Code of Student Conduct (CSC) Tutorial

1. Code of Student Conduct (CSC) Tutorial Lesson 1 This tutorial has been prepared for the NJ Department of Education by CSCD@RU,and was supported in whole by a U.S. Department of Education Partnerships in Character Education Program grant.

2. Organization of the CSC Tutorial Welcome to this tutorial on the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) regulations requiring all New Jersey school districts to have developed, adopted and implanted a code of student conduct. This resource has been produced for the NJDOE by the Center for Social and Character Development at Rutgers University and was wholly supported through the provision of a Partnerships in Character Education grant to the NJDOE from the U.S. Department of Education under the No Child Left Behind Act.

3. Organization of the CSC Tutorial The objectives of the tutorial are to: • Help you understand why a code of student conduct (CSC) is an important and vital framework for creating a prosocial school climate and positive student behaviors conducive to learning and development of the whole child. • Show why it is worth the effort to go beyond mere compliance with the regulatory requirements of N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.1. The regulations offer a framework for improving student behavior.

4. Organization of the CSC Tutorial Tutorial objectives (cont’d) • Provide you with information and activities to assist your school district to: • Involve students, parents and community members in a planning process to define behavioral expectations based on core ethical values; • Plan for program improvements that will support student development through skill acquisition and climate change; and • Prepare for the required annual review and reporting procedure for the CSC and the QSAC review process.

5. Organization of the CSC Tutorial Table of contents Lesson 1: Introduction and Instructions Lesson 2: The Purpose of the CSC (regulatory background, definition of terms) Lesson 3a: Developing your CSC: Involving Your Whole School Community (organizational context, planning steps, defining core ethical values for your district/school) Lesson 3b: Reviewing Current Documents (important issues; harassment, intimidation and bullying; attendance; compliance checklist) Lesson 3c: QSAC and the CSC (review of relevant DPR indicators and documentation) Lesson 4: Adopting and Implementing Your CSC: The Rewards of Long-Term Investment (benefits of the process, leadership, prevention and intervention program supports)

6. The Code of Student Conduct (CSC) Pilot Project A special note of thanks to the administrators and staff of the Cherry Hill, Montvale, and Highland Park school districts who participated in a pilot project during the 2006-07 school year to revise their district’s CSC, and contributed greatly to our understanding of the challenges and promise of the process outlined in the tutorial. In the tutorial you will see them talking about their experiences in video clips and see the materials they developed as resources as well.

7. The Code of Student Conduct (CSC) Pilot Project The planning process recommended here is based on our experience with the pilot project. What we discovered in working with the pilot districts for almost two years was that engaging in the revision process as envisioned by the NJDOE regulations: • Provided a rich opportunity for educators to take a good lookat how their current student conduct system functioned and where itneeded major fixes and fine tuning. • Took significant front-end planning and involved re-planningas issues emerged that needed to be addressed. • Proved rewarding for all those involved in the process,including parents and students. • Had unexpected benefits in highlighting existing socialdevelopment program strengths and identifying challengesin adequately promoting positive student social development.