JI: STUDENT RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
The School Committee has the
responsibility to afford students the rights that are theirs by virtue of
guarantees offered under the federal and state constitutions and statutes. In
connection with rights, there are responsibilities that must be assumed by
students.
Among these rights and
responsibilities are the following:
1.
Civil rights--including the rights to equal educational opportunity and freedom
from discrimination; the responsibility not to discriminate against
others.
2. The
right to attend free public schools; the responsibility to attend school
regularly and to observe school rules essential for permitting others to learn
at school.
3. The
right to due process of law with respect to suspension, expulsion, and decisions
the student believes injure his rights.
4. The
right to free inquiry and expression; responsibility to observe reasonable rules
regarding these rights.
5. The
right to privacy, which includes privacy with respect to the student's school
records.
It is the School Committee's belief
that as part of the educational process students should be made aware of their
legal rights, and of the legal authority of the School Committee to make and
delegate authority to its staff to make, rules regarding the orderly operation
of the schools.
Students have the right to know the
standards of behavior that are expected of them, and the consequences of
misbehavior.
The rights and responsibilities of
students, including standards of conduct, will be made available to students and
their parents through handbooks distributed annually.
SOURCE: MASC
LEGAL REFS.: M.G.L.
71:37H; 71:82 through 71:86
Adopted on: April 10,
2008