Ohio School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Authority to Develop and Establish Codes of Conduct

Discipline Compendium

Ohio School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Authority to Develop and Establish Codes of Conduct

Category: Codes of Conduct
Subcategory: Authority to Develop and Establish Codes of Conduct
State: Ohio

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LAWS

3313.20. Rules–locker search policy–professional meetings.

(A) The board of education of a school district or the governing board of an educational service center shall make any rules that are necessary for its government and the government of its employees, pupils of its schools, and all other persons entering upon its school grounds or premises. Rules regarding entry of persons other than students, staff, and faculty upon school grounds or premises shall be posted conspicuously at or near the entrance to the school grounds or premises, or near the perimeter of the school grounds or premises, if there are no formal entrances, and at the main entrance to each school building.

(B)(1) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district may adopt a written policy that authorizes principals of public schools within the district or their designees to do one or both of the following:

(a) Search any pupil's locker and the contents of the locker that is searched if the principal reasonably suspects that the locker or its contents contains evidence of a pupil's violation of a criminal statute or of a school rule;

(b) Search any pupil's locker and the contents of any pupil's locker at any time if the board of education posts in a conspicuous place in each school building that has lockers available for use by pupils a notice that the lockers are the property of the board of education and that the lockers and the contents of all the lockers are subject to random search at any time without regard to whether there is a reasonable suspicion that any locker or its contents contains evidence of a violation of a criminal statute or a school rule.

(2) A board of education's adoption of or failure to adopt a written policy pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section does not prevent the principal of any school from searching at any time the locker of any pupil and the contents of any locker of any pupil in the school if an emergency situation exists or appears to exist that immediately threatens the health or safety of any person, or threatens to damage or destroy any property, under the control of the board of education and if a search of lockers and the contents of the lockers is reasonably necessary to avert that threat or apparent threat.

(C) Any employee may receive compensation and expenses for days on which he is excused, in accordance with the policy statement of the board, by the superintendent of such board or by a responsible administrative official designated by the superintendent for the purpose of attending professional meetings as defined by the board policy, and the board may provide and pay the salary of a substitute for such days. The expenses thus incurred by an employee shall be paid by the board from the appropriate fund of the school district or the educational service center governing board fund provided that statements of expenses are furnished in accordance with the policy statement of the board.

(D) Each city, local, and exempted village school district shall adopt a written policy governing the attendance of employees at professional meetings.

3313.66. Suspension, expulsion or permanent exclusion–removal from curricular or extracurricular activities.

(A)(1) Except as provided under division (B)(2) of this section, and subject to section 3313.668 of the Revised Code, the superintendent of schools of a city, exempted village, or local school district, or the principal of a public school may suspend a pupil from school for not more than ten school days. The board of education of a city, exempted village, or local school district may adopt a policy granting assistant principals and other administrators the authority to suspend a pupil from school for a period of time as specified in the policy of the board of education, not to exceed ten school days. If at the time an out-of-school suspension is imposed there are fewer than ten school days remaining in the school year in which the incident that gives rise to the suspension takes place, the superintendent shall not apply any remaining part of the period of the suspension to the following school year. The superintendent may instead require the pupil to participate in a community service program or another alternative consequence for a number of hours equal to the remaining part of the period of the suspension. The pupil shall be required to begin the pupil's community service or alternative consequence during the first full week day of summer break. Each school district, in its discretion, may develop an appropriate list of alternative consequences. In the event that a pupil fails to complete community service or the assigned alternative consequence, the school district may determine the next course of action, which shall not include requiring the pupil to serve the remaining time of the out-of-school suspension at the beginning of the following school year.

3313.661. Policy regarding suspension, expulsion, removal, and permanent exclusion.

(A) Subject to the limitations set forth in section 3313.668 of the Revised Code, the board of education of each city, exempted village, and local school district shall adopt a policy regarding suspension, expulsion, removal, and permanent exclusion that specifies the types of misconduct for which a pupil may be suspended, expelled, or removed. The types of misconduct may include misconduct by a pupil that occurs off of property owned or controlled by the district but that is connected to activities or incidents that have occurred on property owned or controlled by that district and misconduct by a pupil that, regardless of where it occurs, is directed at a district official or employee, or the property of such official or employee. The policy shall specify the reasons for which the superintendent of the district may reduce the expulsion requirement in division (B)(2) of section 3313.66 of the Revised Code. If a board of education adopts a resolution pursuant to division (B)(3) of section 3313.66 of the Revised Code, the policy shall define the term "knife capable of causing serious bodily injury" or "firearm," as applicable, for purposes of expulsion under that resolution and shall specify any reasons for which the superintendent of the district may reduce any required expulsion period on a case-by-case basis. If a board of education adopts a resolution pursuant to division (B)(4) or (5) of section 3313.66 of the Revised Code, the policy shall specify any reasons for which the superintendent of the district may reduce any required expulsion period on a case-by-case basis. The policy also shall set forth the acts listed in section 3313.662 of the Revised Code for which a pupil may be permanently excluded.

3313.666. District policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying required.

(B) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district shall establish a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The policy shall be developed in consultation with parents, school employees, school volunteers, students, and community members.

3313.751. Prohibition against tobacco possession or use.

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "School district" means a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district.

(2) "Smoke" means to burn any substance containing tobacco, including a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe, or to burn a clove cigarette.

(3) "Use tobacco" means to chew or maintain any substance containing tobacco, including smokeless tobacco, in the mouth to derive the effects of tobacco.

(B) No pupil shall smoke or use tobacco or possess any substance containing tobacco in any area under the control of a school district or an educational service center or at any activity supervised by any school operated by a school district or an educational service center.

(C) No pupil shall use or possess any substance containing betel nut in any area under the control of a school district or an educational service center or at any activity supervised by any school operated by a school district or an educational service center.

(D) The board of education of each school district and the governing board of each educational service center shall adopt a policy providing for the enforcement of division (B) of this section and establishing disciplinary measures for a violation of division (B) of this section.

3313.753. Prohibition against students carrying electronic communications devices.

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Electronic communications device" means any device that is powered by batteries or electricity and that is capable of receiving, transmitting, or receiving and transmitting communications between two or more persons or a communication from or to a person.

(2) "School" means any school that is operated by a board of education of a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district.

(3) "School building" means any building in which any of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by a school is conducted.

(4) "School grounds or premises" means either of the following:

(a) The parcel of real property on which any school building is situated;

(b) Any other parcel of real property that is owned or leased by a board of education and on which some of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training of the school is conducted.

(B) The any city, exempted village, local, joint vocational, cooperative district may adopt policy prohibiting students from carrying an electronic communications device in building grounds premises district. provide for exceptions to this prohibition as specified policy. shall specify disciplinary measures will be taken violation prohibition. If adopts under division, post central location each make it available parents upon request.

(C) Not later than first day July immediately follows effective date amendment, governing use cellular telephones during hours. do all following:

(1) Emphasize that student cellular telephone use be as limited as possible during school hours;

(2) Reduce cellular telephone-related distractions in classroom settings;

(3) If determined appropriate by the district board, or if included in a student's individualized education program developed under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code or plan developed under section 504 of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973," 29 U.S.C. 794, permit students to use cellular telephones or other electronic communications devices for student learning or to monitor or address a health concern.

(D) Division (C) of this section shall not be construed to require a district board to adopt a policy that prohibits all cellular telephone use by students. Nonetheless, any district board that adopts a policy that prohibits all cellular telephone use by students shall be considered to have met the requirements in division (C) of this section.

(E) Any district board that adopts a policy that meets the requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section prior to the effective date of this amendment shall be considered to have met the requirement to adopt a policy under this section.

REGULATIONS

3301-35-04. Student and other stakeholder focus.

(A) To ensure that student and other stakeholder needs are understood and addressed, the school district or school shall:

(1) Establish and communicate clear, high expectations for academic performance, attendance and conduct for all students regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, English proficiency or disability.

3301-35-15. Standards for the implementation of positive behavior intervention supports and the use of restraint and seclusion.

(H) Policies and procedures. A school district shall develop written policies and procedures concerning the use of seclusion and restraint that are consistent with the policy on positive behavior interventions and support, restraint and seclusion, as adopted by the state board of education January 2013 (education.ohio.gov). A district's complaint procedures shall include

(1) A procedure for a parent to present written complaints to the superintendent of the school district to initiate a complaint investigation by the school district regarding an incident of restraint or seclusion; and

(2) A requirement that the school district shall respond to the parent in writing within thirty days of the filing of a complaint regarding an incident of restraint or seclusion.

These policies and procedures shall be accessible on the district's website, and each district shall be responsible for notifying all parents annually of its policies and procedures concerning seclusion and restraint.

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