Safe and Welcoming Schools
Safe and welcoming schools create a positive environment where students are respected and treat one another with respect, thus minimizing student misconduct and improving the environment for learning. Because they are responsible for the effective and safe operation of schools, school administrators must take appropriate measures to address student conduct that threatens the ability of a school to operate in such a manner.
School discipline is a necessary component of school administration, and acts of violence and crime must be addressed quickly and with sufficient severity to ensure the safety of students and school personnel. However, the majority of instances involving school discipline relate to minor misbehavior, and a school’s response to any student misconduct must be aligned with the obligation to protect Turlock Unified School District students’ rights of due process.
School administrators have an obligation to implement discipline in a thoughtful manner, use exclusionary discipline (i.e. the removal of a student from a classroom or school) only as necessary to ensure school safety.