Puerto Rico School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Prevention

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Category: Prevention, Behavioral Interventions, and Supports
Subcategory: Prevention
State: Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico

LAWS

18 L.P.R.A. § 9. Students.

Every student in the public education system has the right to:

(a) Receive an education that fosters the full development of his/her personality and the strengthening of respect toward human rights and the fundamental freedoms within a safe environment.

(b) Spend his/her school day in a safe environment that is free from undue pressures related to school violence.

(c) Receive orientation and a copy of the General Student Regulations of the Puerto Rico Public Education System and the Internal Security Regulations, with the provisions and sanctions thereof.

(d) Be informed of the violent situations that have taken place in the school environment in order to remain alert thereto.

(e) Enjoy broad and diverse opportunities for intellectual and artistic creativity and expression.

(f) Be treated with fairness and equality and to develop within an environment of freedom, solidarity and full respect for human rights.

(g) Be guaranteed safety, physical integrity and anonymity when reporting an act of violence he/she has witnessed to the school security authorities.

(h) Receive the necessary tools for the constructive management of emotions and for verbal non-violent conflict resolution.

(i) Receive orientation about the procedures to be followed in emergency situations, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, gas leaks, fires or terrorist attacks.

18 L.P.R.A. § 13. Department of Education.

(d) To provide administrative support to achieve compliance with the school security plans established by the student councils. Said school security plans shall include initiatives directed toward:

(1) Identifying the security needs of the schools.

(2) Providing clean physical facilities in a safe environment.

(3) Implementing training programs for the teachers, non-teaching personnel and student groups in the areas of violence prevention and conflict management.

18 L.P.R.A. § 14. Students.

(a) General Regulations for the Students of the Puerto Rico Public Education System.- Students shall try to resolve problems in non-violent ways and through dialogue. Maintain respect for their fellow students, their teachers and the school authorities.

(b) Students shall report any violent act, crime, vandalism and threat of which they become aware to the school director, a teacher or to a parent or guardian.

(d) Students shall cooperate with the school administration in the identification of places that are conducive to delinquent behavior within the school.

(e) Students shall learn how to avoid becoming victims of a crime within the school. In order to achieve this, they shall stay away from dangerous places with poor lighting and visibility.

(f) Students shall seek help from any member of the school community when they face a situation that may turn out to be dangerous to their physical integrity or safety.

18 L.P.R.A. § 17. Elected officers and government agencies.

(a) Elected officers are responsible for promoting legislation directed toward the reduction of school violence and the development of safe schools, provided that the resources of the Commonwealth so allow.

(b) Police officers and School Guards I and II shall be responsible for institutional order within one hundred (100) meters surrounding the school premises and in school sponsored activities, in accordance with the regulations established to such effects. It is necessary that these officers develop positive relationships with the components of the school community and exert maximum efforts to achieve a suitable environment for the development of the habit of responsibility and cooperation, and of sound school discipline.

(c) To give conferences and hold assemblies directed toward discussing topics such as school violence prevention, prevention of drug use in the schools, conflict management in the school environment, etc.

(d) Government agencies shall support and actively participate in school activities in order to promote a safe and wholesome environment.

(e) To support research projects directed toward the study of the school violence problem. The information from these research projects may serve as the foundation upon which to generate legislation or initiatives that reduce violence in our schools.

(f) To provide the necessary funds for the implementation of security initiatives in the schools, such as the installation of security devices, programs for monitoring the statistics of criminal and violent incidents in the schools, etc.

(g) To establish interagency collaborative agreements with federal agencies, municipalities and the private sector in order to promote school security.

REGULATIONS

No relevant regulations found.