight.  Encouraging fighting among peers will result in disciplinary consequences.
• Willfully threatening harm to another person, even if there was no intent to carry out the threat, if the circumstances surrounding the incident were such that the person threatened would reasonably fear for his or her safety (this is also a criminal offense).
• Failure to report to a teacher or administrator knowledge of actions or plans of another student where those actions or plans, if carried out, could result in harm to another person(s) or damage property.
• Harassment and discrimination, in any form, at school, at a school activity, or otherwise, and occuring at any time including but not limited to: 
• • Any behavior that is degrading, offensive, inflammatory, or devalues the dignity of a person, including online communications,, the display of posters, cartoons, written words, drawings, symbols, and gestures.  
  • Deliberately impeding or blocking movement, as well as any intimidating interference with normal work or movement.
  • Verbal assault/harassment, including derogatory comments and jokes/slurs as well as threatening words spoken to or about  any person on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, immigrant status, homelessness, economic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, medical condition, physical appearance, or physical or mental disability.
• Gestures, verbal and written threats of violence.  Use or possession of firearms (loaded or unloaded), replica weapons, or other potentially injurious weapons or objects.  These include, but are not limited to, the following:  matches and lighters; laser pointers; chain hanging from pocket or wallet; any knife (including pocket knife, Swiss Army knife); BB guns; shurikens and dirks; icepicks and screwdrivers; razors; stun guns and tasers; metal knuckles; nanchaku sticks; explosives/fireworks.
• The possession, use, exchange, distribution, reception, intention to sell, sale, or purchase of controlled or mind-altering substances or paraphernalia at any time and in any place by an AMHS student, or being under the influence of these substances (see Substance Abuse Policy below).
• Speeding or reckless driving on or near the school campus.  This is a serious threat to both life and property.
• Theft of property from a member of the school community or from the school itself, or possession of stolen goods.  Theft includes the unauthorized possession of school keys.  Witnessing or being aware of theft and failing to report it to a school authority may be interpreted as the assistance of theft.  Finding an item and not immediately turning it into a school authority may be interpreted as theft.  Identifiable items found around school should be returned to the student who owns them or brought to the Dean’s Office.  Intentionally keeping the item for oneself is also considered theft.
• Archbishop Mitty High School is not liable for any theft of student property. Any student who is a victim of theft should report the incident to the Dean of Students as soon as possible. However, electronic devices are brought to school at the student’s own risk, e.g. portable music players, cell phones, handheld organizers, laptop computers, and all types of cameras.
• Unwelcome advances, verbal and/or physical misconduct in the interpersonal relationships between students and any misconduct of a sexual nature that causes discomfort to a student at AMHS.  The following are examples of such misconduct (although not limited to these examples):
• • Unwelcome sexual advances or physical contact of a sexual nature.
  • Verbal, written, typed/Internet requests for sexual favors; sexually demeaning comments; sexual statements, questions, slurs, jokes, anecdotes, or epithets.
  • Suggestive or obscene letters, notes, invitations, or electronic communication.
  • Sexually suggestive or excessively revealing images or photos posted online or through electronic communication including on social media. 
  • Unkind and/or unlawful physical touching, contact, assault, deliberately impeding or blocking movements, or any intimidating interference with normal study or movement.
  • Leering, gestures, displays of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons, or posters.

Should a student be the object of behavior that is offensive and unwelcome, he or she should tell the individual causing the harassment that his/her conduct is offensive and must stop.  If the objectionable behavior does not cease immediately, the individual should report this to his/her counselor and the Dean of Students.

• Any expressions or actions of a sexual nature.
• Possession, sale, promotion, or engagement in Internet activity with pornographic or other offensive material.
• Violation of stated rules and expectations associated with participation in school sponsored trips including retreats and immersion trips.
• Acts of vandalism, including defacing or purposefully damaging property, occurring on the school campus, near the school campus, or at off-campus, school sponsored events (e.g. retreats, immersion trips, sports competitions). 
• Students involved in any form of vandalism may be required to perform necessary corrective tasks,  i.e., clean-up and/or repair.  Students involved in acts of vandalism, and their families, assume financial liability associated with the vandalism, including but not limited to clean up, extra maintenance, repair, or security expenses. Witnessing or being aware of vandalism and failing to report it to a school authority, may be interpreted as assistance of vandalism. 
• Gang-related conduct/activity, which includes, but is not limited to, symbols, graffiti, apparel (e.g. excessively baggy clothing), colors, hazing/initiations, and hand signals commonly associated with gangs. Students who engage in gang-related activity shall be subject to dismissal.
• Plagiarism and cheating are serious violations of the AMHS Academic Integrity Policy. Submitting one’s own work of another’s ideas, methods, research, or words without proper acknowledgement or through noncompliance with academic policies will result in disciplinary consequences (see Academic Integrity Policy below).
• Alteration of records, falsifying or altering school records, or communication between home and the school.  The forging of a parental note by a student and making or having someone else make a phone call to the school in which the caller falsely claims to be the parent/guardian.
• Refusal to follow teacher or administrator instructions and failure to comply with any written or verbal communication from a teacher or administrator.  A student who has been given a Call Notice to report to the Dean of Students and does not do so at the indicated time.  Any student found to be disrespectful to a teacher, staff member, or administrator.  Any student found guilty of insubordination, or a malicious, willful, and publicly defiant disobedience.
• Initiating a fire alarm, bomb scare, anthrax or other threat, or calling 9-1-1 when no emergency exists.
• Violation of the rules and code of ethics of the Archbishop Mitty High School Technology Use Policy.
• Participation in any form of a “senior prank.”
• Using the AMHS name, initials, or logo without direct permission.  It is unacceptable to display pictures of staff, students, the school, or school activities without direct permission from the parties involved.  Deliberate publication on the Internet, or anywhere else, may result in disciplinary action.  It goes without saying that anything that is digitally altered, degrading, lewd, threatening, or violent in relation to the above will result in serious disciplinary action, including the possibility of dismissal.

Substance Abuse Policy

As a Catholic college preparatory high school, AMHS respects and promotes the dignity and worth of each human being.  As such, we find the student use and abuse of alcohol and drugs incompatible with our mission and philosophy.  Such use also jeopardizes the safety of everyone in this educational community.  AMHS expects students to avoid any use of, involvement with, or possession of alcohol, drugs, or other illegal substances including vaping products. Possessing, selling, giving away, using, or being under the influence of drugs and/or hazardous substances on the campus, at school functions, or at a time and place that directly involves the school, renders a student liable to dismissal. 

Archbishop Mitty addresses student drug/alcohol use in three ways:

Education: Through our curriculum in our social emotional learning program, conducted through the religious studies classes,, students are educated regarding the importance of healthy decision making, especially surrounding the use of vaping products, drugs, and alcohol.  AMHS partners with local agencies to provide educational programs on cyberbullying, online presence, healthy relationships, and drug and alcohol education. Parents are also provided opportunities to attend parent education nights and the Common Ground Speaker Series.

Intervention: AMHS recognizes substance abuse as a treatable illness and will make every effort to assist students involved with the problem.  Any student who comes forward of their own initiative and volition with an alcohol or drug problem will be met with pastoral care.  Strict confidentiality will be observed in providing assistance, and every effort will be made through the Counseling Department to support students who are actively seeking help for themselves to continue their education at AMHS.

Discipline: The possession, use, exchange, distribution, reception, intention to sell, sale, or purchase of controlled or mind-altering substances or paraphernalia, at any time and in any place by an AMHS student, or being under the influence of these drugs is a serious breach of the student code of conduct.

In order to provide a safe environment, any student attending AMHS or an AMHS event may be subject to an on-sight breathalyzer test when there is a reasonable suspicion of alcohol consumption.   A student’s refusal to cooperate with such a test may be considered sufficient reason to suspend the student and to refer him/her for disciplinary action.

Archbishop Mitty students are expected to comply with all civil laws. AMHS reserves the right to contact local law enforcement when a student is found to have used, been in possession of, sold, or distributed any illegal substances.

It is important for students and parents to understand the legal ramifications of drug involvement.  A person who spends time with a person who sells drugs can be convicted of aiding and abetting in a felony.  Referring a customer to a seller is a form of drug trafficking.  A homeowner can be criminally prosecuted for hosting a party at which drugs are used or sold.

Academic Integrity Policy

A high level of academic integrity is expected from all AMHS students in their classwork, homework, and assessments. As such, violations of academic integrity include plagiarism, cheating, and theft of academic materials.

Presenting others’ ideas, methods, research or words as one's own work, without proper acknowledgement and consent constitutes plagiarism. This includes close paraphrasing as well as quoting entire lines of another's work, either verbatim or nearly verbatim.

This principle applies to violations of academic integrity including 

1. 1. Submitting a paper as your own, in total or in part, when it was created by another; this includes
      1. Word-for-word copying of portions of another's writing without appropriate citation.
      2. Using a unique term or concept which one has come across in reading, without acknowledging its author or source.
      3. Paraphrasing or restating someone else's ideas without acknowledging that this other person's text was the basis for that paraphrasing.
      4. Presenting false data--for example, data that were fabricated, altered, or borrowed from someone else, without the instructor's permission to do so.  

Other examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to: 

1. 1. using a translator in World Languages.
   2. using Artificial Intelligence to generate ideas, language and/or evidence and submitting it as one’s own work. 

Cheating refers to an unethical way of achieving a goal. It is generally used to gain an unfair advantage in a competitive situation. 

This principle applies to violations of academic integrity that include 

1. 1. Submitting academic work that is not one’s own
   2. Not complying with the academic policies governing testing, including sharing answers with other students, obtaining answers from other students, using unauthorized academic resources (study aids, notes, books, data, etc.), falsifying data, working together on an individual assignment, and stealing, selling, copying or providing copies of an examination.

Consequences for Serious Behavioral Infractions

A student who commits a serious behavioral infraction of the student code of conduct is subject to immediate dismissal from school. However, most serious behavioral infractions, committed during the regular academic year, are referred to the Student Review Board or assigned Disciplinary Monitoring.

When a student is disenrolled or dismissed from AMHS, parents are responsible for tuition for all months a student was in attendance, including partial months. Any residual paid tuition, beyond the last month in attendance, will be refunded through the Business Office.

Suspension

For serious disciplinary reasons, the Dean of Students may suspend a student from attending school.  During suspension the student may not come to school without the permission of the Dean, and the student loses the right to participate in any school activity during the suspension period.  The student will not return to class until his or her parent/guardian has had a conference with the Dean. Suspension is considered an unexcused absence.

Disciplinary Monitoring

Disciplinary monitoring is a most serious status that is assigned to students who have violated the school’s behavioral rules or have repeatedly not complied with school policies.  A student who violates the school rules while on Disciplinary Monitoring may not be allowed to participate in or attend school-sponsored extracurricular activities and is subject to dismissal from Archbishop Mitty.  A student may be required to receive professional, medical, or psychiatric assessment and/or help as a condition of monitoring, at the parents expense.

At the end of each semester, the Administration will review the case of each student on monitoring.  If problems continue, the student may not be invited to return the following semester. It is important to note that  a student need not be on Disciplinary Monitoring to be dismissed from AMHS.

Student Review Board

The purpose of the Student Review Board is to review the findings of a disciplinary investigation, hear input from the student and parents, and to recommend to the Principal whether a student should remain at   the Archbishop Mitty High School .  Options for its recommendation to the Principal include the student’s dismissal, suspension, disciplinary monitoring, loss of privileges, and/or detention.  The Principal has the final jurisdiction over the recommendations of the Board.

Members of the Student Review Board are faculty who have been elected by the faculty and students.  A principal chairs the Student Review Board. A Student Review Board session is held in a closed door session with the review board, student and parents, and the Deans.