Student Code of Conduct

Version: July 2025

“We, the community of Crofton House School, believe that everyone should behave in a manner that demonstrates mutual respect and an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of others. We promote a school environment that is free from all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age, as mandated by sections 7 and 8 of the BC Human Rights Code.”

What is a Code of Conduct?

A "code of conduct" is like a set of rules that are known and important to everyone. The code makes it clear what students will do and not do. When the code guides a community’s behaviour, the School is an orderly place to learn, where everyone feels cared for and safe.

Aim

The Crofton House School Student Code of Conduct aims to establish a safe, caring and orderly learning environment in which each individual in the school community feels safe, accepted and respected. In this environment, collective efforts and resources are focused on optimizing learning.

A safe school – Crofton House School is where every individual feels secure in their well-being, identity, and opinions and where reporting concerns is encouraged.

A caring school – All Crofton House School community members look out for each other, are open-minded, empathic and inclusive; they strive to establish and maintain positive and healthy relationships.

An orderly school – Crofton House School is characterized by a climate of mutual respect with an appropriate balance between individual and collective rights, freedoms and responsibilities.

To be a Crofton House School community member, a student must demonstrate acceptable behaviour or conduct as described in this Code of Conduct. Those who do not uphold the Code of Conduct will face the consequences.

Acceptable Conduct

Conduct that supports a safe, caring and orderly school is described below and applies to all Crofton House students. There may be more descriptions than those listed below. What is listed provides a range of examples of acceptable conduct.

All students will

Act in a manner that positively represents themselves and the School.
Engage in learning and school-related activities in a purposeful and timely manner.
Take responsibility for personal behaviour and actions.
Demonstrate care of self, others, and the environment.
Show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others.
Help those in need by whatever action(s) is possible.
Develop positive, supportive, and empathetic relationships with others.
Respect and treat others fairly, regardless of (for example) race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age.
Respect differences in people, their backgrounds, experiences, ideas, their opinions, and diverse perspectives, especially when there is disagreement
Connect directly with the most appropriate individual at school as required by the circumstances.
If necessary, seek assistance from a school staff member to resolve conflict peacefully.
Speak up to someone in authority when you witness or believe that a community member is demonstrating unacceptable behaviour, negatively impacting a safe, caring and/or orderly school (Examples from Code of Conducts below).

Speak Up!

If the School is unaware of a situation or incident, it cannot act. A student is not “tattling” by contacting an adult. Instead, she upholds CHS’s core values of citizenship and courage by seeking support and being an upstander for herself and the School.

Anytime the School is aware of unacceptable behaviour, the School aims to help the student(s) involved recover and learn.

Unacceptable Conduct

Conduct that does not support a safe, caring and orderly school is described below and applies to all Crofton House students. The listed examples below provide a range of unacceptable conduct.

Students must not

Act in a way that compromises the safe, caring, and orderly environment at Crofton House School, including the moral tone or the reputation of the School.
Act in a way that jeopardizes the physical or emotional safety of oneself or others, including acts of bullying, harassment, intimidation, physical violence or violating the Responsible Use of Technology Agreement.
Be dishonest (Middle and Senior School students are encouraged to review the Academic Honesty and Integrity Agreement).
Commit an act of vandalism.
Engage in illegal acts such as possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances, including, amongst others, alcohol, tobacco, vaporizing products (e-cigarettes, vaping devices), possession of weapons, theft or damage to property.
Remain silent when someone is doing something that is not right.

Does the CHS Code of Conduct apply to off-campus or online conduct?

When CHS students are not physically at school or directly involved in a school-related activity, and their conduct negatively impacts other members of the CHS community or the School as a whole, the expectations of the Code of Conduct will apply.

Example #1: A student uses a social media account to harass another student. Although happening outside school hours and online, the CHS Code of Conduct will apply to this situation because the harassed student feels unsafe at school.

Example #2: Students in uniform are observed misbehaving on a transit bus, and this is reported to the School. Although outside of school hours and off-campus, the CHS Code of Conduct will apply to this situation because the students in uniform are representatives of the school, and their conduct may harm the School’s reputation in the broader community.

Actions That Follow a Report of Unacceptable Conduct

The School considers the Code of Conduct central to creating a School environment that is welcoming and safe for students and staff. When a student’s conduct puts the School's safe, caring, or orderly learning environment at risk, the School will investigate, and there may be consequences for the student. There is a detailed description of how the School will investigate a report of unacceptable conduct and all the factors that will be considered. What follows is what a student will experience when involved in a Code of Conduct investigation.

The Code of Conduct makes it clear to me what is and is not acceptable and why this is important in creating the School I want to attend - safe, caring, and orderly.
I will be told as soon as possible of any incident or situation that raises concerns about my conduct.
I will have the opportunity to explain the situation or incident from my point of view before any further actions or decisions are made.
I will know if and when my parents/guardians will be informed or consulted.
Other students or staff may be asked to provide information, and there may be more than one conversation with me and the others involved.
I understand that the school may gather information from social media, around campus, or from personal items, such as lockers or backpacks, if necessary to maintain a safe and orderly environment.
My privacy will be respected as much as possible, with the investigation completed confidently, meaning only those who need to know or be consulted will be informed or included.
Knowing I will be anxious about the situation, the investigation will be completed as quickly as possible, and if there is a delay, I will be kept informed.
A decision will be made only after the investigation is complete.
If there are consequences for my conduct, this will be explained to me, and I may be allowed to participate in deciding the nature of the consequences; regardless, I will have the chance to ask questions to get a complete understanding.
I will be supported in my efforts to repair the harm caused and recover from my mistake.
The School will keep an accurate and confidential record of the investigation and conclusion.
If the consequence removes me from the community for any period, I have the right to appeal the decision if I follow the school's procedure.