Behavior Expectations

Plagiarism

Students must submit their own, original work on all assignments. Assignments include worksheets, reports, laboratory activities, quizzes, exams, and anything else that is assigned and graded. 

Academic dishonesty includes:

1. Copying answers from an online resource, textbook, or another student on any assignment.

2. Allowing another student to copy their work on any assignment.

3. Even one sentence copied from a source is plagiarism and constitutes cheating.  

When a student has been caught plagiarizing teachers and administration will communicate to stakeholders the issue and take appropriate consequences. 

1. 1st offense: Student receives a score of zero on the assignment and a clear warning to the student and parent from the teacher that the next offense will result in detention.  

2. 2nd offense: Student receives a score of zero on the assignment, call home (remind the parent that it is a second offense) and detention.

3. 3rd offense: Student receives a score of zero on the assignment, conference with parent and principal, and 1-week detention.

Discipline Procedures: Drugs and Alcohol 

Esparto High School policy does not tolerate drugs and alcohol. This includes:

1. Under the influence of alcohol, marijua na, Controlled drug, narcotics or substance other than alcohol or marijuana

2. Possession of alcohol (possesses, consumes, sells, gives, delivers)

3. Possession of or furnishing marijuana less than 1 ounce

4. Possession of or furnishing marijuana more than 1 ounce

5. Possession of or furnishing of drug, narcotics, or controlled substance other than marijuana or alcohol

6. Selling, possession, or representing a substance or any controlled drug, narcotics, or paraphernalia

7. Arranging or offering to sell controlled substances

For any of the above violations, the following consequences will be:

• Up to 5 days of suspension

• Yolo County Sheriff involvement

• Possible Recommendation for expulsion

In an effort to keep the school free of drugs, the district may use specially trained nonaggressive dogs to sniff out and alert staff to the presence of substances prohibited by law or Board policy. The dogs may sniff the air around lockers, desks, or vehicles on district or at district-sponsored events as long as they are not allowed to sniff within the close proximity of any students. (BP 5145.12(b))

Unlawful Harassment of Students 

The Esparto Unified School District is committed to providing an educational environment free of unlawful harassment. The District maintains a strict policy prohibiting harassment of students because of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability, blindness or severely impaired vision or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation. All such harassment is unlawful. EUSD believes that all such harassment is offensive. The anti-harassment policy applies to fill persons involved in  the  District's educational environment and prohibits unlawful harassment by any District student or any employee of the District, including verbal, physical and visual conduct, threats, demands and retaliation, is prohibited. Violation of this policy by an employee or student may result in discipline, which may include suspension or expulsion, depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation. (See Education Code Sections 48900 and 48900.2)

Unlawful harassment because of sex, race, sexual orientation, ancestry, physical or mental disability, age or any other protected basis includes, but is not limited to:

1. Verbal conduct such as epithets, derogatory comments, slurs, or unwanted sexual advances, invitations or comments;

2. Visual conduct such as derogatory posters, photography, cartoons, drawings or gestures; including language or pictures on clothing.

3. Physical conduct such as assault, unwanted touching, blocking normal movement or interfering with academic performance or progress directed at a student of sex or race or any other protected basis;

4. Threats and demands to submit to sexual requests in order to receive a good grade or other benefit or avoid some loss, and offers of good grades or other benefit in return for sexual favors and/or Retaliation for having reported or threatened to report harassment.

5. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature, made by someone from or in the work or educational setting, under any of the following conditions:

6. Submission to the conduct is explicitly or implicitly made a term or a condition of an individual's academic status, or progress.

7. Submission to, or rejection of, the conduct by the individual is used as the basis of academic decisions  affecting the individual.

8. The conduct has the purpose or effect of having a negative impact upon the individual's academic performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment.

9. Submission to, or rejection of, the conduct by the individual regarding benefits and services, honors, programs, or activities available at or through the educational institution.

Students may have a claim of harassment even if they have not lost an economic benefit. The law prohibits any form of protected-basis harassment, which impairs the educational environment or their emotional well being at school.

If a student thinks they are being harassed because of their sex, race, sexual orientation, ancestry or other protected basis, they should use the procedure outlined in this policy to file a complaint and have it investigated. Students have a right to redress for unlawful harassment. Student complaints should include the details of the incident or incidents, the names of the individuals involved and the names of any witnesses. The District will immediately undertake an effective, thorough and objective investigation of the harassment allegations. The investigation will be conducted in a manner that protects the confidentiality of the parties and the facts. This investigation will be completed and a determination regarding the alleged harassment will be made and communicated to the student within sixty days after the District receives the complaint.

If the District determines that unlawful harassment has occurred , it will take effective remedial action commensurate with the severity of the offense. Appropriate action will also be taken to deter any future harassment. The District will take appropriate action to remedy any loss to the victim resulting from harassment. The District will not retaliate against the student for filing a complaint and will not knowingly permit retaliation by any District employee or another student. The District encourages all students to report any incidents of harassment forbidden by this policy immediately so that complaints can be resolved quickly and fairly. A complaint may be filed directly with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in a variety of circumstances. Students should be aware that the U.S. Office of Civil Rights also investigates complaint s of harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, blindness or severely impaired vision or other protected basis in educational programs that receive federal financial assistance.

Action to be taken in cases of harassment:

• Principal will determine the circumstances and confer with student(s)

• Law enforcement will be notified

• Parents will be notified

• Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.

Consequences for Violation of Behavior Expectations

Discipline Referral: Students are expected to follow school and classroom guidelines. It is the teacher's responsibility to discuss appropriate classroom behavior standards. Students who fail to follow school rules will receive a discipline referral that will be reviewed by the school administration.

Detention: Administrative detention is a supervised period held for after school at administrative or teacher discretion. If a student fails to attend an assigned detention, he/she will be assigned a Saturday School or In-School Suspension. Students are required to come to detention with materials prepared to study. Student participation in an extra-curricular activity is not an excuse for missing detention. If there is a scheduling conflict it is the duty for the student to report to office staff or administration the conflict and to have a detention rescheduled. 

Saturday School: Saturday School is assigned to students as a result of unexcused absences, excessive class cuts, lack of academic progress, or other disciplinary actions. The hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 pm with a 15 minute break. Students are to bring homework and textbooks. All school rules apply. Students who fail to report to Saturday School will receive an In-School Suspension. If a student is participating in an extracurricular activity (like athletics) they will not be eligible to participate in any activity until they have completed their assigned Saturday School. 

Demerits and Eligibility: In order to quantify misbehavior on our campus we have a system of demerits. Demerits are earned when a student receives a consequence for misbehavior and violations of our school wide expectations. The values of each behavior are listed below: 

• Detention: 2 points for each day of detention. If a student is a no show to detention the detention will be double to 4 points

• In House Suspension: 8 points for each day of in house suspension. 

• Suspension: 10 points for each day of suspension. A 3 day suspension would result in 30 pts. 

• Saturday Day School: 8 points for each day of Saturday School. 

• Class Suspension: 2 points for each day of class suspension. 

Below are possible consequences when a student has reached 50 demerits: 

• No Go List: The Student will not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities or attend school events for the remainder of the year.

• No Pass List: Students will not be allowed to leave class without permission and will be escorted. 

• Athletic Eligibility: Suspension and/or removal from sports team (see Athletics Handbook).

• Work Permit: A student may have their work permit privileges revoked.

Students will have an opportunity to earn merits through Saturday School remediation and community service hours. In order to take advantage of either form of merits students will need to meet with administration. 

Student Attendance Review Board (SARB): A student will be referred to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) when he/she has received three truancy letters. Parents will receive written notification of the SARB hearing and are expected to attend with their student. SARB reviews each student's case and may recommend a change of placement, a student contract, or other means of intervention. Members of the SARB include EUSD administration, Child Protective Services, Counselor, Yolo County District Attorney, and Yolo County Sheriff .

Administrative Conference: An Administrative Conference  is required when a student is believed to  be involved in the possession,  use, sale and/or furnishing of any controlled substance, 5 day suspensions, or any other serious infraction of school rules. The Administrative Conference determines the manner in which a student will be allowed to continue attending Esparto High School. The members in attendance at the Administrative Conference are the Principal, student, and parent.

Class Suspension by Teacher:

1. The teacher suspending the student must be the student's teacher.

2. A teacher may suspend a student from class for the duration of two class periods.

3. The teacher will send the suspended student with a referral to the site administrator. The teacher is to call the parent to discuss the behavior.

4. The teacher must contact the parent by phone within twenty-four hours and request a parent/teacher conference prior to the student returning to class.

Suspension: A pupil may be suspended or expelled for acts that are enumerated in this section and related to school activity or attendance that occur at any time, including, but not limited, to any of the following:

1. While on school grounds

2. While going to or coming from school

3. During the lunch period whether on or off the campus

4. During, or while going to or coming from, a school sponsored activity.

Students may be suspended for any violation of Education Code under 48900 (EC 48900).

Extra-Curricular Participation 

An extra-curricular activity is any activity in which a student performs or represents the school outside school hours or off campus. The grading policy for those who wish to participate in extracurricular activities is as follows:

A student must maintain a 2.0 GPA in all courses. Summer school grades for exact course titles may be used as a direct substitute when re-calculating the GPA for the previous grading period.

A student participating in sports must meet C.I.F. standards in addition to the EUSD standards.

Athletic Eligibility Policy

Grades will be checked after each grading period: quarter progress reports and semester. See calendar for eligibility dates.

Students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA with no "F's" for the previous grading period. Incoming freshman will have their eligibility checked at the first quarter. Transfer students will have their eligibility evaluated based on transferred credits/ grades.

Students who fail to maintain at least 85% attendance may be considered ineligible to participate in contests until absences are cleared by attending Saturday School.