13. Employee Protection
13.1: Employee Rights and Board Assistance
13.2: Board Responsibility and Assistance
13.3: Teacher’s Right to Exclude Student from Class
13.4: Discipline Procedures
< Table of Contents
13.1 EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND BOARD ASSISTANCE
The employee has the right and the responsibility to maintain a reasonable standard of orderly behavior in his/her classroom, and to use such force as necessary to protect himself/herself, another teacher, or student, from physical assault or injury. Employees shall have Board assistance in any assault cases while the employee is performing his/her assigned duties and in any assault cases that are school related. The Board assistance shall consist of:
A. Notification of Incident
Notifying the proper authorities (police or sheriff) once the incident has been reported to the building principal and the Superintendent.
B. Legal Counsel
Consultation by the Board’s attorney with the teacher in outlining the teacher’s legal rights and alternative courses of action.
C. Discipline of Student
Any student(s) committing an aggravated assault and/or battery on an employee shall be dealt with in accordance with the District’s disciplinary policies as set forth in BOE Policy and Regulations, Part 700, and the District’s Student and Family Handbook. In the event a return to the classroom or a program is deemed appropriate according to those policies, any affected teacher will be consulted for input into the reentry plan.
D. Employee Rights and Board Responsibilities
An employee shall notify the building principal and shall not be subjected to discipline because of:
1. notifying the proper authorities (police or sheriff) to report an assault of an employee;
2. filing charges against a student;
3. notifying DCFS of suspected neglect and/or abuse.
[top]
13.2 BOARD RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSISTANCE
The Board recognizes its responsibility to support and assist employees with respect to the maintenance of control and discipline in the classroom. Whenever it appears that a particular pupil requires the attention of special teachers, special counselors, social workers, law enforcement personnel, physicians, or other professional persons, reasonable steps will be taken to assist the employee with respect to such pupil.
[top]
13.3 TEACHERS RIGHT TO EXCLUDE STUDENT FROM CLASS
A. Exclusion from Classroom
A teacher may exclude a pupil from a class period when he/she violates Board regulations for student discipline. When a pupil is so excluded by a teacher, the student shall be sent from the classroom to the building administrative offices and the problem shall be referred for solution to the building principal or his/her designee.
B. Building Principal Assistance
The building principal or his/her designee shall take action to attempt to solve the discipline problem. Should his/her decision include the re-admittance of the pupil to class, the teacher shall be notified in writing of the conditions under which re-admittance is granted. If the disobedience or misconduct continues, or the conditions for re-admittance are not met by the pupil, said pupil may be excluded for continued violations of classroom managed behaviors. Said student shall be excluded from the classroom for Gross Misconduct or Disobedience in the classroom until a conference can be held to consider interventions or alternative educational programs for the student.
Each teacher is to establish a classroom management plan to be approved by the building principal and to be implemented prior to making an office referral, unless the behavior is of such serious behavior then an immediate office referral is warranted. Office referrals for repeated classroom managed behaviors or gross disobedience or misconduct, will be answered by administration in writing and reported to the person who wrote the referral within 24 hours. Ordinary classroom management techniques need not be tracked in the discipline system. However, data from other behavioral intervention models may be requested.
Data shall be entered weekly for any student who has been placed on a behavior intervention plan and/or tier two interventions.
Each attendance center will create a Behavioral Team similar to the schools Instructional Leadership Team. This team will develop, implement, monitor and maintain professional development and provide ongoing support for social emotional learning in the school. This team will report out to the ILT monthly and be a regular part of the ILT agenda. Teachers in need of assistance with behavioral interventions in the classroom setting shall be allowed to request support from the building BBSS team and access District support. The District will review and monitor data for each attendance center and work with the Association to continue to improve Social Emotional Learning. Social Emotional Learning standards which have been required since 2004.
The Board of Education and Springfield Education Association acknowledge the importance of maintaining safe, inclusive, and positive environments that support academic, behavioral and social-emotional success of all students. In order to fully implement the Board and Union’s joint goal, the District has agreed (see TA 13.3) to continue its efforts to establish and maintain a restorative room in each building where the District and Union has identified significant needs related to social emotional learning. When established the District shall create positions and provide training and support to implement behavior interventions in a restorative room.
When established restorative rooms shall be staffed at a maximum of not to exceed 1 to 14 with one certified staff or a combination of a certified and a classified staff member if resources are available and there is a significant need. Staff would be expected to complete paid restorative practice training.
In addition, the Board shall annually receive constructive recommendations from faculty and staff to improve safety, culture, and climate in each school. Each school’s association leadership will work collaboratively with the building administration to develop the forward facing recommendations.
The restorative room shall serve as a triage location for students transitioning back to school from suspension, alternative placement, government institution, or hospitalization. No student shall be returned to the regular classroom from suspension of out of school placement, until a reentry plan has been established with the correct teacher or staff member then shared with appropriate classroom teachers/staff.
Teachers and administrators in all attendance centers will communicate at least twice per month in order to develop, monitor or amend student behavior intervention plans.
The District will continue to research BBSS supports and appropriate classroom curriculum and intervention materials for teachers.
13.4 DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES
A. Board Policy
Changes in the District 186 Administrative Regulations for Discipline and the District Discipline Code shall be distributed to each employee the first month of the fall school term and, if possible, prior to the start of school.
B. Discipline Procedures
The Board and the Association shall jointly prepare a handout that explains the proper disciplinary procedures for special education students and will sponsor a voluntary in-service on special education discipline.
[top]
13.5 Building Safety and Security Plan
Each school must develop a School Emergency and Crisis Response Plan. The plan identifies the continuity of school administration. This plan is to be reviewed annually with staff.
< A12: Leaves of Absence
A14: Evaluation >