Disciplinary Ladder of Behavior

Inappropriate Touching

Any physical contact intended to do harm to another person including but not limited to use of physical force, sexual behavior, threats or intimidation.


Minor

  • Imitating or mimicking actions
  • Touching another child without causing harm

Major

Repeated pattern of Minor behaviors as well as:

  • If the injury results in a visit to the health room
  • If the touching is blatantly sexual in nature

Fighting/Physical Harm

Fighting is mutual physical combat. It is physical aggression with the clear intent to hurt with body or objects. This includes one student attacking another or an assault of an adult designated to a supervisory role (including volunteers).


Minor

  • Throwing something out of anger, but not towards an individual
  • Arguing verbally with one another
  • Lashing out verbally at others

Major

  • Physical aggression resulting in a bodily injury to a person(s)
  • Intentionally causing bodily injury to another person
  • Mutual Combat

Threatening or Bullying

Bullying is an accumulation of negative actions such as written, verbal, physical or sexual act, or electronic such as cyber-bullying, occurring repeatedly over time directed toward one student by another student or students. Bullying involves four key elements: Power, Pattern, Pain (physical or emotional) and Purpose (done intentionally).


Minor

  • Name calling or put downs
  • Mocking/Imitating/Taunting others
  • Engaging in bullying activity or intimidation
  • Being observed hitting toward, kicking at, and/or repeatedly pushing (no bodily harm)
  • Excluding others from learning, play or social groups

Major

Repeated pattern of Minor behaviors:

  • Any threat of physical harm
  • Punching, kicking, or hitting
  • Cyber-bullying (social media sites, texting or emails)
  • Verbally or physically harassing others, causing them to report incidents to adults
  • Spreading information through gossiping, rumors, or written process

Health Code Violations

Deliberate spitting on or at another person or his or her food or beverage, as well as deliberate urination or defecation in a public or an inappropriate location.


Minor

  • Careless urinating on the toilet seat or floor
  • Propelling spit balls
  • Sharing food or drinks
  • Sticking out tongue and blowing
  • Scratching
  • Tampering with another individual’s food or drink

Major

Repeated pattern of Minor behaviors as well as:

  • Deliberate spitting on or at another person, his/her food or beverage, or inappropriate location
  • Deliberate licking another person or their food/beverage
  • Deliberate urination or defecation in public or in an inappropriate location
  • Biting

Inappropriate Language or Gestures

The display of any inappropriate actions, verbalizations or gestures that are threatening, suggestive, or aggressive in nature and affect one or more persons in the school environment.


Minor

  • Mimicking or mocking any adult
  • Showing verbal disrespect or talking back
  • Suggested physical movements (eye rolling, gestures) directed at a person
  • Gestures, profanity, inappropriate language not directed at a person
  • Ridicule of someone (isolated incident)
  • Clothing that includes racial slurs, sexual content or drugs

Major

Repeated pattern of Minor behaviors as well as:

  • Profanity or gesture directed at any student, staff or volunteer (noticed by a group)
  • Indecent exposure
  • Sexual gestures/suggestive movements/writings and drawings
  • Bringing a weapon to school

Off Task Behavior

Behavior that is non-productive or interferes with classroom instruction.


Minor

  • Not listening/talking
  • Failure to complete class work
  • Uncooperative behavior that disrupts instruction (hiding, tearing work, refusal to work)
  • Writing and passing notes
  • Quietly blend in while doing nothing
  • Spending a lot of time looking through things such as desk or bookbag
  • Saying they are getting to the task or are working on something and produce few results
  • Daydream, look out the window, around the room, looking past the teacher or at other students
  • Playing with things in desk, bookbag, folders, etc.
  • Drawing or doing other tactile activities while the lesson is being presented
  • Sleeping

Major

  • Extreme outburst or disruption
  • Annoying and distracting others
  • Pestering/Vexing
  • Getting out of seat frequently
  • Hands on others and in others’ space and belongings
  • Roll on the floor, crawl under tables, etc.

Dishonesty or Cheating

Behavior that is deceptive or fraudulent including: cheating, forgery, presenting false information, or omitting truthful information.


Minor

  • Cheating or forgery (isolated incident)
  • Lying about a situation to avoid punishment
  • Tells unlikely or inflated stories
  • Having difficulty taking responsibility
  • Having frequent incidents
  • Having frequent reports from others
  • Blaming others
  • Only seeming to tell half of the story or give partial details

Major

  • Clear pattern of three or more of the Minor incidents
  • May include emotional harm to another by causing significant financial loss or social standing or reputation, rumors or gossip
  • Blatant lying to school personnel

Defiance, Insubordination, Disrespect

Behavior where student shows failure to respond to adult requests.


Minor

  • Lashing out verbally at other
  • Engaging others in arguments and conflict
  • Unwilling to let issues go
  • Disliking to be told what to do
  • Doing the opposite of what is told
  • Becoming aggressive and acting out when told to do something
  • Only doing tasks or activities they like or enjoy
  • Quietly refusing to do as told
  • Remaining in place and refusing to move
  • Scowl, appear angry, agitated, irritated, etc.
  • Refuse to comply with adult requests
  • Refuse to follow classroom routines
  • Project blame onto others
  • Denies the obvious
  • Unable to admit to a mistake
  • Poor judgement
  • Difficulty going from one location to another

Major

Repeated pattern of Minor behaviors as well as:

  • Smiling, crossing arms, stomping feet when refusing to follow directives
  • Verbally arguing with the teacher
  • Profanity towards others
  • Blatant and loud defiant or disrespectful behaviors directed to staff members or other students
  • Strong verbal protest
  • Tantrums and meltdowns when told to do something

Theft or Property Damage

Intentionally or recklessly causing damage, to defacing school or personal property or such action causing disruption to the educational process and/or school activities.


Minor

  • Writing on school property but does not cause any damage
  • Ripping/tearing a page from a school-owned book or textbook

Major

  • Arson or attempted arson
  • Tampering with security, fire, access control, surveillance or alarm systems
  • Burglary to a school or any structure on the property
  • Breaking into any vehicle on school property
  • Vandalism or theft of personal or school district property
  • Tampering with records or documents of the school district
  • Permanent graffiti or damage
  • Detonating fireworks, incendiary devices, smoke bombs or stink bombs or other noxious gas devices

Technology Violation

The engaging of inappropriate use of technology.


Minor

  • Accessing unauthorized websites
  • Using technology at inappropriate times (determined by the teacher)

Major

  • Use of computer access accounts other than those assigned
  • Tampering with records or documents of the school district
  • Unauthorized and deliberate tampering with a computer set-up
  • Deletion of computer programs, systems or files
  • Cyber-bullying (social media sites, texting or emails)