Code of Character Conduct & Support
Update from Framingham Public Schools
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What is the Code of Character, Conduct, and Support?
The Code is the foundation for how we, as a school community work together to best support students and give them what they need to grow into life-long learners and responsible citizens. District leaders, school leaders, teachers, student support staff, parents, and community members gathered together over 16 months to develop the District's first Code of Character, Conduct, and Support.
Students are the heart of our work in Framingham Public Schools. Student character, defined as personal qualities that are essential to healthy development and responsible conduct, contributes to academic success in school today and future success in career, college, and life. We see our schools as centers for learning where all students are educated to their fullest potential within a diverse community, drawn together in support of a quality education. Within these centers, we are responsive to the cultural and developmental needs of our students.
The FPS Code of Character, Conduct, and Support:
Affirms the right of every student to an education in a safe, civil, and caring environment
Nurtures the development of both student character and student conduct
Promotes an accountable, restorative, and equitable approach to student support and discipline
Ensures that each school provides equal access to a wide range of strategies and interventions that promote positive behavior, helps students develop social-emotional and academic skills, and enables students to improve and correct unskillful, inappropriate, and unacceptable behaviors
Recognizes that each school is a public place that must balance individual rights with civic obligations and the needs of others. It is based upon the rules and policies that create access to education for all, while protecting the due process rights of the individual
Serves as a guide to responsible citizenship and provides the resources for helping the entire community to understand the behaviors that are expected within the school culture
Calls on school staff, students, families, and community members to treat each other with the respect that we all deserve as partners in the all-important work of educating our children and young people
- Provides tools for ensuring everyone meets expectations of behavior within the school community
Code Implementation
It is our hope that through these efforts, we will collectively meet the goals laid out in our Code of Character, Conduct, and Support.
Goals of The Code of Character, Conduct, and Support
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To reduce and eliminate systems, structures, policies, and practices that contribute to inequitable outcomes across student groups, especially for students who identify as Black, Indigenous People Of Color (BIPOC), students who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+), students who are English learners, and students with disabilities.
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To clearly define rules and expectations to support character and conduct for students, families, staff, and the community at large. Framingham School Rules include:
- I respect personal space
- I respect differences
- I am on time and stay in my place
- I listen and follow directions
- I use respectful language
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To increase staff capacity and accountability to engage in culturally responsive and developmentally informed practices that promote positive behaviors; prevent unskillful, inappropriate and unacceptable behaviors; and support students who are struggling.
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To implement accountable and restorative interventions that support every student’s social, emotional, and academic development.
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To increase academic growth for each and every student through:
- improved academic and social emotional outcomes by groups of students, especially for students who identify as BIPOC, students who identify as LGBTQIA+, students who are English Learners, and students with disabilities
improved attendance for students experiencing chronic absenteeism
access to all curricular programs and extracurricular/enrichment activities for all groups of students
To reduce:
lost instructional time due to disciplinary responses
the overuse of classroom discipline referrals, and in and out-of-school suspension
the increased use of classroom discipline referrals, in-school suspension, and out-of-school suspension for identified groups of students including those referenced in number one
the number of students who engage in repetitive level 3-5 behavior violations
incidents of bullying, harassment, and discriminatory acts
the drop-out rate
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To increase intentional opportunities for partnerships between schools, families, and community groups.
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More Information on the Way
- Our shift to a restorative approach discipline
- Rights and responsibilities of students/ staff/ parents/caregivers
- Ways families can support the Code
- How to get information and help for your student