Expectations

Students whose behaviors fall outside of these norms can expect to contribute back to the Academy their time and energies through work service expectations. The nature, severity, or frequency of the offense may demand more punitive consequences, including, but not limited to, suspension or expulsion. Parents will also be involved in most circumstances.

EXPECTATIONS BY STUDENTS
A fundamental responsibility of the Academy to its students is to prepare them to be functional, productive, and profoundly capable citizens of our society. To this end, all students can expect the following:

	1.	Students, either individually or through a representative body such as the Student Council, will be regularly placed in authentic positions of responsibility and accountability for the governance of this learning community,
	2.	Communication between the student body and the administration will be straightforward and understandable. Student opinions and input will be of great importance to the administration and faculty. Every effort will be made to keep the student body informed of significant changes to the practices of the building.
	3.	Teachers, staff, administrators, visitors, and fellow students will show respect to PMSA students at all times.

All conflicts between and among students, staff, and faculty are to be adjudicated by the Principal of the Academy or his/her designee.



PRACTICES REGARDING STUDENT TARDIES (revised March 27, 2007)

ASSUMPTIONS & EXPECTATIONS
– Academy students desire to make good decisions and act in accordance with our community norms of behavior;
all adults have a responsibility to provide constructive feedback when students act outside of those norms.
– Academy students move between classes quickly and do not linger in the halls or at their lockers.
– Academy teachers will be outside classrooms whenever possible to facilitate the effective movement of students between classes.
– The removal of students from classroom learning environments must be kept to a minimum; if a student is not in class, learning objectives cannot be met.
– Effective classroom management is the responsibility of every teacher. Included in this management involves creating and sustaining a behavioral feedback system that articulates rewards and consequences for various behaviors. Once articulated, there must be a consistent application of this system that is fair and equitable to all students. Removal of students should be considered only as a last resort, subject to judgments of safely or abject belligerence.
– The community norm is that our students act in ways that support an optimal learning environment for themselves and their classmates; actions that do not support this norm result in an obligation upon the student to contribute back to the community.

TARDINESS
– Students are considered tardy if they arrive at class without a pass more than 30 seconds after the start of the period, as determined by the clock in the classroom (this will be reduced when there are more clocks throughout the building).
– Students who arrive tardy are to remain in class–do not send them to the main office. A student who is tardy to a class owes that classroom ten minutes of work service, to be completed within two school days of the infraction. This work service is to be done at a time of the teacher’s choosing. Suggested service opportunities include cleaning boards, putting away books or equipment, cleaning up room clutter, helping prepare for the following day, etc. The nature of the work is at the teacher’s discretion, but must be reasonable and safe. Consult the Principal or Assistant Principal with any questions.
– A teacher may assign this work service obligation to the Main Office if desired. Please let the administrative support team know of this obligation.
– Failure of a student to clear this obligation within the specified timeframe will result in the amount of time owed doubling, from ten to twenty minutes. Please note that this obligation takes precedence over any after–school activity. It will be up to the student to make alternate arrangements to attend these activities.
– Two failures to clear any given obligation will result in a parental conference, either in person or on the phone, and an after–school suspension of one hour, to be served in the Main Office.
– A pattern of recurring tardiness, defined as four or more tardies over a two–week period, will result in a disciplinary conference convened by the Principal or his designee, at which time a specific intervention plan is articulated. Parents and teachers will be asked to contribute to this plan and provide details of the final plan.

DATA REGARDING ABSENCES, TARDIES, AND DISCIPLINARY REFERRALS WILL FACTOR INTO ALL DECISIONS REGARDING THE RE–INVITATION OF STUDENTS.