DCVPA will not tolerate assaults, threats or harassment from any student. Any student engaging in such behavior will be removed from the classroom or school environment for as long as is necessary to provide a safe and orderly environment for learning.

A. Prohibited Behavior

1. Assault

Students are prohibited from assaulting, physically injuring, attempting to injure or intentionally behaving in such a way as could reasonably cause injury to any other person. Assault includes engaging in a fight.

2. Threatening Acts

Students are prohibited from directing toward any other person any language that threatens force, violence or disruption, or any sign or act that constitutes a threat of force, violence or disruption.

Bomb and terrorist threats are also addressed in policy 4333, Weapons, Bomb Threats, Terrorist Threats and Clear Threats to Safety.

3. Harassment

Students are prohibited from engaging in or encouraging any form of harassment, including bullying and cyberbullying of students, employees or other individuals on school grounds, at school-related functions, and at any time or place when the behavior has a direct and immediate effect on maintaining order and discipline in the schools. Harassment is unwanted, unwelcome and uninvited behavior that demeans, threatens or offends the victim and results in a hostile environment for the victim. The hostile environment may be created through pervasive or persistent misbehavior or a single incident if sufficiently severe.

Harassment and bullying are further defined in policy 1710, Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying. Complaints of harassment will be investigated pursuant to policy 1720, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Complaint Procedure. For incidents of misbehavior that do not rise to the level of harassment, see policy 4310, Integrity, Responsibility and Self-control, which establishes the expectation that students will demonstrate civility and integrity in their interactions with others.

B. Consequences

The disciplinary consequences for violations of this policy shall be consistent with Section D of policy 4300, Student Behavior Policies. The Chancellor or designee shall list in the Code of Student Conduct the specific range of consequences that may be imposed on a student for violations of this policy.

A student who is long-term suspended or reassigned to alternative education services as a result of assaulting or injuring a teacher shall not return to that teacher's classroom without the teacher's consent.

A student who is convicted under G.S. 14-458.2 of cyberbullying a school employee may be expelled or, if available, transferred to a different class or assigned to a teacher who was not involved as a victim of the cyberbullying. The Dean may modify the required transfer of an individual student on a case-by-case basis and shall provide a written statement of this modification in the student's record.

Issued: July 12, 2018