Policies & Procedures

Our watchword at East Kensington, is "rooted in wellbeing and the wisdom of nature." We care for the wellbeing of ourselves, others, and the land.

OUR RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES:

East Kensington students, staff, and parents have the RIGHT:

• To be safe.
• To learn.
• To speak and be heard.
• To be valued and to be treated considerately.

East Kensington students, staff, and parents have the RESPONSIBILITY:

• To be safe at all times.
• To always do their personal best in learning.
• To listen.
• To respect the rights of others and speak up when someone needs help.
• To help solve problems.
• To contribute actively and positively in developing a caring, collective school culture.

Our values for learning and thriving apply to all members of our community in classrooms, in the school building, on school grounds, and in the community. 

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR:

Inappropriate behaviour can consist of, but is not limited to:

• Actions that are unsafe such as running inside the school, leaving the school grounds unattended, violence of any sort, possession or use of weapons, replicas, firecrackers, or fireworks
• Actions that do not share care for school community members, such as the use of foul language, interfering with the teaching and learning process, rudeness, acts or threats of verbal, physical, or sexual abuse (intended or not), or theft.
• Actions that lead others to feel unsafe, such as acts of bullying, harassment, threats, intimidation, racism or discrimination, or retribution against a person who has reported incidents
• Actions that do not show care of self, such as poor school attendance, use or possession of illicit or illegal substances, including cigarettes, matches, or stolen merchandise
• Actions that do not show care of the school and community, including littering, or acts of vandalism
• Misuse of cyberspace/Cell Phones/Electronic Devices/Computers – Students are responsible for the safe and responsible use of school and personal electronics as well as the use of the internet.

REPORTING:

It is the student’s responsibility to report to a person of trust (parents, staff members, or Principal) activities related to the behaviours listed above, whether the student is a witness or a victim.

It is the responsibility of staff members to establish and maintain trusting relationships so that students have someone they trust with serious information.

Serious breaches of our values for thriving and learning will be communicated to parents and may be reported to School District personnel as well as external agencies such as the R.C.M.P., the Ministry of Children and Families, or others as deemed appropriate at the time to best support the student.

USE OF PERSONAL DIGITAL DEVICES

Personal Digital Devices are defined as any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate or to access the internet, such as a cell phone, tablet, laptop, or smartwatch. These devices are important tools which can be used to enhance learning and prepare children for the world in which they will work and live. Personal digital devices provide support for children who rely on these tools to access learning through services such as translation, adaptations for Individual Education Plans, medical support, health needs, or to provide equity of access to resources. The classroom teacher is responsible for the learning environment in the classroom, for guiding children to use personal digital devices appropriately, and for determining when personal digital devices should be used.

The safe and responsible use of personal digital devices is expected by all Surrey School District students, employees, volunteers, parents, guardians, and community members who are on school district property or interacting with students or staff.  This includes the following:

• Those using personal digital devices need to abide by the school code of conduct as well as all Provincial and Federal laws and the British Columbia Human Rights Code.  This includes not using personal digital devices to engage or participate in bullying or harassment, discrimination, or defamation of character.
• At both elementary and secondary schools, personal digital devices can be used during class time to enhance learning at the direction of the classroom teacher. These devices should be used in a way that is respectful of other’s learning and does not distract others in terms of light, sound, or by other means.
• At elementary schools, it is expected that personal digital devices are to be put away during non-class time such as recess and lunch. Exceptions to this are for students who need digital devices for medical or health reasons, translation, accessibility, or other student-specific reasons.
• Personal Digital Devices should not be used during lock down procedures or drills.  The use of personal digital devices during this time may impact the emergency safety response.
• Surrey School District staff and students should not be recorded, visually or audibly, for any reason without their prior consent.
• The Surrey School District is not responsible for lost, missing, or damaged personal digital devices that students choose to bring to school. 

PRESCRIBED MEDICATION & LIFE-THREATENING MEDICAL CONDITIONS

If your child requires on-going prescription medication, please obtain the appropriate form at the school office to be completed by your doctor and signed by yourself.  This procedure complies with School Board Policy regarding prescription medication to be taken at school.

Also, if your child has any life-threatening medical conditions such as extreme allergies, it is imperative that you notify us so we can be prepared should the need arise.

NUT AWARE SCHOOL

We have students who have life threatening allergies to a variety of nuts and nut products. Even touching a desk that another student has touched with nut product residue on his/her hand can cause the allergic student to go into anaphylactic shock.

As a result, we ask that students do not bring nuts or products containing nuts to school. While this can be an inconvenience, it is a very dangerous issue for some of our students, and we appreciate your support.

ILLNESS OR INJURY AT SCHOOL

Students, parents and staff who are sick must stay home until symptoms clear. Please call the school if your child will be absent. 

Given our current context, students who become ill at school will have parents contacted to come to pick up their child. 

If an accident causing minor injury occurs to your child while at school, the supervising teacher will document the injury in the office. The school will always err on the side of caution and notify parents at the time of the accident. If the injury is in any way considered serious, the school will call 911 and notify parents.