The Discipline Committee

Authority

The Discipline Committee has the authority to make recommendations to the head of school or his designee. The head of school or his designee may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the recommendation from the committee. The Discipline Committee does not establish whether a student has violated School rules, but hears cases of students who admit to breaking School rules. It is the head of school’s prerogative to determine the disciplinary response without a Discipline Committee being convened.

A student coming before the Discipline Committee should expect a penalty which may include suspension or dismissal. In some cases, the committee may recommend the addition of an educational component to the disciplinary response. A second appearance for the same offense or a third appearance for any reason is likely to result in expulsion.

Membership

For each case, the Discipline Committee will consist of eight members, including four adults and four students.
The faculty members will include the dean of students, academic dean or their designee as chair, along with selected members of faculty serving on the discipline committee for the duration of the academic year. After consultation with the student who is to appear before the committee, the chair may make appropriate substitutions from within the pool of discipline committee members.
The student members will include a head monitor and student members of the year-long discipline committee, who have been selected with input from SGA to serve on the committee. After consultation with the student who is to appear before the committee, the chair may make appropriate substitutions from within the pool of discipline committee members.
If at any time the full membership of the Discipline Committee cannot be called, the dean, two faculty members and three students can hold a proceeding and make a recommendation to the head of school. Preference will be given to faculty members of the Discipline Committee and elected student representatives.

Review of the Facts

The presiding dean will personally direct or delegate to others the responsibility for making a thorough review of the facts surrounding any case(s) referred to the Discipline Committee.
In matters of academic integrity, any suspected breach of academic integrity will be reported by the teacher to the appropriate department head. The department head will then investigate the matter and, if a concern exists about possible cheating, will consult the academic dean. The department head and the academic dean will decide together if a case of cheating has taken place and thus merits a student’s appearance before the Discipline Committee. Alternatively, the department head and academic dean might view a matter as a breach of academic integrity that merits an appearance before a Dean’s Committee.
A statement of each student’s case will be prepared in the three parts listed below:
i. A specific charge or charges
ii. A listing of the previous disciplinary record(s) of the student(s) involved
iii. Two descriptions of the case; one should be written by the student charged and one should be written by the faculty member most closely involved with the particular offense. Both descriptions should include details regarding time, place, persons involved and other circumstances including how the offense came to light.
iv. Copies of these statements will be given to the members of the Discipline Committee and to the student(s) involved before the hearing of the case.
Parents of the student(s) involved will normally be apprised of the situation as soon as possible prior to the hearing of the case by the Discipline Committee.

Fact-Finding

If significant disagreement exists as to the facts, and if the case requires resolution of the disagreement, the principal, or his designee, together with two faculty members from the Discipline Committee, and two student members of the Discipline Committee will hear the case through a strictly internal process and then make a binding determination as to fact.

Meetings and Procedure

Meetings of the Discipline Committee will be called at the discretion of the presiding dean after consultation with others whenever a case might involve suspension or dismissal and in other serious situations.
The facts of the case will be presented to the committee by the chair and other informed members. Relevant information that is not part of the case statement but is likely to be raised in discussion, will be catalogued by the chair. A statement of the student’s case as described above will be shared with the committee and the student.
The student(s) will appear before the committee to discuss the case and to answer questions from the Discipline Committee members. A statement of the student’s case as described above will be shared with the committee and the student. The student will then be asked to wait in a nearby room.
A student’s advisor should be present during the hearing. The advisor will share a personal perspective and provide a character reference for the student. The advisor will be asked to leave prior to the committee’s discussion of disciplinary response.
A teacher and/or student may act as a character reference for any student appearing before the committee. Each person giving testimony will make a brief statement about the student’s character (not about the case itself or the discipline process) and will then be asked to leave the meeting.
The Discipline Committee will determine a recommended penalty after review of the charge(s), the student’s previous record, and the circumstances of the case, including how it came to light. Items of fact not included in the previous record may not be considered unless the student is granted an opportunity to comment upon them. The committee is guided by the chair to reach a consensus in recommending a particular response to the head of school.
In the occasional case when the committee exonerates a student, the meeting is not considered an “appearance” before the committee.
The School will not assume travel expenses for a student suspended or dismissed by decision of the Discipline Committee. Parents assume full responsibility for the oversight of the destination of their child during a suspension. In the event that a parent is not available to oversee a child’s suspension, the student must designate a School-approved adult who will act in loco parentis until the student is permitted to return to the School.
A member of the Discipline Committee will record the proceedings. A statement of the charge and of the penalty will be placed in the student’s folder. This information will be removed from the folder at the time of the student’s graduation.
A statement of the charge, penalty and other brief comments that may be used for announcements to the community should be discussed by the Discipline Committee.
At the end of the meeting, the chair will remind committee members about the kinds of information they may share with others in the community. The chair will also make clear what is inappropriate to share and therefore should be considered confidential. Students who break the confidentiality of the committee will lose their leadership positions and may face a disciplinary response.

Communication of Response

A public announcement including the student’s name, the general nature of the offense, and the disciplinary response is generally made to the School as soon as possible following the decision, and is communicated to students and faculty. This policy is under active review in the 2022-23 academic year.

Discipline committee members may comment on the nature of the discussion including the various perspectives that were shared. However, they may not attribute any comments or perspectives to particular members of the committee. They also may not discuss information about a student’s private life that was discussed during the committee’s deliberations.

Many colleges and secondary schools ask the School and the applicant whether the applicant has ever been suspended from the School. In accordance with our motto, “Dare to be true,” the School will answer these questions truthfully and expects students to do the same.

Expulsion will appear on a student’s transcript.