Abu Dhabi schools to penalise students for misconduct, issue 45 types of violations

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The new policy for student misconduct in Abu Dhabi schools has identified 45 types of violations that a student will be punished for if they commit them, and they fall under four levels: the first includes 9 types, the second 10, the third 11, and the fourth 15.

Noting that schools bear the responsibility of providing positive and safe educational environments, schools can create environments that are characterized by safety, respect, welcome, and motivation, by setting clear expectations regarding student behavior, and dealing effectively with behavior that raises concerns.

Schools prepare their students to be positive citizens by establishing standards for individual and collective behavior, and promoting the cultural values of the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed that the aim of the new policy, a copy of which was obtained by Gulf Today and which entered into force at the beginning of the current academic year, is to put in place measures to proactively encourage positive student behaviour, prevent and address behaviour of concern, clarify behavioural expectations through a rules document that includes a unified set of minimum requirements, and establish a school policy aimed at preventing bullying, supporting students who find it difficult to meet behavioural expectations through appropriate intervention, and identifying requirements for dealing with misbehaviour through a gradual strategy.

It pointed out that a student’s behaviour reflects his or her interaction with different situations and stimuli, including the appropriateness or inappropriateness of his or her words, methods, attitudes and actions towards other students, staff or members of the school community.

It pointed out that schools must form a behaviour management committee, consisting of at least 4 members, and that the disciplinary measures taken must be fair and equal for all students without exception.

All disciplinary measures must be appropriate to the student’s age and abilities, and the severity of the misbehaviour according to the specified levels.

The new policy specifies 11 disciplinary measures that schools are allowed to use, provided that they are proportionate and age-appropriate, consistent with the format, and that they are phased: a discussion session with the student and guardian, formal and recorded meetings with the student and guardian, a verbal warning, a written warning addressed to the guardian, temporary or permanent removal from a group class under appropriate supervision (in-school suspension), loss of privileges at school, temporary or permanent confiscation of personal items if they are inappropriate (such as a mobile phone or music player), by decision of the Behavior Management Committee, detention under supervision during break, lunch, or after school (with the guardian’s approval), supervised community work, temporary suspension of the student from the school campus (out-of-school suspension), permanent suspension of the student from school by canceling or withdrawing his registration (suspension).

It explained that if a student commits a second-level violation, he/ she will be given a written warning the first time, a temporary suspension for two days if the violation is repeated, a temporary suspension for 3 days if the violation is committed for the third time, and expulsion and suspension from school until the end of the investigation for a period of 5 days.

The department confirmed that schools are prohibited from using 10 methods as disciplinary measures on students who violate the law: corporal punishment (the use of physical force as a means of achieving discipline or punishment, with the aim of causing pain or physical discomfort, even if minor, in accordance with the Department of Education and Knowledge’s policy for protecting students in schools), disclosing a student’s personal information without his or her consent (medical condition, financial status, family affairs), psychological punishment (verbal abuse, issuing threats), confinement within the school premises, confiscating a student’s personal belongings without a decision from the Behavior Management Committee, deducting grades or threatening to deduct a student’s academic grade or mark, imposing additional school assignments, mocking, insulting or humiliating, whether privately or publicly, preventing the use of sanitary facilities or eating and drinking, detention outside of official school hours without the consent of the guardian.

The new policy stated that the first-level violations include repeated delays to the morning meeting, failure to bring books and resources, sleeping or eating during class or morning assembly, and misuse of digital devices.

The second-level violations include leaving or entering the classroom during class without permission, inciting Fighting, threatening or bullying peers at school, verbally abusing or insulting any member of the school community, using or distributing tobacco and tobacco products, using a mobile phone at school without permission.

Level 3 violations included 11 types, including: bullying, intimidation or harassment, academic cheating, plagiarism and intellectual theft, vandalism of school property, assaulting others at school, reckless driving on or around school grounds, capturing, possessing, viewing or distributing media of staff and students that were captured without consent.

Level 4 violations included 15 types, including possession, use or distribution of weapons, sexual assault, theft, setting fire to school, disseminating or promoting inappropriate cultural ideas and beliefs, intrusive digital activity, sneaking onto school grounds after school hours, and mistreating members of the school community, including defaming them on social media.