G. Honor Code Violations and Consequences

General Dance Rules

● All school rules are in effect during school dances. ● Students may use only designated doors for entry and exit. ● If students leave the specified dance area, they may not return to the dance. ● All students must arrive within thirty minutes of the doors opening. Students arriving after that time will not be permitted to enter the dance; no excuses will be permitted. ● If students leave earlier than the final time stated, they must sign out. ● Students are asked to wear appropriate attire that is not overly revealing. ● Students should carry only small bags or purses that will be checked in at the entry table. ● Chaperones must be able to walk through the dance floor and venue at all times. ● All dancing must be consensual, face to face and not simulate sexual activities.

Guest Policy

● Each guest must be accompanied by a Branson student. ● Each Branson student should introduce his/her guest to the chaperone. ● Each student may bring only one guest and is responsible for the behavior of his/her guest. Each student should sign up his/her guest in advance of the dance by using the guest dance forms available on the school website.

Preamble

Each member of the Branson community is expected to show consideration and respect for others in a way that reflects our core values and supports an atmosphere of trust, personal and academic integrity, and inclusion. This is an integral element of a Branson education and is part of our expectations for students to rise to the challenges presented to them both in and out of the classroom. Such an atmosphere must be created and re-created daily, through individual choices and actions. We ask each student and adult to reflect and act upon their best understanding of these goals and principles.

As a community, we aim to respond to violations in a restorative manner, determining consequences that give equal chance for reflection and learning while taking care to think about what is best for both the individual and for the community. In other words, we seek to examine the harmful impact of a student’s actions and determine what can be done to repair that harm while also holding the person accountable for their actions. Branson works to be consistent and fair in handling disciplinary situations – the parameters of which are described in this section.

The Branson Honor Code

In choosing The Branson School as a place to learn and a place to work, each member of the community – student, faculty, staff and parent – agrees to sustain an environment of honesty and integrity. We will, individually and collectively, do our part to create and maintain trust, respect and care throughout school life by accepting responsibility for our own actions and those of others. We make this commitment to ensure that each of us may grow both in knowledge and in wisdom and that we may leave this school having enriched it by our presence.

The Honor Code Pledge

Students write and sign the Honor Pledge on all assessments and major assignments: “I pledge to uphold the Branson Honor Code. I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid.

Basic Protocols for Violations of Branson Rules and Values

In many instances, a student’s failure to meet expectations in an academic or extracurricular setting will be minor and will be addressed directly with the involved employee(s). However, more serious violations of Branson’s rules and values will necessarily involve a more robust process that can take into account the needs of both the student and the community. In more significant cases of any nature, the faculty or staff member who learns of the suspected violation will notify the Director of Studies (for academic integrity issues) or the Dean of Student Life (for violations of policies not related to academic integrity). Depending on the issue involved, the Director of Studies or Dean of Student Life will include other administrators as needed. The responsible administrator (either the Director of Studies or the Dean of Student Life) will meet with the student(s) suspected of violating Branson's standards, explain the concern to them and ask them to share their explanation of the situation. The responsible administrator will then determine if further investigation is necessary to understand the facts. If so, the administrator will interview other witnesses who may have information necessary to understand the situation and review other evidence.

If, based on the investigation, it appears that there has been a violation of the Honor Code, the administrator will confer with the Head of School to determine whether the case will go to the Community Honor Board (CHB) for input on remedies or whether it should be resolved through other means. The responsible administrator and Head of School may determine that the case should be handled by senior administrators without being referred to the CHB for a number of reasons, including concerns of the privacy or confidentiality of the students involved or other information to be considered, where violations may lead to expulsion, or where conduct may also be the subject of law enforcement proceedings.

Note that for policies that include procedures for resolution (such as the Policy Against Harassment), the procedures in those policies may supersede the following procedures.

Role of the Community Honor Board

The Community Honor Board (CHB) is comprised of students elected by their peers to provide input on appropriate consequences or remedies to address violations of the Branson Honor Code that are referred to them by the administration.

Community Honor Board Procedures

Before the CHB Meeting

If a matter is referred to the CHB, the student will select an employee to join them at the CHB meeting as a CHB advisor. This will likely be the student's regular advisor, but they may ask any employee to serve as a CHB advisor. The CHB advisor will provide the student advice on the process and provide support at the CHB meeting, although it will be the student and not the employee who will present the student's position.

The responsible administrator will meet with the student and their CHB advisor and explain the CHB process to them. The administrator will separately notify the student’s parents/guardians of the CHB process.

The responsible administrator will share with the student involved a summary of the facts based on their investigation, protecting the privacy of the individuals who participated in the investigation. The student will have an opportunity to provide a written response to the summary to be shared by the administrator with the CHB. The student's response may include any additional evidence the student would like to have considered by the CHB, including any evidence of mitigating circumstances.

The administrator will arrange for 5-7 members of the CHB to be present for the meeting. Reasonable effort will be made to ensure that the CHB members in attendance represent the appropriate range of identity lenses as are pertinent to the case.

The CHB Meeting

● Meetings of the CHB are not formal hearings but rather an opportunity for members of the CHB to hear from the student involved and to propose resolutions that uphold the values underlying the Honor Code.

● The CHB meeting will be attended by the administrator who investigated the matter, the student involved, their CHB advisor, and members of the CHB. Parents and other students are not permitted at the meeting.

● Before the student joins the meeting, CHB members will read the written summary prepared by the administrator as well as any written response or evidence submitted by the student involved and ask questions of the administrator as needed.

● When the student joins the meeting, the administrator will briefly introduce the proceedings and the role of the CHB as well as the issue to be considered.

● CHB members may ask the student questions to ensure they have a clear understanding of the case. They will also give the student the opportunity to make a statement beyond what they had submitted in writing. The student's CHB advisor can also provide information and answer questions to clarify the situation.

● The CHB will then excuse the student to begin deliberations. The CHB will discuss possible consequences to repair the harm and come to a consensus about a response to recommend to the Head of School. The CHB may consider consequences including the following:

o Personal restorative work (ex. Counseling, reflection, off campus programming)

o Interpersonal restorative work (ex. Restorative circles with any individuals who have been harmed by the infraction)

o Institutional restorative work (ex. Interaction with or teaching to various groups in the community)

o Restorative work in the larger community outside Branson

o Physical work on campus (example: removal of graffiti, repair of any destruction caused by the student)

o Specific academic consequences related to the assignment or the course (restorative → ex. redo the assignment; or punitive → ex. receive no credit. OR, a combination → ex. redo the assignment for reduced credit)

● The CHB's recommendation is confidential as are the deliberations. CHB members are protected from retaliation for participating in a CHB proceeding.

After the CHB Meeting

● The administrator will communicate the CHB’s recommendation to the Head of School, who will make a final determination of an appropriate response to the infraction after considering the CHB recommendation, the summary prepared by the administrator, the student's written response and any other information available to the Head of School.

● The administrator will meet with the student to share the final decision, and will notify their parents as well.

● The student and parents will receive a follow-up letter from the administrator confirming the School's determination. The student’s advisor and class dean will also receive a copy of the letter for the student’s file. Depending on the nature of the case and its outcome, one or more of these employees will work with the student to ensure that all parts of the recommendation are satisfactorily completed in a timely fashion.

College Reporting Policy

Any student who goes before the Community Honor Board is expected to engage productively and whole-heartedly in the resulting restorative consequences. As such, once that process is complete, Branson will not require the student to report the case as part of the college application process and, provided that the student remains in good standing post-violation, the college counseling office will submit a statement of full support for the student.

Note: At the discretion of the Head of School, Branson may still require the student to report a first violation to colleges that ask for this information, depending on the nature and severity of the offense.

In instances where students do not engage fully or successfully with the consequences recommended by the CHB, or if they have a second CHB case of any nature, Branson will require students to report that case to colleges. This expectation applies to students at any point in their Branson career, including after the application process is over. It is our expectation that students will answer questions about disciplinary history honestly on all college applications.

As always, the College Counseling office will work closely with the student and family in any and all communications regarding college reporting.There will be space on the application for the student to explain the event and share what lessons have been learned. While disciplinary matters are certainly of concern to colleges, our experience tells us that they understand young people make mistakes. A mature and graceful response to a discipline infraction can illustrate a student’s growth and development as a young adult.

Should a student or family member have any questions about this policy, please do not hesitate to contact the College Counseling team or the Dean of Student Life.