Discipline
Helping students to make Good Decisions!
Discipline is something done FOR a student, not TO a student!
At Ochoa Middle School, we recognize that middle school years are a time where students become more self-aware and aware of the world around them. It is a time when students begin to take on more responsibilities and even begin to make increasingly important decisions about their futures. As they learn to navigate adolescence we understand students will make mistakes. It is our hope they will take this time to begin to LEARN from their mistakes as well as the mistakes of others. However, we know that children need guidance and experience to make wise choices and the Faculty and Administration of Ochoa will help with that.
Ochoa is a Restorative Practices school and our discipline system works on a progressive scale. *Please note consequences may be accelerated as appropriate. Please call an administrator at any time if you have questions about your student’s disciplinary procedures. We are committed to working with parents as a team for maximum student success!
Norms and Expectations
Student Behavior
Students are expected to always conduct themselves in a RESPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE manner AT ALL TIMES. Positive behavior leads to success in school. Any conduct that interferes with the instructional process will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action or placement on a loss of privilege list. Every possible effort will be made to involve parents in the process of guiding students to become responsible students at school and in the community.
Violations
Violation of any district/school rules will be handled through the cooperative efforts of the student, the student’s parent/guardian, and the appropriate staff member and administration.
Referrals
For excessive referrals, the progressive discipline model and school district and community interventions will be used and can include: Parent-teacher conferences, counseling referral, SST Meeting, IEP Review, before and after school detention, Super Detention, in-school detention, Saturday behavior intervention, behavior contract, exclusion from year end activities, and recommendation for expulsion.
Serious Infractions
There are certain student misbehaviors that will not be tolerated at Ochoa Middle School and may result in a student being
Recommended for Expulsion
1. Pursuant to Education Code section 48915, a student must be recommended for expulsion from the Hayward District for the following:
- Possession of a firearm
- Brandishing a knife at another person
- Selling narcotics on school grounds
- Committing/attempting to commit a sexual assault/battery as defined by Penal Code.
2. As defined by Education Code section 48900.2, a student may be suspended from school and/or recommended for expulsion if the superintendent or principal of the school, in which the student is enrolled, determines that the pupil has committed sexual harassment.
3. A student may be recommended for expulsion for possession or sale of weapons, possession of narcotics or for any offense of a serious nature. Refer to the Hayward Unified School District Discipline Plan for a description of the expulsion process.
Sexual Harassment
The California Education Code requires that the governing board prohibit sexual harassment of or by any student or anyone in or from the district. Teachers shall discuss this policy with their students in age-appropriate ways and should assure them that they need not endure any form of sexual harassment (verbal or physical). Any student who engages in harassment will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion. If, after an investigation of the charges, the student or the parent/guardian of the student feels that appropriate resolution has not been reached, the student or the parent/guardian should contact the principal or Director Personnel to obtain a copy of AR1312.3-Uniform Complaint Procedures.
Formal complaints of harassment can be filed in accordance with these steps. The district prohibits retaliatory behavior against any complaint or any participant in the complaint process. Each complaint of sexual harassment shall be promptly investigated in a way that respects the privacy of all parties concerned.
Restorative Practices
Ochoa is a restorative practices school that uses Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategies. Restorative practices are an opportunity for students to be held self-accountable for their negative choices and repair harm they may have caused.
Restorative practices focus on:
- Repair of damage caused
- Responsibility of actions
- Reintegration of all parties
- Relationships that develop trust among all students and staff affected by negative choices and behavior
- Restoration of all relationships with a focus on a positive outcome
- Restorative practices will allow students a reflective opportunity to restore any harm they may have caused. A traditional suspension will be considered after other means have been exercised.
Suspension from School
Pursuant to the Education Code 48900, grounds for suspension are any offenses committed in relation to school attendance or school activity, occurring at any time, including but not limited to any of the following:
- While on school grounds
- While going to or coming from school
- During the lunch period
- During, or while going to or coming from a school sponsored activity
The following are actions, outlined in Education Code 48900, that are cause for immediate suspension:
- Caused, attempted to cause, or threatened to cause physical injury to another person (please note that when two students fight, this is considered mutual combat and both students are suspended)
- Possessed, sold or otherwise furnished firearm, knife, explosive, or other dangers object
- Unlawfully possessed, used, sold or otherwise furnished or been under the influence of any controlled substance
- Unlawfully offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell any controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, or intoxicant, or drug paraphernalia
- Committed or attempted to commit robbery or extortion
- Caused or attempted to steal or knowingly receive school property or private property
- Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity
- Disrupted school activities or otherwise willfully defied the valid authority of supervisors, teachers, administrators, school officials, or other school personnel engaged in the performance of their duties
- Possessed an imitation firearm- a replica of a firearm that is so substantially similar in physical properties to an existing firearm as to lead a reasonable person to conclude that the replica is a firearm
- Engaged in, or attempted to engage in hazing
- Has caused, attempted to cause, or participated in an act of hate violence
- Made terrorist threats against school officials, school property or both
- Bullying, directed specifically toward a pupil or school personnel, including by means of an electronic act
A principal or principal’s designee may determine that any of the above-listed offenses or violations are cause for suspension and/or recommendation for expulsion. Due process rights are afforded every student before a decision is made to suspend the student from school.
In School Detention
For first time or less serious offenses, students may have an opportunity to serve in-school suspension from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. as an alternative to out of school suspension at the discretion of the administration. Additionally, Students who violate school rules on any part of campus, or disrupt the process of teaching and learning in the classroom, may receive a disciplinary referral from a staff member. The principal or assistant principal will review the referral and may assign the student ISD (in-school detention) for the remainder of that period or the day. Students are expected to follow all ISD guidelines or be subject to further disciplinary action.
Classroom Suspension
A teacher may suspend a student from his/her classroom only for the day of the infraction, plus the following school day (Ed. Code 48910a). Reasons for a classroom suspension may include obscenity, profanity, and repeated disruption of class activities or willful defiance. If a teacher is requesting that a student be suspended from his/her class, the teacher will contact the parent to inform them of their child’s behavior and or the classroom suspension. Students will serve the classroom suspension in the In-School Detention (ISD) center. After School Detention Policy At Ochoa, after school detention may be assigned to students as a consequence for inappropriate behavior.
Detentions are assigned for a variety of offenses. Detention is scheduled daily from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Wednesdays 1:30-3:30pm) in the ISD room and is supervised. Frequent misbehavior may result in Super Detention (2 hours detention) or off campus suspension. Students are responsible for serving assigned lunch or after school detentions either on the days that the detention is received or the following day. Failure to serve detentions is considered defiance and may be subject to home suspension.
Students who have un-served detentions may be required to serve them on Friday afternoon and may not be able to attend their sport game or student activities.
Campus Beautification:
Students may be assigned campus beautification service for violating school rules. The successful completion of the project may replace detention minutes. These projects are assigned by the administrators.
Items NOT allowed on Campus:
Ochoa Middle School is not responsible for lost or stolen items. These items may be thrown away, kept and or returned to students on the last day of school.
The following items are not allowed on campus:
Bats, hardballs, laser devices, permanent markers, white out, MP3 players, computer games, cameras, playing cards, or any gang related colors/items, cake/cupcakes, spray-able food items, water balloons, candy, gum, and sunflower seeds.
There is no eating or drinking in the classrooms, unless there is a particular celebration supervised by the teachers.
Hallway Procedures Students must watch for opening doors and walk with the flow of traffic. All students are REQUIRED to walk quietly and carefully through the hallways. THERE IS NEVER TO BE ANY RUNNING OR PLAYING IN ANY HALLWAY.
Students are not allowed to be in the hallway during class time without a pass. Students may not be given a hall pass during the first fifteen minutes or the last fifteen minutes of a class period. Students found in the hall without a pass may be given a detention. Hallways are closed before school, after school, and during the lunch period. Students are not to enter the hallways until after the first morning bell.
School Entrance and Exit
Students are to enter and exit the school through the main entrance near the roundabout. ***This information subject to change post COVID.
Main office use only
