1. Who this applies to, and where

This Code applies to every student, teacher, member of staff, parent, guardian, contractor and visitor. It applies in the student portal, in the cohort discussion forum, in any optional drop in session, in communication with staff, and on the school premises in Vaughan.

It also applies to conduct outside school hours, including on external platforms, where that conduct has a negative effect on the school climate or on another member of the school community.

The Code aligns with the Ontario Education Act, the Ontario Human Rights Code and the provincial Code of Conduct standards in Policy/Program Memorandum 128.

2. Standards of respect, civility and responsible citizenship

• Treat every member of the school community with respect and dignity, whatever their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or family status, or disability.
• Do not bully, harass, threaten, intimidate or humiliate any person.
• Respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal law.
• Resolve conflict constructively and without physical or verbal violence.
• Do not use, possess or promote alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons or other prohibited items in connection with the school.
• Respect the property of others, including intellectual property. Do not share account credentials, do not access another person's account, and do not distribute school materials or other students' contributions outside the school.
• Report unsafe or harmful behaviour to the Principal. The school does not penalise a student for reporting in good faith.

3. Harassment, sexual violence and cyberbullying

The school does not tolerate harassment, sexual violence or abuse of power in any form. This applies equally on campus, in the discussion forums, in messages between students, and on external platforms where the conduct affects the school climate.

Definitions

• Harassment. A course of comment or conduct that is known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome.
• Sexual harassment. Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that affects the learning environment or leads to adverse academic consequences.
• Sexual violence. Any sexual act, or act targeting a person's sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether physical or psychological, that is committed, threatened or attempted without clear and continuing consent.
• Cyberbullying and digital harassment. The non-consensual sharing of intimate images, digital stalking, or the use of school systems to circulate derogatory or sexually explicit material.

A student found to have engaged in harassment, sexual violence or serious cyberbullying has portal access suspended while the matter is investigated, and faces consequences under section 7, up to removal from the school and referral to the police.

Bullying prevention and intervention is set out in full in the Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Policy.

4. Boundaries between adult learners and students under 18

Adult learners aged 18 and over must not engage in private, non-academic communication with a student under the age of 18. Contact between students of different ages takes place in the moderated course forums, which the assigned teacher supervises.

Staff must not communicate with students through personal accounts or personal devices. All contact between staff and students takes place through the school portal or the school's official contact channels, so that it is recorded.

5. Mandatory duty to report a child in need of protection

Because the school serves students under the age of 18, every teacher, member of staff and contractor is bound by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017.

6. Personal devices and restricted substances

Personal mobile devices

For students attending the Vaughan campus, personal mobile devices, including phones and smartwatches, are stored out of view and powered off during instructional time. A device may be used where the teacher has permitted it for an academic purpose, or where it is required for a documented health or medical need.

Smoking, vaping, alcohol and drugs

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 prohibits the use of tobacco, cannabis and electronic cigarettes anywhere on school property and within 20 metres of the campus boundary. A student who possesses or uses these products on campus surrenders them to the Principal, the parent or guardian of a student under 18 is notified, and progressive discipline is applied.

7. Progressive discipline

Consequences are progressive and are chosen with regard to the student's age, the student's history, the circumstances, and whether the student has a disability or a special education need that relates to the behaviour. Restorative approaches are used wherever they are appropriate.

1. A conversation with the assigned teacher, and a record of it.
2. A documented meeting with the Principal, and where appropriate a behaviour plan with review dates.
3. Suspension, which withdraws access to the portal for its duration and, for a student attending on site, excludes the student from the campus.
4. Expulsion from the school.

The Principal may suspend portal access, or exclude a student from the campus, while a serious allegation is investigated. That is a protective step and not a finding.

Conduct that leads directly to suspension and may lead to expulsion

• Possessing a weapon, or committing physical assault.
• Trafficking in illegal drugs, or supplying alcohol or cannabis to a minor.
• Sexual assault, or serious cyberbullying.
• Hate propaganda, or conduct motivated by bias, prejudice or hate.

Due process

Before a suspension or expulsion decision is made final, the student, and the parent or guardian of a student under 18, is told in writing what is alleged, is given the opportunity to respond, and receives the decision in writing with reasons. Every decision is recorded in the student's Ontario Student Record. Any refund arising from removal from a course is governed by the Financial and Refund Policy and is separate from the disciplinary decision.

8. Disengagement and lack of attendance

Attendance at this school is measured by completion of the four weekly milestones, not by presence at a class. Where a student misses a deadline, the following steps are taken and every step is logged with its date, its time and the method used.

1. The assigned teacher contacts the student, and the parent or guardian of a student under 18, as soon as a deadline is missed, and offers a revised deadline or a support session.
2. Where there is no response, the Principal telephones the parent or guardian of a student under 18 directly, and writes to the address held on the student record. The emergency contact on the record is attempted.
3. Where any member of staff has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, that person reports directly to a children's aid society under section 5 of this policy. The duty applies whether or not the school has been able to make contact.
4. Where no contact is established within ten school days of the first missed deadline, the Principal determines the student's status in the session, records the decision and the reasons in the Ontario Student Record, and notifies the parent or guardian of a student under 18 in writing.

Where the student is enrolled in a Grade 11 or Grade 12 course, the full disclosure rules are applied to that course. Where the student remains of compulsory school age, the school informs the parent or guardian of the requirement under the Education Act that a student remain in secondary school until the age of 18 or until an Ontario Secondary School Diploma is obtained, and offers to assist the student in finding an alternative programme.

The full attendance rules, including what counts as an excused non-completion, are in the Attendance and Intake Policy.

9. How to report a concern

Any student, parent, guardian or member of staff who witnesses or experiences a breach of this Code is asked to report it promptly.

• Online. Send a message to the Principal through the student portal, or use the Contact Us page.
• On site. Speak to any teacher or to the main administration office at the Vaughan campus.
• Immediate danger. Call 911 first, then tell the school.

Reports are handled discreetly and information is shared only with the people who need it in order to respond. A student is never disadvantaged for reporting in good faith. The school cannot promise complete confidentiality, because the duty to report in section 5, and the law more generally, may require the school to pass information to a children's aid society or to the police.

10. Appeals

A student, or the parent or guardian of a student under 18, who disagrees with a decision made under this Code may use the Dispute Resolution and Academic Appeals Process. The request is made in writing to the Principal, who responds in writing with reasons.

How courses are delivered: the two attendance formats

Every course at this school is delivered online and asynchronously. There are no set class times. The school offers two attendance formats and the student chooses one at enrolment. Every one of the school's 26 courses is available in both formats in every session, and a student may ask to change format between sessions.

The course is identical in both formats: the same learning portal, the same unit materials, the same 110 scheduled instructional hours, the same weekly milestones and deadlines, the same assessments and rubrics, the same assigned Ontario Certified Teacher, and the same final mark composition. The format determines where a student studies, not what the course is or how it is taught. Students in both formats share one cohort discussion forum.

Attendance at the Vaughan campus is a facility the school provides, not a requirement of any course. A student in the on-site format who studies remotely on a given day is not marked absent and loses no mark, because attendance at this school means completion of the weekly milestones, not physical presence. No course requires a student to be physically present at any time, except where the student chooses to write the final examination on site. Every course therefore remains an online learning credit under Policy/Program Memorandum 167 in both formats.