Students and staff actively use The Stop Rule as a first line effort to have someone stop an offending or harmful behavior. You must comply respectfully, or the lunchtime detention consequence is applied. As a general rule, three lunchtime detentions in a three-week period will move you to Stage 2 in the protocol.
Disciplinary action is generally taken in stages. Some infractions result in swift, harsh punishment; for example, if you are caught with alcohol or drugs you may be removed from school, reported to the police and, in some cases, expelled. If you behave in an out-of-control, angry manner you will be sent home immediately, with consequences to follow. Other infractions, such as cheating or plagiarism, may result in your being given a zero for the assignment. Yet other behaviors harmful to the community will result in your being sent to the Fairness Committee.
This process is not designed to punish you but rather to hold you accountable for your actions. It is predicated on the belief that you wish to be at The New School and want to succeed. The five Stages are summarized in the table below:
Stages of Disciplinary Intervention
Stage 1: You are sent to lunchtime detention.
Stage 2: Your advisor and parents are notified that there is a problem, and their assistance and advice are enlisted. You meet with the HS or MS Director. You may lose privileges at this stage.
Stage 3: You are referred to the Fairness Committee. The Fairness Committee convenes within 1-2 days and comes up with a plan to help you get back on track over the course of several weeks. The committee monitors your behavior carefully. If the plan helps and your behavior improves, you begin to move down one stage at a time and may regain privileges.
Stage 4: If the behavior is serious enough, the Headmaster may suspend you until a Disciplinary Conference can be arranged with you, your parents, the HS or MS Director and your advisor. If you still do not comply with school expectations and directives you may be subject to suspension, possibly lasting a quarter or more, and you may not be invited back to The New School the next year.
Stage 5: You are asked leave the school or you are expelled.