Safe School Policy

Oregon Episcopal School is committed to providing an environment in which all individuals, including students and employees, are safe. It is also committed to providing a climate that is conducive to learning. All students, whether in Lower, Middle, or Upper School, are required to be in compliance with Oregon Episcopal School’s statements on Diversity and Values. The School also requires that all students act responsibly and with consideration toward each other. Oregon Episcopal School will not tolerate any behavior that threatens the emotional or physical safety of a student, or which unreasonably interferes with the learning environment. Because it is impossible to anticipate all behaviors that might be unacceptable, the following behaviors are only examples of the kind of behavior that will not be tolerated, and are not intended to be exclusive. Oregon Episcopal School will not tolerate:

• Possession of any weapon. For this policy, weapons include any device which is or may be used to cause death or serious injury and includes guns, explosives, incendiary or poison gas, knives, metal knuckles, straight razors, noxious, irritating, or poisonous gases, or poison. (Small pocket knives may be permitted on outings such as camping trips but only with approval from the trip leader.)
  
  
• Threats of violence. This includes not only actual threats of violence, but implied threats of violence. For example, it includes the following statements: “I am going to kill you.” “I am going to hurt you.” Or even, in appropriate circumstances, “I am going to be watching you.”
  
  
• Any persistent, disruptive, or abusive conduct that unreasonably deprives other students of a safe or appropriate learning environment. This could include bullying, harassment, and any behavior designed or intended to make someone else unreasonably embarrassed.

Discipline and Process

The discipline for a violation of this policy will be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the age of the student, the number of offenses, and the severity of the offense. The discipline can range from a warning or probation to an expulsion.

As a general rule, decisions regarding violations of this policy will be made by the Division Head, in consultation with the Head of School. In cases of violations in the Upper School, where appropriate, the matter may be referred to the Student/Faculty Discipline Committee.