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District Code of Conduct

The Saugerties School District is committed to maintaining high standards of education for students in the schools.  Because the District believes that order and discipline are essential to being educated effectively, the District is also committed to creating and maintaining high behavioral standards and expectations.  An orderly educational environment requires that everyone in the school community play a role in contributing to an effective environment. It also requires the development and implementation of a code of conduct that clearly defines individual responsibilities, describes unacceptable behavior, and provides for appropriate disciplinary options and responses.

The parent/guardian is expected to assume primary responsibility for control of his or her child. The parent/guardian may be called upon to actively cooperate with the school in providing the necessary structure to promote his or her child’s social and educational growth. To this end, a high degree of parent-school communication will be fostered by the school.

The District believes that order and discipline must be a shared responsibility between school, home and community.  This Code of Conduct was developed in collaboration with student, teacher, administrator and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other Board-approved school personnel.  Finally, it is our belief that, to be effective, such a code must:

  • identify, recognize and emphasize acceptable behavior;
  • identify, recognize and prevent unacceptable behavior;
  • promote self-discipline;
  • consider the welfare of the individual as well as that of the school community as a whole;
  • promote a close working relationship between parents/guardians and the school staff,
  • distinguish between minor and serious offenses, as well as between first time and repeated offenses;
  • provide disciplinary responses that are appropriate to the misbehavior;
  • outline procedures to ensure that it is administered in a way that is fair, firm, reasonable, and consistent;
  • encourage a high regard for every person’s right to reasonable hearing procedures and due process when accused of misconduct;
  • comply with the provisions of federal, state and local laws, as well as the guidelines and directives of the New York State Education Department and the Board of Regents.

A school’s primary concern in establishing a code of conduct is to enable our young people to become responsible, respectful and caring citizens within the school and community settings. The Board of Education is responsible for ensuring that essential regulations are established and adequate discipline is maintained in the operation of the schools to effectively promote safety, as well as the social and educational growth of the students.  Administrative regulations are developed and enforced by the school administration and staff.

Disciplinary measures available to the administration of each school building include conferences, detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension and administrative hearings with the designated hearing officer. Administrative hearings can result in out-of-school suspensions of more than five days and, in particularly serious cases, a student may be permanently suspended from school.