We follow the regular school rules and policies as outlined in the elementary and middle school handbooks. Many negative situations can be avoided by good supervision and by making connections with students. We believe that the best discipline comes from having positive nurturing relationships between students and staff.
Students respond well to rules that are consistent and appropriate for their developmental age. Child voice is extremely important to us and we will always try to work with your child to reach a mutual understanding about discipline.
Sometimes conflict will arise between students that require a student to take a break. If a child is asked to sit out for a period of time from an activity, an incident report is written up and the Lead Instructor will be speaking with you at pick-up time. We ask parents to sign the Incident Report and then they are immediately given a copy. Incident reports are kept at the Community Education Office.
If an incident occurs in Before Care, and your child does not come to After Care, the report will be placed in a sealed envelope and put in your child’s backpack. Staff will attempt to contact you to discuss the incident. In some cases it is necessary to inform the child’s teacher or principal of what occurred so that they may process with the child, to ensure they can have a safe and productive day.
In the case of a physical altercation between children, parents will be notified and given a choice of picking up their child immediately, or having their child serve a detention. Detentions involve staying at the program, but not being allowed to participate in the afternoon activities. Students may read, do homework, or draw, but they will not be allowed to socialize. This decision will be made between the Lead Instructor and the parent.
In the case where a child is very intentional in their harming (physically, verbally, or mentally) of another child, or it is a repeated offense; parents will be notified that the child will serve a suspension. Multiple suspensions will result in termination from the program.
Students who make credible threats of violence against themselves or against others, will be asked to obtain a safety evaluation by a licensed doctor or social worker, before they may return to the program.