Behavior As Choice Policy (AKA Because Knives)

Contents Safety & Quality Guide

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Our Priorities

As educators our primary concern is for the emotional and physical safety of our students. Our secondary priority is for the quality of our programming, and for meeting the expectations of our participants and their families by maintaining our essential student-to-teacher ratios and providing interesting and challenging curriculum.

We recognize that students have a variety of personal needs. Our ability to make accommodations is based on whether those accommodations allow us to meet our goals and responsibilities.

This is more than a behavioral policy. This is a process to ensure everyone participating in a program gets their equitable share of attention and peace of mind. When any participant requires more than their equitable share of attention to remain safe and connected within the program, we will implement the following processes to reestablish equity for all students.

With any behavioral and social challenges that arise, we always practice redirection and discussion of the unsafe, disruptive, or attention imbalanced behavior with students. In the field, there may be varied natural or logical consequences for certain behaviors; for example taking a short break from an activity because the student is not prepared to follow safety guidelines while participating, or having a talk with a teacher and friends when social difficulties happen.

Action Level 1: Conversation & Finding Resolution

If one of the following situations persist, then we hold a three way conversation between parents, teacher and student.

• The student continues to take an inequitable share of attention, limiting the capacity of or teacher or staff member to provide a equitable share of attention to the rest of the group.
• The student does not respond to redirection and continues to demonstrate problematic behaviors in a way that comprises physical and emotional safety within a group.

Our goal with this conversation is to identify behavior that causes a disruption in the group, or student choices that require more than their equitable share of attention. We then make an agreement with the student about the behavioral expectations we have in order for them to remain present in the program and to reestablish group equity. This conversation may include steps that we can take to help them meet expectations, as well as ways that they are going to adjust behavior so they may continue to participate.

If the student is unable or unwilling to make an agreement or acknowledge and understand their behavior’s impact, this immediately escalates the next Action Level. If their behavior is deemed serious enough, Action Level 2 or 3 may be implemented at the discretion of a staff member.

Action Level 2: Suspension of Participation

If the student continues to take more than their equitable share of attention or does not choose to meet the expectations or agreements of the previous Action Level, the student typically misses a duration of program time defined by a staff member—a suspension of participation. Upon their return, they must clearly, sincerely, and thoughtfully articulate intentions and strategies for how they will follow essential guidelines for safety and participation.

If a student poses a danger or threat to themselves, other participants or our staff, Parents will be asked to pick up at the site and accelerate to Action Level 2 or 3.

Action Level 3: Expulsion

If, after a suspension from any program, a student continues to exhibit choices and behaviors that would result in either Action Level 1 or 2 (see above), the student may be expelled from the program. Depending on behavior, they may be asked to not return to any programs.

If a student has been asked to leave all programs and is registered for a subsequent Trackers program, the student is denied entry to the program and forfeits any registration fees unless given the express written permission from the Director or relevant parties.

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