DEFINITIONS

Absence: Failure to be In attendance for at least 3 hours of the instructional day, excluding lunch.

Aggravated Assault: When a person threatens to use a deadly weapon or any object, devise, or instrument which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily injury,

Aggravated Battery: When a person maliciously causes bodily harm to another by depriving him or her of a member of his or her body, by rendering a member of his or her body useless, or by seriously disfiguring his or her body.

Alternative School: A program of instruction that is designed to meet the needs of students who have not been successful behaviorally or academically in the regular school setting.

Arson: Intentionally starting, or attempting to start any fire or combustion to cause damage to school property or the property of another.

Assault: When a person attempts to commit a violent injury to another person or commits an act which places another in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury.

Battery: When a person intentionally makes physical contact with or intentionally causes physical harm to another person.

Burglary: When a person, without authority and with the intent to commit a felony or theft, enters or remains in a building.

Bus Misconduct: Failure to comply with rules of bus safety or disturbing others.

Class Cutting: Absence from one's assigned class(es) without the permission of the teacher of the class or an appropriate administrative official of the school,

Cheating: Being dishonest or deceptive as on a test, examination, or any other school project.

Chronic Lack of Supplies: Repeatedly reporting to class without necessary materials such as books, physical education attire, supplies, etc,

Classroom/School Disruption: Behaving in a manner which interferes with educational activities.

Compulsory Attendance Age: Age 7-16, the age range defined by Georgia Law within which parents/legal guardians must have their children enrolled in school.

Conference: A meeting between school official(s) and student and/or parent(s)/Iegal guardian(s).

Damage to Property(Vandalism/Graffiti): When a person knowingly add without authority destroys or defaces property.

Disorderly Conduct: Behaving in a violent or seriously inappropriate manner which disrupts the educational process. (This category is used when the police are called to cite a student for extreme disruption. It is not to be used when recording classroom disorders that only result in student referrals to the office.)

Disrespectful Behavior: Responding in a rude and impertinent manner.

Dress (inappropriate): Dressing in a manner that disrupts the teaching and learning of others.

Drug/Alcohol/Chemical Offenses: Any possession, sale, distribution, having the odor of, or use of controlled substance or alcohol; includes any transfer of a prescription drug or any substance alleged to be a drug, regardless of its actual content.

Due Process: The protection of the rights of a student through established, fair procedures. In cases involving possible short-term suspension, this may be accomplished in a conference; in cases involving possible long-term suspension or recommendation of expulsion, due process must be more formalized.

Expulsion: The denial to a student of the right to attend any school or other instructional program of the Atlanta Public Schools for minimum period of one (1) calendar year or the required re- assignment of a student to an alternative instructional program for a minimum period of one (1) calendar year.

Extortion: Use of threats or intimidation to demand money or something of value from another (no weapon).

False Fire Alarm: Reporting a fire to school or fire officials or setting off a fire alarm without a reasonable belief that a fire exists; calling 911 for no apparent emergency, etc

Fighting: Involves the exchange of mutual physical contact such as pushing, shoving and hitting, without injury.

Gambling: Playing any game of skill or chance for money or anything of value.

Gang-Like or Gang Activities: A range of gang related problems, and/or criminal behaviors such as flying colors, displaying or drawing gang symbols, signing, recruitment, physical/verbal threats, intimidations of non-gang or non-group members, group assaults, extortions, drug sales and/or use, thefts, using/carrying weapons, and any other antisocial behavior.

Harass ment/Verbal Abuse: Any slurs, hints or other verbal or physical conduct reflecting an individual's gender, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, age, sexual orientation, social and family background, linguistic preference or disability, which has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.

In Loco Parentis: The status of school that gives some of the rights and duties of a parent.

In-School: Student assigned to In-School Suspension Center or to custody of another authorized staff member, for a portion or for all of student's normal daily schedule and for a maximum of five (5) days. If suspension is for all of student's normal daily schedule, all other school-sponsored activities are covered in the suspension.

Inappropriate Personal Property: Possession of personal property prohibited by school rules such as food, beverages, pagers, cellular phones, and other electronic equipment,

Indecent Proposition: An unsolicited sexual proposal.

Informal Hearing : A hearing between local school administrator or designee, student and parent(s) or legal guardian(s) when a suspension of 4 days or more may be deemed necessary.

Insubordination: (Defiance of any school personnel authority): Failure to obey a proper and authorized directive or instruction of staff

Letter of Suspension: A formal written communication from the school to the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of a student who is suspended (including in-school suspension).

Long-Term suspension: Student assigned to custody of parent(s)/Iegal guardian(s) for duration of his/her normal daily school schedule, including all school-sponsored activities. Suspension for ten (10) or more days.

Loitering/Trespassing: Entering any school property or school facility without proper authority (includes student entry during a period of suspension or expulsion).

MACAD/SUPER STARS: These are programs for parents and students designed to prevent substance abuse. They may be used as a valuable tool for first time offenders when use or possession of drugs is expected or predicted.

Note of Excuse: For any absence, a note signed by the parent(s)/Iegal guardian(s) is to be sent to the school upon the return of the student to school.

Obscene Material: Possession and/or distribution of material which offends common decency and values.

Profanity: Writing, using language or making gestures that convey grossly offensive, obscene or sexually suggestive message.

Reasonable Suspicion: A belief based upon review of related information and circumstances surrounding an incident which would lead a person of sound judgement to suspect that prohibited items are present.

Robbery: Taking money or other property from a person by force or violence, threat of aggression.

Sexual Misconduct: Sexual advances, consensual sex, request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when such conduct creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive school environment.

Short Term Suspension (1-3 days): Students assigned to custody of parent(s)/legal guardian(s) for duration of his/her normal daily school schedule including all school-sponsored activities, for a maximum of three days and requiring only a conference.

Short Term Suspension (4-9 days): Students assigned to custody of parent/legal guardian for duration of his/her normal daily school schedule, including all school sponsored activities, for a maximum of nine (9) days with consultation with the Unit Executive Director. This suspension requires an informal hearing at the local school level.

Suspension: The involuntary exclusion, by an authorized school or school system official, of a student from the student's normal schedule in the school and/or from other school-sponsored activities.

Student Support Team (SST : The SST is an interdisciplinary group that addresses through a six-step process the needs of students having problems In school. These steps include: 1) identification of needs; 2) assessment, if necessary; 3) educational plan; 4) implementation, 5) follow-up and support, and; 6) continuous monitoring and evaluation.

Tardiness: Not being in one's assigned classroom at the time the official school day and/or the class is scheduled to begin.

Terroristic Threats: When a person threatens to commit any crime of violence or to burn or damage property with the purpose of terrorizing another or of causing the evacuation of a building,

Theft/Larceny: When a person unlawful takes, is in possession of or obtains by deception property belonging to another person with the intent of depriving him or her of the property.

Truancy: Failure to report or sign in to school without prior permission, knowledge or excuse by the school or the parents.

Unauthorized Organization : Participation in clubs, fraternities, sororities, or secret societies that are not sanctioned by the local school principal and Board of Education.

Waive : Voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a human right.

Weapon : Any carrying, concealing, displaying or using any object whether used or intended to be used to inflict bodily harm. Such objects include but are not limited to guns, knives, box cutters, razor blades, clubs, and nunchucks.