Introduction
The primary objective of the Marion County Public School District is to develop each student's potential for learning and to foster positive interpersonal relationships. If this is to be accomplished, it is necessary that the school environment be free of disruptions which interfere with teaching and learning activities. The student's conduct determines to a great extent the full development of his/her potential for learning and the development of positive relationships. The priority is to keep students in the classroom/school whenever possible.
The purpose of this document is to assist students, parents, teachers, and school administrators in the maintenance of an environment which will enhance the achievement of the objective. To be fully effective, the Code of Student Conduct addresses not only the role of the parents, the students, and the school, but also specifies areas relative to: responsibilities and rights of students; grounds for disciplinary action; and procedures to be followed for acts requiring disciplinary action.
In Loco Parentis
State and federal law recognizes that teachers and school administrators have a need to stand in the place of parents over children entrusted to them at school. This is a concept called in loco parentis. While this power is not equal to a parent’s power over a child, it permits school personnel to exercise a degree of supervision and control over students that could not be exercised over free adults. Section 1003.31(1), Florida Statutes also recognizes that students are under the control and direction of the principal.
This concept is responsible for the fact that school personnel can search without a warrant based on reasonable suspicion and are not held to the higher standard of “probable cause” by which law enforcement is bound. This concept is responsible for the fact that school personnel can interrogate a student without providing him or her with Miranda warnings or allowing the student to call a parent or attorney.
Marion County Public Schools: An Equal Opportunity School District
Students in Marion County are entitled to certain rights, standards and protections including those of due process, equal opportunity protection, accurate and confidential record keeping, safeguards to health and safety, and access to opportunities for suitable employment. The School Board is committed to affording students the benefits of these rights, standards and protections.
Students who feel that they have questions concerning this matter have the right and the responsibility of discussing such questions with the school’s administration.
The District does not discriminate on the basis of race (including anti-Semitism [as defined in Bylaw 0100]), ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability (including HIV, AIDS, or sickle cell trait), pregnancy, religion, marital status, age (except as authorized by law), military status, ancestry, or genetic information, which are classes protected by State and/or Federal law (collectively, "protected classes") in its educational programs, services or activities, or in its hiring or employment practices as required by Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, Age Discrimination Act of 1967, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or 1992 Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Florida Educational Equity Act of 1984.
The School Board also does not discriminate on the basis of protected classes in its employment policies and practices as they relate to students.
Equal educational opportunities shall be available to all students, without regard to the protected classes, age (unless age is a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any legitimate objective of the program/activity), place of residence within the boundaries of the District, or social or economic background, to learn through the curriculum offered in this District. Educational programs shall be designed to meet the varying needs of all students.
Questions or requests for additional information regarding these acts may be forwarded to the designated equity administrator below, or you may visit the school district’s website for more information at http://www.marionschools.net.
Dawana Gary, Equity Assurance Director, ADA, Title IX and Equity Issues Phone: (352) 671-7711 1614 E. Fort King Street, Ocala, FL 34471
Anne Howie, Coordinator, Contact for Section 504 Compliance Phone: (352) 671-6832 1614 E. Fort King Street, Ocala, FL 34471