3241 - Classroom Management, Discipline and Corrective Action

As used in this Regulation and accompanying Procedure 3241P, “discipline” means any action taken by the District in response to behavioral violations. Discipline is not necessarily punitive, but can take positive and supportive forms.

The purposes of this Regulation and accompanying Procedure 3241P include:

• Engaging with families and the community and striving to understand and be responsive to cultural context;
• Supporting students in meeting behavioral expectations, including providing for early involvement of parents;
• Administering discipline in ways that respond to the needs and strengths of students and keep students in the classroom to the maximum extent possible;
• Describing the educational services that students may receive during suspension and expulsion;
• Facilitating collaboration between school personnel, students, and parents to support successful reentry into the classroom following a suspension or expulsion;
• Promoting fairness and equity in the administration of discipline;
• Providing a safe environment for all students and for District employees;
• Providing for early involvement of parents in efforts to support students in meeting behavior expectations;
• Establishing appeal and review procedures for suspensions, expulsions and emergency expulsions;
• Establishing grievance procedures to address grievances of classroom exclusion and other forms of discipline other than suspensions, expulsions and emergency expulsions;
• Identifying other forms of discipline that school personnel should administer before administering exclusionary discipline; and
• Providing a process for students who have been suspended or expelled to petition for readmission.

The Superintendent has general authority to administer discipline, including all exclusionary discipline. The Superintendent will identify other staff members to whom the Superintendent has designated disciplinary authority. The Superintendent also shall establish and make available rules of student conduct designed to provide students with a safe, healthy, and educationally sound environment. Students are expected to be aware of the District’s rules of student conduct, including behavior standards that respect the rights, person, and property of others. Students and staff are expected to work together to develop a positive climate for learning. Failure to comply with these expectations may result in discipline.

Procedure 3241P sets forth the types of behavioral violations for which the District may administer discipline, including classroom exclusions, suspensions, expulsions and emergency expulsions. The District’s use of suspension and expulsion will have a real and substantial relationship to the lawful maintenance and operation of the District, including but not limited to, the preservation of the health and safety of students and employees and the preservation of an educational process that is conducive to learning. Procedure 3241P identifies a list of other forms of discipline for staff to use instead of classroom exclusion, suspension or expulsion. Staff members are not restricted to that list and may use any other form of discipline compliant with WAC 392-400-025(9) in response to behavioral violations. 

School personnel must make every reasonable attempt to involve parents and students to resolve behavioral violations. The District must ensure that associated notices, hearings, conferences,

meetings, plans, proceedings, agreements, petitions, and decisions are in a language the student and parents understand, which may require language assistance.

As described in the accompanying procedure, the District will offer educational services to students during suspension or expulsion. When the District administers a long-term suspension or expulsion, the District will timely hold a reengagement meeting and collaborate with parents and students to develop a reengagement plan that is tailored to the student’s individual circumstances. Any student who has been suspended or expelled may apply for readmission at any time.

When administering discipline, the District will observe students’ constitutional rights. The District will notify parents of classroom exclusion, suspension or expulsion in accord with the requirements in the accompanying Procedure 3241P. The District will provide opportunities for parent participation during an initial hearing with the student. The District will follow the established procedures for the appeal and review of suspensions, expulsions and emergency expulsions that are consistent with the applicable state regulations.

In the accompanying Procedure 3241P, the District has established procedures to address grievances of parents or students related to other forms of discipline, classroom exclusion, and exclusion from transportation or extra-curricular activities. The grievance procedures include an opportunity for the student to share their perspective and explanation regarding the behavioral violation.

The District is authorized to enter into behavior agreements with students and parents in response to behavioral violations, including agreements to reduce the length of a suspension conditioned on participation in treatment services, agreements in lieu of suspension or expulsion, or agreements holding a suspension or expulsion in abeyance. The District will ensure that any behavior agreement entered with a student does not waive that student’s opportunity to participate in a reengagement meeting or to receive educational services during the period of suspension or expulsion. Behavior agreements will not exceed the length of an academic term and will not preclude the District from administering discipline for behavioral violations that occur after the entry of the behavior agreement.

The District will periodically review these discipline policies and procedures with the participation of school personnel, students, parents, families and the community. During the development and review of the discipline policies and procedures, the District will use disaggregated data collected under RCW 28A.300.042 to monitor the impact of the District’s discipline policies, procedures and practices and to update these policies and procedures to improve fairness and equity in the administration of discipline.

The District will make its discipline policies and procedures available to families and the community. The District will annually provide its discipline policies and procedures to all district personnel, students, and parents, which may require language assistance for students and parents with limited-English proficiency under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The District will ensure District employees and contractors are knowledgeable of the discipline policies and procedures.