Character Counts
These six core ethical values form the foundation of the Character Counts Initiative and are the basis for the Philosophy of Discipline of the district. For more information visit www.charactercounts.org
Trustworthiness
• Be honest
• Don’t deceive, cheat or steal
• Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do
• Have the courage to do the right thing
• Build a good reputation
• Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country
Respect
• Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule
• Be tolerant of differences
• Use good manners, not bad language
• Be considerate of the feelings of others
• Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone
• Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements
Responsibility
• Do what you are supposed to do
• Persevere: keep on trying!
• Always do your best • Use self-control
• Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences
• Be accountable for your choices
Fairness
• Play by the rules
• Take turns and share
• Be open-minded; listen to others
• Don’t take advantage of others
• Don’t blame others carelessly
Caring
• Be kind
• Be compassionate and show you care
• Express gratitude
• Forgive others
• Help people in need
Citizenship
• Do your share to make your school and community better
• Cooperate
• Get involved in community affairs
• Stay informed; vote
• Be a good neighbor
• Obey laws and rules
• Respect authority
• Protect the environment
A student may be sent to the principal’s office for the following reasons, but the staff member reserves the right to also send students for other offensive behaviors:
1. Misbehavior in an extra class such as music, computer, band, guidance, etc. that results in the teacher sending the student back to their regular classroom.
2. Physical or verbal fighting on the playground or in the school building.
3. Inappropriate language/or gestures as determined by the school staff member present.
4. Violation of a playground rule such as throwing rocks or snowballs.
5. Violation of rules in place at home athletic contests.
6. Misbehavior on the bus, or a violation of the bus rules.
A student will be given two warnings when sent to the principal’s office. These trips to the office will be documented with a note to the parents of the child informing them of the behavior of the student and the incident will then be recorded on the DDN Campus Parent Portal. On the student’s third trip to the office for misbehavior, the parent will be called and the student’s incident will also be recorded on the DDN Campus Parent Portal. After three trips, any ensuing trip to the office will result in an in school suspension. An in-school suspension will mean that the student will receive no better than a 69% on all work completed for that day.