In 2010, New York State passed the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). This law went into effect on July 1, 2012 and protects students from harassment, discrimination and bullying by other students or school employees. It addresses that no student shall be subjected to discrimination based on his or her actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, weight (or other physical features), sexual orientation, gender identity, or biological sex. DASA explicitly states that bullying, taunting, and intimidation on the protected grounds listed above are all forms of harassment; however, it is not limited to those categories.
Harassment under DASA is defined as the creation of a hostile environment by:
- repeated conduct or verbal threats;
- intimidation or abuse that has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, emotional or physical well-being;
- conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for their physical safety.
In response to this new law, and following the recommendation of the NYS School Boards Association, Glen Cove School District has reviewed its policies related to student conduct and social-emotional learning and has strong procedures in place to deal with these issues. The required updates have been made and are now included in the Board Policies as well as the Code of Conduct for students. These documents can be found on the school website on the Board of Education page at www.glencoveschools.org.
Building principals will serve as Dignity Act Coordinators in each of our schools and I will be serving as the District DASA Coordinator. All employees will continue to be provided with Dignity Act training during this school year. Instruction will be given to students regarding this act as well. The District will also continue to deliver its curriculum to promote respect and other age-appropriate resources. As is always the case, a partnership between home and school is essential.
Sincerely,
Bryce Klatsky
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology
Glen Cove City School District
Code of Conduct Summary
This summary of the school district Code of Conduct has been developed as required by the New York State SAVE Act and will be distributed to students and parents at the beginning of the school year. A complete copy of the Code of Conduct is available upon request by contacting the building where your child goes to school or at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/glencove/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CHSQVG6B1363
This code has been adopted by the School Board and submitted to the New York State Education Department as required by law. The Code applies to all students, school personnel, parents, and other visitors when on school property (including school buses and vehicles) or attending a school function.
The Code contains the following provisions:
Appropriate conduct, dress and language when on school property, including a school function.
Acceptable civil and respectful treatment of teachers, administrators, other school personnel, students, and visitors on school property or at a school function.
Appropriate range of disciplinary procedures that may be imposed for violations of the Code.
Roles of teachers, administrators, other school personnel, the Board of Education and parents.
Standards and procedures to assure the security and safety of students and school personnel.
Provisions for the removal from the classroom, school property (including school functions) of students or other persons who violate the Code.
Disciplinary measures for possession or use of illegal substances or weapons, the use of physical force, vandalism, violation of another student’s civil rights, and threats of violence.
Provisions for detention, suspension and removal from the classroom of students including plans to ensure continued educational programming and activities for such students.
Procedures by which violations are reported, determined, discipline measures imposed, and such measures carried out.
Provisions which ensure that enforcement of the Code are in compliance with state and federal laws relating to students with disabilities.
Procedures for notifying local law enforcement agencies of Code violations which constitute a crime.
Provisions for notifying persons in a parental relation to the student of Code violations by the student.
Provisions and procedures by which a complaint in criminal court, a juvenile delinquency petition or person in need of supervision petition as defined in article three and seven of the Family Court Act will be filed.
Circumstances under and procedures by which referral to appropriate human services agencies will be made.
A minimum suspension period, for students who repeatedly are substantially disruptive of the educational process or substantially interfere with the teacher’s authority over the classroom, provided that the suspending authority may reduce such period on a case-by-case basis to be consistent with any other state or federal laws.
The Code of Conduct shall be developed in collaboration with students, teachers, administrators, parent organizations, school safety personnel and other school personnel and shall be approved by the Board of Education.
