Community Conduct

Standards of conduct

Tawa School expects parents, caregivers, and visitors to:

• treat everyone with respect

• work together in partnership with staff for the benefit of students

• respect and adhere to our school values

• set a good example for students at all times

• follow school procedures to handle any complaints

• adhere to school policies and procedures (such as those listed below), and any legal requirements.

Examples of unsuitable conduct include:

• threats, bullying, harassment

• placing unreasonable and excessive expectations on staff time or resources

• profanity/offensive language

• insulting, abusing, or intimidating behaviour

• racism or discrimination (e.g. based on ethnicity, religion)

• physical aggression

• deception/fraud

• damaging school property

• smoking, vaping, possessing, or using alcohol/drugs/other harmful substances on school premises or at another venue where students and/or staff are assembled for school purposes (except possession or use of alcohol in accordance with school policy)

• pursuing a complaint or campaign, or making defamatory, offensive, or derogatory comments, regarding the school, its board, or any staff or students on social media or other public forums

• wearing gang insignia on the school grounds. (This is not allowed under the Prohibition of Gang Insignia legislation, and anyone wearing it will be asked to leave.)

Dealing with breaches of the Code of Conduct

How Tawa School deals with breaches of our Code of Conduct depends on the nature of the incident and its seriousness, and the process any witness or victim of the behaviour feels most comfortable with. Examples include:

• documenting each instance of behaviour, including the date, time, place, who was present, what was said (verbatim if possible), how any witness or victim felt and/or responded

• holding a meeting with the relevant person, the principal, and/or board chair (or their delegate) or appropriate staff member to discuss the problem and possible resolution

• issuing a warning letter that outlines the problem and required resolution, and reminds them of the possible outcomes of repeated conduct

• arranging a meeting, which may include restorative practices, as an alternative or in addition to the processes above.

Outcomes of breaching the Code of Conduct

If a parent, caregiver, or visitor acts or speaks in a way that contravenes the Code of Conduct, possible outcomes may include:

• The school (principal, board member, or staff member) may ask a person to leave the school premises by revoking their permission to be on the school grounds, then asking them to leave under section 3 of the Trespass Act 1980.

• Unacceptable behaviour of a criminal nature may result in the police being informed. For example, under section 30 of the Education and Training Act 2020, it is a criminal offence to insult, abuse, or intimidate a staff member within the presence or hearing of any student while on school premises or in any other place where students are assembled for school purposes. Other instances of criminal offending may occur where drugs are involved, an assault has occurred, or a person persists after being trespassed off school grounds.

• In the case of behaviour amounting to harassment, a restraining order may be sought.

• In some instances, it may be appropriate to refer behaviour to a third party for resolution. For example, a Facebook comment that contravenes this policy may result in a report to Facebook. If unacceptable behaviour occurs at a sports event or sports venue, then it may be appropriate to involve the governing body of that sport, event, or venue.