Frontier Junior High School's citizenship program is a school-wide system that allows teachers to teach and students to learn. It creates an atmosphere where no one has the right to interfere with the learning, safety, or well-being of others.
Frontier Junior High School's Make Your Day Citizenship Program centers on one principle:
The program provides a consistent total campus management system. It demonstrates that teachers hold high expectations for all students and is a citizenship program, not merely a discipline plan. Students are responsible for their own actions and for coming to school ready to learn. The foundation of Frontier's Make Your Day Citizenship Program is threefold:
1. All students are capable of success.
2. Parents must be directly involved in their student's academic process.
3. Making appropriate choices at school, coupled with open communication between home and school, will generate student success.
Students earn points when they are doing what they are supposed to do, the best way they know how. The following is Frontier Junior High School's behavioral expectation:
At the end of designated time periods, students are asked to review their performance by assigning themselves points.
Once students have assigned their own points, fellow students and/or staff have an opportunity to give feedback to each other under teacher direction. This is called "concerns". In other words, if students in the classroom are concerned that a fellow student has given themselves too many points they may question or disagree with those points. Student concerns will only include interfering with learning and/or safety. TEACHERS MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ABOUT THE DISAGREEMENTS AND POINT ASSIGNMENTS.
Students are taken off concerns (or the option to challenge another student's points) when they use concerns irresponsibly. For example: using disagreements as a threat or a "get-back", pettiness or continuously monitoring others behavior. The purpose of a concern is to help other in their self-evaluation.
Students "Make Their Day" by averaging 45 points per class period.
Interfering behavior will be dealt with in Steps. Frontier's Make Your Day Program emphasizes student decision making and responsibility. It is important for the student parent, and teacher to realize that choosing to interfere equals choosing steps. In other words, students choose steps with their behaviors. It must me noted that when the student is on steps, he or she is expected to be faced away from class until deescalated by the teacher.
Step 1: When a student is interfering with another's learning, safety, or well being, the student will be asked to take a seat facing away from the academic setting. The student will spend an appropriate time period, approximately 3-5 minutes, quietly thinking about the problem he/she had. The student will then be asked what behavior brought them to Step 1 and if they are ready to return to the class activity. If the student correctly identifies the behavior and feels they are ready to return to class activity they may return. If they need more time, they may have it. This is also the time the student may explain what happened (recourse).
Step 2: If the student fails to follow Step 1 expectations or continues to interfere with the learning of others, they forfeit their chair and stand facing away from the class for an appropriate time period. As in Step 1, the teacher will confer with the student before they may choose to return to Step 1.
Step 3: If the student fails to follow Step 2 expectations, the student will be given a choice: Step Three (focusing on a sign with the Make Your Day rule written on it) or advance to Step 4. The purpose of this is to assist concentration on appropriate behaviors. After an appropriate time period the teacher will briefly confer with the student as on Step 1. If the student is ready, they may return to Step 2.
PLEASE NOTE THAT STEPS 1-3 ALLOW THE STUDENT TO REMAIN IN THE CLASSROOM AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION AS THEY ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THEIR BEHAVIOR. THEY WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO EARN POINTS IF THEY FOLLOW THE STEPS PROCEDURES.
Step 4: Not following Step 3 expectations shows that the student is choosing a Step 4 conference. The student will be sent to the office to phone a parent, with an adult present, to request a time to meet. Parents will be requested by the student to come in for an immediate conference to facilitate the student's return to class. The student will remain out of class activities in another classroom until a parent-student-teacher conference can be held. This is to determine if the student is ready to return to class for the purpose of learning. If the parents are not able to meet on the day of the step 4 violation parents will be requested to keep the student at home from that day forth until they are able to conference regarding their student's behavior. Upon completion of a successful conference, the student will return to Step 3 and de-escalate through Steps 2 and 1 to full participation in class activities.
Step 5: This step is used only when a child is out of control and not functioning appropriately in the school setting. At this point, the principal or designee will contact the parent and indicate that the child needs to be picked up at school immediately. If that is not possible, the principal or designee will transport the student to the parent at home or at work. The Waiting Room may be used for the remainder of the day if a parent contact is unable to be made. The student will remain at home the following day or until they have satisfied the sanction requirements appropriate for their infraction as outlined in the Bethel School District's discipline policy and a successful conference has occurred. An administrator will schedule the Step 5 conference. Please note that Step 5 may involve other sanction beyond the conference including short and long term suspension and/or expulsion from Frontier Junior High School.
When the parent comes to school for a conference, the purpose is to help the student understand the behavior choices expected to occur at school. At Step 4 and Step 5, the student has requested his parent to be present for the conference about his/her behavior. Upon arrival at school the parent will be sent to the teacher. The student is then sent from the waiting room to meet with parent and teacher. Make Your Day asks the following from a Step 4/5 student in a conference:
The parent will make the determination as to whether the student is indeed ready to appropriately rejoin his/her class. Please note that even with a successful conference the student will be expected to fulfill the sanction his or her behavior brought about.
PLEASE NOTE: Steps 4 and 5 will result in zero points for that class period and the child will not make their day.
NOTICE--Some behaviors require circumvention of all or a portion of the steps system. Steps may be adjusted for students who chronically misbehave. When an administrator evaluates which disciplinary action is appropriate for the behavior of a student, the individual case is reviewed in the context of the student's past behavior and disciplinary record.
Leaping Behaviors: If a student engages in criminal offenses or exceptional misconduct, that student is choosing to be removed from the Make Your Day program and be dealt with through Bethel School District sanctions. Leaping behaviors are outlined in a list on the following page and in the Bethel School District Student Rights and Responsibilities manual.
Automatic Step 4: There is one behavior that will show that a student is choosing a Step 4 conference - defiance to school personnel. If a student is defiant to school personnel they will skip Steps 1 - 3 and proceed directly to Step 4 status.
Automatic Step 5: If a student is waiting in a buddy room and does not follow Step 1 procedures they are choosing an automatic Step 5 and will report directly to the office to be sent home.
Shadowing: When another student responds to or interacts in any manner with a student on steps, he/she has chosen to "shadow" or follow his/her fellow student through the steps. Choosing steps is only the business of the student making the choice. No other student is allowed to become involved.
Requesting Steps/Opting Out: Occasionally a student, for any number of reasons, may choose to go to steps so he/she may earn his/her points away from the learning environment. This student should be accommodated by the teacher and recognized for taking responsibility for behavioral management.
The actions below are categorized as "District Offenses". Students engaging in any of these actions will "Leap" off of the Make Your Day program and be dealt with through Bethel School District sanctions.
The actions below are categorized as "Criminal Offenses/Exceptional Misconduct". Students who engage in these activities will leap off of the Make Your Day program and be dealt with through Bethel School District sanctions with the possibility of law enforcement involvement: