The Cypress School District is committed to providing students with a safe, caring, and positive learning environment that supports their social development and academic success. Establishing a positive learning environment begins with schoolwide expectations for student behavior that are consistently communicated, taught, and reinforced by teachers, staff, and administrators.

Discipline

“The goal of discipline is not to teach kids to avoid punishment. It is to teach kids to do the right thing even when the adults are not around.”  -Lawrence Goldberg

Teaching and reinforcing appropriate behavior is an essential component of student success. As part of this learning process, it is important for students to experience the consequences of poor choices and inappropriate behavior when they occur.  While there are some student behaviors that require immediate suspension and consideration for expulsion, California Education Code 48900 (v) indicates that administrators have the discretion to provide alternatives to suspension or expulsion that are age appropriate and designed to address and correct the student’s misbehavior. The ultimate goal of school discipline is to help students learn from their mistakes and take responsibility for their own behavior.

Alternatives to Suspension

Alternatives to suspension include, but are not limited to:

• Parent, student, and staff conference
• Appropriate behavior-specific consequence
• Individual behavior contract
• Daily or weekly “check-in/check-out” with a designated staff member
• Referral to the Student Study Team
• Implementation of appropriate interventions (behavioral and/or academic)
• Referral to appropriate social skills or mental health support group (parent permission required)
• Referral for individual counseling and mental health support (parent permission required)