Dicipline Policy
POLICIES, RULES AND PROCEDURES RELATIVE TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE IN THE NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS
The New Hanover County Board of Education (hereinafter "the Board") believes that to be successful, public school education must be a partnership involving School Personnel, students, Parents and the community. The Board further believes that the maintenance of high citizenship standards provides a school climate conducive to effective teaching and learning. In order to create and maintain a safe and orderly school environment conducive to learning, school officials and teachers need adequate tools to maintain good discipline in schools. However, the Board also recognizes that removal of students from school, while sometimes necessary, can exacerbate behavioral problems, diminish academic achievement, and hasten school dropout. School discipline must balance these interests to provide a safe and productive learning environment, to continually teach students to respect themselves, others, and property, and to conduct themselves in a manner that fosters their own learning and the learning of those around them. The Board further recognizes that students have certain rights under the United States and North Carolina Constitutions, and state and federal statutes and that these rights must be respected. Therefore, in order to delineate and clarify the fundamental guidelines of student behavior in the New Hanover County Schools and to establish procedures to be followed should serious disciplinary action by school authorities become necessary, the following rules and procedures have been adopted by the Board. They are to be distributed to every school in the system, with a copy available to any student or Parent upon request, and are to apply to all students enrolled in the system.