SUBJECT: a) Threats
b) Possession of a Weapon
c) Use of a Weapon
d) Fighting, Hostile Behaviour, Physical Aggression
e) Violence in School Sports
EFFECTIVE: March 4, 2002; January, 2003
REVISED: August 23, 2005; January 21, 2008; August 19, 2013
PURPOSE: To guide and regulate school responses to threats, fighting, hostile behaviour, physical aggression, and to the possession or use of weapons in school or at school events.
REGULATION
a) Threats:
Successful intervention into incidents of threatening and violent behaviour is dependent upon immediate and coordinated assessment of each situation. Threat assessment is a means to comprehensively examine the potential and magnitude of threatening and violent behaviour that would impact on the safety/health of individuals within the school or at school events.
Procedures:
- Reporting: Any person in a school having knowledge of a threat/threat-related behaviour or having reasonable grounds to believe there is a potential for behaviour that may cause injury to others, must immediately report the information to the school administration or designate. No action shall be taken against a person unless it is made maliciously or without reasonable grounds. Malicious reporting will result in disciplinary action.
- Duty to Respond: A school administrator or designate must respond to all threat/threat-related behaviours. Administration is expected to secure the school environment by detaining students involved in a threatening or violent situation, notifying parents/guardians, implementing the school discipline policy as appropriate to the situation or by taking any other immediate action deemed necessary to ensure student and staff safety.
- Responding to the Threat: If the behavior warrants measures beyond the school discipline policy, then the response to the threat/threat-related behaviour(s) must be guided according to the level of threat (Low, Medium, High, Immediate) as per the Keeping Our Schools Safe Protocol, pages 7 and 8. Upon receiving a report of threat/threat-related behaviour, the school administrator or designate will activate the school threat assessment protocol to assess the level of threat behaviour. During this initial process, the school administrator or designate must take immediate precautions to ensure the safety of all. Immediate supervision of the student must be provided to a level consistent to the nature and seriousness of the threat/threat-related behaviour(s).
- If the behaviour poses an Immediate Threat (places the school population in imminent danger), the school administrator or designate must take steps to ensure the safety of all those in the school by activating established procedures for school evacuation or lockdown.
- If the threatening behaviour is not imminent, the school administrator or designate will activate the threat assessment protocols to determine the level of risk:
High Risk Threat: This situation appears to pose a serious and specific danger.
Medium/Moderate Threat: There is no clear indication of preparatory steps, but there is a concern about a potential for violence.
Worrisome/Low Threats: There is no expression of a lasting intent to harm.
- Threat Assessment Documentation and Storage – The principal will be responsible for submitting to the Positive Learning Environment Coordinator a copy of the completed Threat Assessment Documentation. The Positive Learning Environment Coordinator will ensure that this document is kept on file at the Office of the Superintendent. A Threat Assessment Notification form will be completed and sent to the school and placed in the student’s cumulative record card.
Principals shall keep the original threat assessment documentation in a folder or binder in his/her office.
A student who makes a threat to harm others is guilty of a serious breach of school discipline and, pending a threat assessment, is subject to suspension of up to five (5) days. Depending on the gravity of the offense, the principal may recommend a longer suspension. Prior to readmission, the student and his parent(s) or guardian(s) may be involved in a meeting with school officials.
b) Possession of a Weapon
A student found to be in possession of a weapon is subject to suspension for one full semester or an equivalent period of time. A threat assessment must be completed before the student can be readmitted to school. For the purpose of this regulation, schools shall consider weapons to be those defined by the criminal code, or any other object that can bring serious harm or injury to another.
c) Use of a Weapon
A student who uses a weapon, or an object as a weapon, at school or a school-sponsored activity shall be suspended from school for a minimum of one year. During that year, the student will not be eligible to write examinations or participate in any school-sponsored events in any school within the Anglophone North School District. Re-admittance to the school system is dependent upon proof of action directed toward improved conduct.
d) Fighting, Hostile Behaviour, Physical Aggression
A student who is aggressively hostile is subject to an immediate suspension of up to five(5) days. Depending on the gravity of the offense, the principal may recommend a longer suspension. Prior to readmission, the student and his parent(s) or guardian(s) may be involved in a meeting with school officials.
For a second infraction, a long-term suspension must be imposed, and the student will be suspended from participation in all school-sponsored activities for the duration of that school year. The length of the suspension will be contingent on the nature and gravity of the offense. Re-admittance will be dependent upon proof of action taken toward improved conduct.
Principals of elementary schools have the discretion to deal with such instances on an individual basis. The consequences outlined in the policy may be invoked, but are not mandatory.
e) Violence in School Sports
One of the primary mandates of the Anglophone North School District is to create a positive environment where students can be free of abuse, violence and other activities that degrade the individual. Interscholastic sport is an activity that is promoted, organized and carried out by schools to benefit their students. Anglophone North School District is committed to the fostering of a high quality of athletic experience for all participants through:
- Fun, fair play and sportsmanship
- Quality coaching
- Safe and healthy environment
It is understood that there should be a high standard of behaviour expected from all persons who participate in interscholastic competition including athletes, coaches, parents, volunteers and officials. Behaviours that are disrespectful, offensive, racist or sexist and/or potentially violent or abusive must not be tolerated.
Incidents of abuse and violence that occur during competition must have the same consequences as if a similar behaviour occurred during regular school activities.
It is proposed that a high standard of behaviour for student athletes is established and if misconduct occurs, that the school principal administers the sanctions.
Procedures:
1. It is the responsibility of the coach to inform the student athletes and parents of the standards of behaviour and the consequences if they participate in violent acts.
- Any athlete that commits an act of violence, or exhibits abusive behaviour towards others that results in an ejection from a game is to be immediately referred, by the coach, to the principal of the school in writing for further disciplinary action. The principal will administer sanctions in accordance with the discretion awarded him/her in the Education Act and in support of the Positive Learning Environment. Any sanction must be consistent with those taken for any other student in the general population given the act would have occurred elsewhere in the school.
- If a second offense occurs, the principal will review the case and levy increased sanctions as he/she sees fit. Sanctions can include suspension for the remainder of the school year from all interscholastic activities and possibly suspension from school.
- The principal must notify the student and parents, in writing, of the appropriate sanctions and file this notification with the Senior Education Officer and the Superintendent.
2. The primary objective towards initiating this policy in Anglophone North School District is:
- To reflect and support the mandate to create a Positive Learning Environment for all students, one where they will not be subject to violent or abusive acts;
- To establish a high standard of conduct for student athletes;
- To provide consistency among Anglophone North high schools toward the application of sanctions against those that do not adhere to expected standards of behaviour;
- To have sanctions administered within the framework of school and district policies.
NOTE TO PRINCIPALS:
a) The use of laser pens are banned from use in district schools. Because of the potential of laser pens to cause serious injury to one’s vision, they will be considered as a weapon for purposes of this policy.
b) The ban on the use of laser pens applies to the school staff as well because of the potential for students to gain access to them.
REFERENCES:
- Department of Education Policy 703: Positive Learning Environment
- Department of Education Policy 705: Crisis Planning
- Department of Education Procedures – Keeping Our Schools Safe: Protocol for Violence Prevention and Crisis Response in New Brunswick Schools
- Threat Assessment Training Guide – Second Edition
- Guidelines For Responding To Student Threats of Violence- Cornell & Sheras, 2006