Revision Date: 8/04/2015 by Charter Australia
POLICY
Charter Australia seeks to provide an environment that is free from unacceptable behaviour and promotes a positive learning environment for all students.
This policy seeks to encourage acceptable behaviour and to inform all staff and students about the Charter Australia standards of behaviour.
Charter Australia’s Code of Conduct sets clear standards of behavior and defines the roles and responsibilities of members of the Charter Australia community in supporting these standards. It also specifies the mandatory consequences for student and staff actions that do not comply with these standards. The standards of behavior apply to all Charter Australia students and staff members.
Standards of behavior
- Demonstrating honesty and integrity
- Respecting differences in people and in their ideas and opinions
- Treating one another with dignity and respect at all times
- Respecting and treating others fairly, regardless of their race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability
- Respecting the rights of others
- Helping those in need
- Respecting people in a position of authority
- Respecting the need of others to work in an environment of learning and teaching
- Respecting school property and the property of others
What is behaviour misconduct?
Behaviour misconduct is defined as actions that breach the Charter Australia policies. This includes but is not limited to:
- Breaches of Commonwealth or State law which impact on RTO operations
- Behaviour that impairs the reasonable freedom of other persons (students) to pursue their studies and participate in the activities of the RTO
- Refusing or failing to identify themselves truthfully
- Any act or failure to act that endangers the safety or health of any other person
- Actions that impair any person’s participation in a legitimate RTO activity or, by act or omission disrupts the peace or good order of the RTO
- Acting in a way that causes students or staff or other persons within the RTO to fear for their personal safety
- Acting in a way that causes damage to RTO property
- Wilfully obstructing or disrupting any official RTO meeting, ceremony, activity, class or examination/assessment
- Any form of harassment, whether based on gender, race, age, sexual preference or religious belief
- Wilfully damaging or wrongfully dealing with any RTO property, or the property within the RTO of any person, including theft
- Being under the influence of prohibited drugs and/or substances including alcohol
- Trespassing or knowingly entering any place within the premises of the RTO that is out of bounds to students
- Making a false representation as to a matter affecting student status
- Possession of dangerous articles or banned substances
- Abusive Behaviour
PROCEDURE
Staff responsibilities
Charter Australia staff are responsible to:
- Inform all students of expectations related to behaviour;
- Explain to students what constitutes behaviour misconduct;
- Model exemplary behaviour act as a benchmark for students and other staff;
- Supervise student behaviour and the behaviour of other staff;
- Promote a positive environment that supports a student’s individual personality whilst setting clear boundaries relating to acceptable behaviour;
- Respond immediately to observed behaviour misconduct to maintain a safe environment for staff and students and to protect the rights of individuals or groups;
- If the observed behaviour misconduct is serious in nature, the staff member may suspend the students continued participation in RTO activities (training sessions, assessment etc);
- Report (in writing) behaviour misconduct when it is observed and actions taken in the immediate response using the Student Behaviour Misconduct Report.
Student responsibilities
Students are responsible to:
- Come to school prepared, on time and ready to learn
- Be informed of and comply with Commonwealth or State law
- Behaviour in a way that supports the freedom of other persons (students) to pursue their studies and participate in the activities of the RTO
- Behaviour in a way that supports the safety or health of any other person
- Maintain the peace or good order of the RTO
- Treat RTO property with respect and prevent damage or destruction of property
- Behaviour in a way that supports the conduct of official RTO meeting, ceremony, activity, class or examination/assessment
- Show respect for yourselves and for other Charter Australia students and staff
- Be free from (not under the influence of) prohibited drugs and/or substances including alcohol during attendance at the RTO
- Not trespass or knowingly entering any place within the premises of the RTO that is out of bounds to students
- Identify themselves truthfully and give truthful information relating to student status
- Follow the rules and regulations, and take responsibility for your actions.
Dealing with behaviour misconduct
The Chief Executive Officer may, in respect of any behaviour misconduct by a student:
- Advise the student in writing of the alleged incident of misconduct and that they have twenty (20) working days to make oral or written representations regarding the alleged incident of misconduct.
- Where State or Commonwealth laws appear to have been breached, the matter will be referred to the police or other appropriate authority.
- Impose one or more of the following behavioural management strategies:
-
- Reprimand and warn (formal warning in writing) the student against repetition of the misconduct;
- Suspend the student from using all or some RTO facilities and / or services for a designated period of time;
- Instigate a behavioural management contract with the student including agreed monitoring arrangements and consequences based on repetition of the misconduct;
- Cancel the student’s enrolment (serious misconduct involving violence to others, damage to property or breach of State or Commonwealth law).