MESSAGE TO THE STUDENT
Every right you have has attached to it an obligation. Your rights must be balanced against the rights of others, and their rights must be balanced against yours. Also, the purpose of the school and the requirements of the educational process must be weighed in deciding who has a right to do what and what behavior needs to be punished. That is why our society has laws and why a school has rules. However, if you are one of those students who want to take full advantage of your rights and opportunities at this school, while at the same time respecting the rights of the others, we at Woodland Park High School will support and help you.
You will be held responsible only for the things YOU do or fail to do. What others choose to do or not do is of little importance in determining whether or not you have accepted your responsibility as a student of Woodland Park High School. If you choose to follow bad examples set by a few of the other students; you will be held responsible for your actions and your actions only. The decision will be yours, and so will be the consequences. Your first responsibility is to decide how you should conduct yourself while you are at school. Your second responsibility is to be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions.
The policies and procedures outlined in the next two sections of this handbook are based on Woodland Park School District Administrative Manual Policies JICDA - Code of Conduct, JK - Student Discipline, and ADD - Safe Schools. Several other policies govern school discipline and may be referenced. All staff has the authority to enforce district and/or school policies during school or at an evening/weekend activity. If you would like to view any of the High School’s discipline policies, please call the high school at (719) 686-2067.
It is the belief of our school that a carefully planned school program, superior instruction and individual guidance of students can eliminate serious discipline problems and that student discipline is an ongoing process, the goals of which are:
● To help students learn to discipline themselves.
● To help students internalize society's values, including democracy, truth, respect for themselves and their fellow citizens; so that they can lead active, productive and meaningful lives.
We also believe it is the responsibility of our school and its employees to encourage growth in student self-discipline in positive ways through:
● Setting appropriate limits for students and publishing consequences if a student should choose to violate those limits.
● Modeling appropriate behavior and standards for students.
● Providing consequences for infractions that will be appropriate to the level and severity of the infraction which may include, but may not be limited to the following: loss of privileges, transportation privileges, participation in clubs, athletics or activities; detention before or after school, at lunch; behavior contracts, Saturday workdays; community service, suspension, and possible expulsion from school.
● Working closely with families, the primary teachers of students, to ensure a positive, mutually supportive and coordinated effort on behalf of the students in the high school.
This information has been carefully prepared and presented so that it will help you to adjust to our school and to become an integral part of it. This handbook is not intended to be all-inclusive. The Woodland Park School District Policy Governance Administration Manual contains additional rules and regulations affecting students. Several of these policies are referenced throughout this manual. Please call the High School Office at 719-686-2067 if you wish to review the additional rules and regulations.
