PJ41 Student Discipline and Standards of Behavior

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) will strive to provide and maintain a safe, fair, affirmative, and appropriately challenging environment that promotes learning and positive personal growth. Students are free to engage in learning in a respectful and caring environment. Compromising the learning environment inflicts harm to students, teachers, administrators, parents, the school, and the community. District staff will work with students, families, and communities to understand and address the root causes of behavior, address the harm done, and seek a path to repair harm. The district's approach to student discipline uses progressive discipline, social-emotional learning, and restorative practices in all school settings. Serious infractions may merit the use of disciplinary action, such as suspension, but reentry into the school should include restorative practices to repair harm to the parties involved. Albuquerque Public Schools will establish the expected conduct of students in school and at all district-sponsored activities. Students will be responsible for knowing, understanding, and aligning their behavior with expected conduct. Students are also responsible for attending school and participating in the educational process.

Definitions

“Social-emotional learning,” as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

“Restorative practices” is defined as a set of guiding principles for the school community, which sees relationships as central to learning, growth, and an inclusive, respectful school culture. Restorative practices focus on building, maintaining, and, when necessary, repairing relationships among all members of a school community. Restorative practices are based on relationships, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration. “Intervention Strategies” may also include restorative practices.

"In-school suspension" means suspending a student from physical presence in one or more regular classes while requiring the student to spend the time in a designated area at the same school or elsewhere. In-school suspension may include restorative practices and/or instruction. In-school suspensions will not be counted toward absences from school, but do count towards exclusionary discipline purposes for IEP, SAT and 504 Plans.

“Out-of-school suspension” means a temporary suspension of a student from one or more regular classes for no more than five (5) days, requiring the student to spend time outside of school. Out-of-school suspension includes all school-related activities. Out-of-school suspensions count toward a student’s chronic absenteeism totals.

"Cultural or religious headdresses" include hijabs, head wraps, or other headdresses used as part of an individual's personal cultural or religious beliefs (Section 22-5-4.3 NMSA 1978)

"Protective hairstyles" include hairstyles such as, but not limited to, braids, locs, twists, tight coils or curls, cornrows, bantu knots, afros, weaves, wigs, or head wraps (Section 22-5-4.3 NMSA 1978)

“Racial aggression” is defined as any aggressive act that can be characterized, categorized, or reasonably appears to be racial in nature. The district website provides a link to a statewide hotline for reporting such incidents.

Absenteeism, hairstyles, and cultural or religious hair, hair coverings, or headdresses are not considered a student discipline issue.

APS does not allow for the imposition of discipline, discrimination, or disparate treatment against a student based on the student's race, religion, or cultural hairstyles, hair coverings, or headdresses.

“Student discipline” is defined as strategies and supports to teach children to develop safe, socially responsible behavior that promotes self-respect and respect for the feelings and property of others. Discipline and punishment are not the same. Discipline is guidance and teaching that promotes positive behavior.

“Progressive discipline” aligns with the definition in NMSA 1978 Section 22-35-2(G) and means disciplinary action other than suspension or expulsion from school that is designed to correct and address the basic causes of a student's specific misbehavior while retaining the student in class or in school, or restorative school practices to repair the harm done to relationships and other students from the student's misbehavior, and may include:

meeting with the student and the student's parent/legal guardian
reflective activities, such as requiring the student to write an essay about the student's misbehavior
counseling
anger management
health counseling or intervention
mental health counseling
participation in skill-building and resolution activities, such as social-emotional cognitive skills building, resolution circles, and restorative conferencing
community service
In-school detention or suspension, which may take place during lunchtime, after school, or during weekends

Administrative Position:

Deputy Superintendent of Leadership and Learning

Department Director:

Executive Director of Student, Parent, and Employee Service Center
Chief of Equity and Engagement
School Principals
Executive Director of Activities and Athletics

References

Legal Cross Ref.:

§22-5-4.3 NMSA 1978
§22-12A-1 to §22-12A-14 NMSA 1978
§22-35-12 NMSA 1978
§22-35-2 NMSA 1978
6.11.2 NMAC

§ 22-5-4.3 NMSA 1978

Procedural Directive Cross Ref:

NSBA/NEPN Classification: JKD

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