Community Agreement
Norwood School values every member of its community. The School’s primary mission is to assure that each student grows in wisdom, character, and responsibility. To this end, Norwood requires that its students conduct themselves honorably and lawfully at all times and act with honesty, kindness, and civility.
In the Lower School, the Standards of Conduct and Honor are discussed in the classroom. Violations are handled by a teacher or an administrator. In the Middle School, the Standards of Conduct and Honor are discussed in the classroom, and students and parents sign the Community Agreement. Violations are usually handled by a teacher or an administrator; however, input from an advisory council may be solicited for serious or repeated infractions in the Middle School. Results of any punishment are placed in a confidential, internal file separate from the regular student file. Issues that impact the community may be discussed generally in homerooms or advisories.
STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
Proper conduct is expected of all students while on campus, during school-sponsored events, or while under school auspices. Any conduct that threatens the community’s sense of security and trust is prohibited.
Respect All students are expected to treat each other with dignity and recognize that the primary mission of Norwood School is learning. Students are expected to be polite and courteous to peers and adults alike, and to refrain from damaging or destroying school or personal property. Students are responsible for helping to maintain a clean and safe school environment.
Kindness All students are expected to interact in a manner which contributes to a welcoming environment. Students should not engage in negative verbal or physical attention, including rudeness, abuse, harassment, threatening behavior, and fighting. Inappropriate comments regarding ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or social or economic status will not be tolerated.
Civility All students are expected to present themselves in a courteous and polite manner, refraining from offensive language or violent behavior of any kind. Students must abide by all school polices as stated in the Handbook, including Attendance, Dress Code, and Technology Policies.
Lawfulness All students are expected to behave in accordance with all applicable laws and school policies. Possessing, using, distributing, or remaining in the presence of illegal or potentially harmful substances, including alcohol and illegal drugs, or possessing a gun or other weapon are considered major violations of the Standards of Conduct.
STANDARDS OF HONOR
Our school community depends on the presumption of honorable behavior through trust and mutual respect. Students are expected to act with integrity and uphold the standards of the community. The following violations constitute significant breaches of the Standards of Honor:
Lying
No student shall make false statements or claims with the intent to deceive.
Cheating
No student shall give or receive unauthorized assistance or consult inappropriate sources during a test or while completing an assignment.
Stealing
No student shall take or vandalize the property of the School or another person without express permission, even if intended to be temporary or humorous.
Plagiarizing
No student shall claim the work, words, or ideas of another person as his or her own without proper permission and citation.
STANDARDS OF RESPONSE
When a student violates the Community Agreement there will be a response from the School. Every effort is made to match the consequence to the action. The tools available to educate the student about the infraction and to maintain a trusting community include, but are not limited to, the following consequences. While these consequences may proceed in a linear manner relative to the severity and frequency of the violations, serious breaches will result in immediate and serious responses.
Correction For minor infractions of the Standards of Conduct, a teacher or administrator may engage the student at the time of the infraction, reaffirm the importance of a particular rule, and, if appropriate, take disciplinary action or call home. Multiple corrections will result in a formal notice.
Notice In the Middle School, infractions of the Standards of Conduct result in a write up in the Student Incident Database. The Dean of Students reviews this database and determines appropriate consequences for misbehavior. In the rest of the school, most disciplinary incidents are handled through the homeroom teacher.
Detention In the Middle School, for major infractions of the Standards of Conduct, or limited violations of the Standards of Honor, a teacher or administrator may assign an after-school detention during which the student will spend time reflecting and writing about the cause for the detention. The written reflections will be shared with parents and with teachers who recommended the detention.
Contract For any breach of the Standards of Conduct or Honor, a teacher or administrator may require a student to write a contract which explains the rule and how a violation negatively impacts the Norwood School community. The contract will include a commitment from the student to follow the rule from then on and the consequence for breaking the contract. The contract will be signed by the student, a parent, and the Principal.
Conference For any breach of the Standards of Conduct or Honor, a teacher or administrator may require a conference with the student including parents, teachers, and the Principal.
In-School Suspension For major infractions of the Standards of Conduct or violations of the Standards of Honor, the principal or Head of School may require that a student not attend regular classes and work in a separate study hall for a period of time.
Out-of-School Suspension For major infractions of the Standards of Conduct or violations of the Standards of Honor, the Principal or Head of School may require that a student leave the Norwood School community for a period of time.
Expulsion For violations wholly detrimental to the well-being of the school community, the Head of School may require that a student leave Norwood School permanently.