Purpose of Policy

All Clinton Central School students are expected to behave responsibly and to develop self-discipline, integrity, and respect for themselves and for others.  The District is committed to helping students develop these qualities and to teaching students the self-control which they need to behave appropriately.

The District's aim is to provide an environment in which a student's rights and freedoms are respected, and to provide opportunities which challenge each student to perform to his or her highest potential.  While the District recognizes that all students have the right to an education, full participation in the district's educational and extracurricular activities is a privilege which the student earns by appropriate behavior.  Each student must respect the rights of all persons involved in the educational process and follow all school rules.

1. Students shall have all rights afforded to students by local, state and federal law.
2. Students have the right to freedom of speech within the limits deemed appropriate to students by the courts.  Distribution of literature may be a form of speech.  School authorities may regulate the time, place, and manner of student speeches and any of  student distribution of literature.  The may regulate the content of non-school-sponsored student speeches and literature to be distributed on school grounds as permitted by the courts to enforce order and to maintain appropriate school discipline.  School authorities may exercise editorial control over both the style and content of student expression in school-sponsored activates to ensure that those activities serve their intended educational purpose.  In exercising their right to free expression, students may not interfere with the orderly conduct of classes, coerce others to participate in a particular mode of expression, or violate the rights of those who disagree with their point of view.
3. Students have the right to dissent, peacefully, so long as their acts do not disrupt classroom order, interfere with school operations, or violate the rights of other students to an education.  Any acts of dissent which violate school rules will be treated was would any other misconduct under the student discipline policy.
4. Students, in consultation with teachers, administrators, and parents shall have the right to be represented in the establishment and review of Board policies on student discipline.
5. Students shall have the right to know the learning goals of each class and the general criteria used for determining academic grades.  For each class, the teacher will provide the student with a written, age-appropriate description of those goals and criteria.