Section 2801. Codes of conduct on school property  


Latest version.
  • 1. For purposes of this
      section, school property means in or  within  any  building,  structure,
      athletic playing field, playground, parking lot or land contained within
      the  real  property  boundary  line  of a public elementary or secondary
      school; or in or on a school bus, as  defined  in  section  one  hundred
      forty-two  of  the  vehicle and traffic law; and a school function shall
      mean a school-sponsored or school-authorized extra-curricular  event  or
      activity  regardless  of  where  such  event  or  activity  takes place,
      including any event or activity that may take place in another state.
        2. The board of education or the trustees, as defined in  section  two
      of  this  chapter,  of  every  school district within the state, however
      created, and every board of cooperative educational services and  county
      vocational  extension  board,  shall  adopt and amend, as appropriate, a
      code of conduct  for  the  maintenance  of  order  on  school  property,
      including a school function, which shall govern the conduct of students,
      teachers  and  other  school  personnel  as  well  as visitors and shall
      provide for the enforcement thereof. Such policy may be adopted  by  the
      school  board  or  trustees  only after at least one public hearing that
      provides for the participation of school  personnel,  parents,  students
      and any other interested parties. Such code of conduct shall include, at
      a minimum:
        a. provisions regarding conduct, dress and language deemed appropriate
      and  acceptable  on  school  property,  including a school function, and
      conduct, dress and language deemed  unacceptable  and  inappropriate  on
      school  property,  including a school function, and provisions regarding
      acceptable  civil  and  respectful   treatment   of   teachers,   school
      administrators,  other school personnel, students and visitors on school
      property, including a school function, including the  appropriate  range
      of  disciplinary  measures  which  may  be imposed for violation of such
      code, and the roles of teachers, administrators, other school personnel,
      the board of education and parents;
        b. standards and procedures to assure security and safety of  students
      and school personnel;
        c.  provisions  for  the  removal  from  the classroom and from school
      property, including a school function, of students and other persons who
      violate the code;
        d. disciplinary measures  to  be  taken  in  incidents  involving  the
      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;
        e. provisions for detention, suspension and removal from the classroom
      of students, consistent with section thirty-two hundred fourteen of this
      chapter  and  other  applicable  federal, state and local laws including
      provisions  for  the  school  authorities  to  establish  policies   and
      procedures  to ensure the provision of continued educational programming
      and activities for  students  removed  from  the  classroom,  placed  in
      detention, or suspended from school;
        f. procedures by which violations are reported, determined, discipline
      measures imposed and discipline measures carried out;
        g.  provisions  ensuring  such code and the enforcement thereof are in
      compliance with  state  and  federal  laws  relating  to  students  with
      disabilities;
        h.  provisions  setting  forth  the  procedures  by  which  local  law
      enforcement  agencies  shall  be  notified  of  code  violations   which
      constitute a crime;
        i.  provisions setting forth the circumstances under and procedures by
      which persons in parental relation to the student shall be  notified  of
      code violations;
    
        j.  provisions setting forth the circumstances under and procedures by
      which a complaint in criminal court, a juvenile delinquency petition  or
      person  in need of supervision petition as defined in articles three and
      seven of the family court act will be filed;
        k. circumstances under and procedures by which referral to appropriate
      human service agencies shall be made;
        l.  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 and federal law. For  purposes  of
      this   section,   the   definition   of  "repeatedly  are  substantially
      disruptive" shall be determined in accordance with  the  regulations  of
      the commissioner; and
        m.  a  minimum suspension period for acts that would qualify the pupil
      to be defined as a violent pupil pursuant to paragraph a of  subdivision
      two-a  of  section thirty-two hundred fourteen of this chapter, provided
      that the suspending authority may reduce such period on a case  by  case
      basis to be consistent with any other state and federal law.
        * 3.  The district code of conduct shall be developed in collaboration
      with student, teacher, administrator, and parent  organizations,  school
      safety personnel and other school personnel and shall be approved by the
      board of education, or other governing body, or by the chancellor of the
      city school district in the case of the city school district of the city
      of  New  York. In the city school district of the city of New York, each
      community district education council shall be authorized  to  adopt  and
      implement  additional  policies,  which  are  consistent  with  the city
      district's district-wide code of  conduct,  to  reflect  the  individual
      needs  of  each  community school district provided that such additional
      policies shall require the approval of the chancellor.
        * NB Effective until June 30, 2015
        * 3. The district code of conduct shall be developed in  collaboration
      with  student,  teacher, administrator, and parent organizations, school
      safety personnel and other school personnel and shall be approved by the
      board of education, or other governing body, or by the chancellor of the
      city school district in the case of the city school district of the city
      of New York. In the city school district of the city of New  York,  each
      community  school  district  board  shall  be  authorized  to  adopt and
      implement additional  policies,  which  are  consistent  with  the  city
      district's  district-wide  code  of  conduct,  to reflect the individual
      needs of each community school district provided  that  such  additional
      policies shall require the approval of the chancellor.
        * NB Effective June 30, 2015
        4.  The  board  of education, chancellor or other governing body shall
      provide copies of a summary of the code of conduct to all students at  a
      general assembly held at the beginning of the school year and shall make
      copies of the code available to persons in parental relation to students
      at  the  beginning  of each school year, and shall mail a plain language
      summary of such code to all persons in  parental  relation  to  students
      before  the  beginning  of  each  school  year,  and  make  it available
      thereafter upon request. The board of  education,  chancellor  or  other
      governing body shall take reasonable steps to ensure community awareness
      of the code provisions.
        5. a. The board of education, chancellor or other governing body shall
      annually review and update the district's codes of conduct if necessary,
      taking  into  consideration the effectiveness of code provisions and the
      fairness and consistency of its administration. Each school district  is
      authorized  to establish a committee and to facilitate the review of the
    
      code  of  conduct  and  the  district's  response  to  code  of  conduct
      violations. Any such committee shall be comprised of similar individuals
      described  in  subdivision  three  of  this  section.  The school board,
      chancellor,  or  other  governing  body shall reapprove any such updated
      code only after at least  one  public  hearing  that  provides  for  the
      participation  of  school  personnel,  parents,  students  and any other
      interested parties.
        b. Each district shall file a copy of its codes of  conduct  with  the
      commissioner  and  all  amendments  to such code shall be filed with the
      commissioner no later than thirty days after their adoption.