Rules, policies and behavior

Harassment

Harassment, discrimination, bullying or hazing of any individual or group will not be tolerated. These are serious offenses, prohibited by ASL, as well as UK law.  

Students are expected to be sensitive to the diversity of ASL’s community, and to be respectful of others. Students must exemplify ASL’s core values at all times, and they should act with compassion and thoughtfulness in all interactions with members of the school community.  

Duty to report

ASL takes any form of harassment extremely seriously. All reports will be investigated. If in doubt, report.

Any student who feels victimized by harassment, discrimination, bullying or hazing, or who is concerned about such behavior, should reach out to any trusted adult, such as an advisor, counselor, teacher, dean or administrator, who will, in turn, report the complaint to the director of student life. 

Furthermore, it is the responsibility of every member of the school community to stand up and speak out on behalf of others. ASL works hard to provide a safe environment for all, and issues must be brought promptly to the school’s attention.

Finally, students are always encouraged to self-advocate, advocate for each other and say no without fear of retaliation.

There may be times when the alleged harassment involves ASL students but is alleged to have taken place off campus or online. There may also be incidents where some of the students concerned attend schools other than ASL. Nevertheless, the repercussions of off-campus or online incidents may be felt on campus and within the school community, and the School will investigate such incidents.  

Definitions

Harassment and Discrimination

• ASL is an anti-bias school
• Harassment is a form of discrimination where one’s conduct or behavior—as it relates to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry—is personally offensive or threatening, impairs morale, or is so pervasive or severe that it has the purpose or effect of:
  • Creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment
  • Interfering unreasonably with an individual’s academic performance
• Harassment can involve an individual or group
• Harassment can include but is not limited to physical, verbal, written, visual or electronic/online interactions, postings, pictures, advances or communications
• Individuals might act unintentionally in a manner that others experience as harassing or humiliating. Justifying such behavior as a prank or joke does not change its harassing nature. The intent cannot justify or excuse the impact.

   
Racial harassment

• Racial harassment is where one’s conduct or behavior either through an isolated incident or repeated incidents is intended or is likely to intimidate, offend or harm an individual or group because of their ethnic origin, color, race, religion or nationality. Such behavior may include but is not limited to:
  • Physical, verbal, written or electronic/online threats, insults, derogatory name-calling and racist jokes
  • Displays, either physically or online, of racially offensive material
  • Exclusion from normal conversation or activities
  • Encouraging others to commit any such acts
• A racist incident is any incident that is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person. Justifying such behavior as a prank or a joke does not change its harassing nature. The intent cannot justify or excuse the impact.   

Sexual harassment

• Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, solicitations, requests for sexual favors or other verbal/physical/online conduct of a sexual nature or related to a person’s sex or sexual orientation, which has the purpose or result of unreasonably interfering with the individual’s performance or creating a hostile, intimidating or offensive environment.
• Examples include but are not limited to:
  • Verbal behavior: sexual comments or innuendo, such as: telling sexual stories, making lewd comments, making sexual or inappropriate remarks about clothes, body and appearance; calling someone sexualized names; sexual jokes, slurs or taunting
  • Physical behavior, such as: deliberately brushing against someone; touching, patting or pinching; interfering with someone’s clothes
  • Visual sexual harassment, including the creation of and/or display of derogatory pictures, cartoons, posters or drawings
  • Online sexual harassment through means of electronic devices, including non-consensual sharing of sexual images and videos; sexualised online bullying; unwanted sexual comments, ratings and/or messages on social media; sexual exploitation; coercion and threats.

Bullying

• Bullying is when a student or students are the target of negative actions intended to ridicule, harass, humiliate or intimidate, usually in the form of intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words or other behaviors.
• Examples include but are not limited to:
  • Intimidation, name calling or threats
  • Social alienation or shunning
  • Physical aggression
  • Creation of a hostile or intimidating environment
  • Retaliation
  • Any of the aforementioned actions perpetrated electronically or online
• Individuals might act unintentionally in a manner that others experience as bullying. Justifying such behavior as a prank or a joke does not change its bullying nature. The intent cannot justify or excuse the impact.   

Hazing

• Hazing is any conduct, coercion or intimidation intentionally used as a method of initiation into a group, organization, team or activity that is likely to cause embarrassment and/or endanger the physical or mental health of an individual, regardless of the individual’s willingness to participate.
• Examples include but are not limited to:
  • The destruction or stealing of property
  • Being physically mistreated
  • Committing dangerous, painful or embarrassing acts
  • Being deprived of sleep, food or hygiene

False accusations/Cooperation in investigation

• False accusations will be taken very seriously and can result in disciplinary action.
• All students are expected to cooperate and share pertinent or material information during school investigation.
• Failure to cooperate and/or falsifying information can result in disciplinary action.

Retaliation

• Retaliation against individuals who report harassment and/or cooperate in an investigation will not be tolerated.
• Retaliation will be treated as a form of bullying.
• Complaints of retaliation will be investigated and addressed separately from the original complaint.

UK Safeguarding and Harassment Laws

ASL has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of our students. All of our policies are aligned with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges, May 2018.

Additionally, ASL acts in compliance with the Human Rights Act of 1998 and the Equality Act of 2010.

Open campus policy

The High School has a flexible schedule that provides for unstructured time for students in Grades 9-12. Students are expected to organize their unscheduled time effectively. The High School extends open-campus privileges (based on the schedule below) to students who do not have a scheduled class, activity or meeting at the time. Students may leave campus, if time permits, as long as they exhibit acceptable behavior while off campus and return promptly for their next commitment.

Students must carry their ASL ID to leave and return to school. Students who do not have their ID may be denied the privilege of open campus. Students may not miss a class, an advisory, a class meeting, or an assembly to go off campus unless they have been given special permission to do so.

Students are not chaperoned by adults when leaving school during open campus, and the School is not responsible for their safety and whereabouts when they leave campus during these times. At the beginning of each academic year, the High School, in collaboration with ASL’s security team, briefs all students on how to navigate safely the community and its surrounding neighborhoods. If a high school student feels s/he is not ready for this privilege or would like more structure, s/he can contact the director of student life and request a personalized open/closed campus policy to best meet his/her needs.

Each grade is awarded open-campus privileges at different times throughout the year. Every student’s campus is closed on the first day of school, after which campus is opened in adherence to the schedule below:

Open campus start dates

Grade 12    Second day of school
Grade 11    Second day of school
Grade 10    At the conclusion of October Break
Grade 9    At the beginning of semester 2

While many students prefer to stay on campus during their free time, a significant number of students enjoy getting off campus for a break. Most students walk to the high street or around the corner for something to eat or drink, but some students travel further, occasionally using public transportation. Because this is free time for the students, we do not restrict the distance or locations they may travel during this time, but we do expect them to be back on campus in time for their next scheduled class or activity.

Arriving late & leaving early

Students with open campus who begin the day with a free period are permitted to sleep in and come to school later in the morning, provided they arrive in time for advisory, assembly, or their first class, whichever comes first. Students may leave school early if they end the day with a free period. Students with closed campus who begin the day with a free period may also sleep in and come to school later in the morning, provided they arrive in time for advisory, assembly, a class meeting, or their first class, whichever comes first. However, students with closed campus must stay on campus until the end of the school day, even if they end the day with a free period.

Please remember that the High School reserves the right to close a student’s campus at any time. A student’s campus might be closed in an effort to provide structure and help someone who is struggling academically, or as a consequence for other actions. If you have any questions, please contact the director of student life.

Students are expected to make responsible choices regarding dress, including dressing neatly and appropriately. Clothing that is inappropriate or distracting is not acceptable. Examples of inappropriate clothing include T-shirts or any other item of clothing or jewelry that makes reference to anything that is illegal, possibly offensive, or carries a crude slogan; or attire that may cause injury or damage to the wearer or others. Students are expected to wear shoes at all times.

Respect for ASL’s learning environment, as well as teachers and peers, is exhibited through maintaining academic integrity. Because the ASL community believes that the learning process is dependent upon academic honesty, students and teachers must work together to create an honest and trusting atmosphere. Communicating with teachers about deadlines or difficult assignments and seeking aid during academic struggles can help students avoid making poor choices that may get them in trouble. Students are responsible for exhibiting integrity in all facets of their studies, including but not limited to:

• Conducting all group work in an appropriate manner, ensuring individual integrity within a collaborative project
• Exhibiting appropriate test-taking conduct
• Completing daily assignments, including homework
• Seeking clarity about expectations, procedures and processes
• Using generative AI tools with teacher permission and appropriately acknowledging, attributing or citing its use

Teachers set guidelines as to what is expected regarding classroom procedures or processes. Students are responsible for making sure that they fully understand and comply with what is expected of them.

Cheating

Cheating may involve giving or receiving unauthorized assistance or using unauthorized materials during a test or assignment; receiving assistance from another student or an adult without acknowledgment of the assistance; using AI-generated content without permission or presenting it as their own work; copying parts of or an entire assignment; and collaboration with another student, unless authorized to do so by the teacher. It is subject to a teacher’s discretion whether a student’s work violates the guidelines set forth for the class. In addition, use of internet translators as a substitute for a student’s own work in language study is considered academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the representation of another person’s or generative AI tool’s ideas, words or information without proper citation, as if they were one’s own. Ideas, words or information are not restricted to written text, but include images and material from oral interviews, lectures or discussions.

Our values

Respect

• Only post entries, comments and other digital messages you would be proud for anyone to see.
• Be open to the ideas of others. If you disagree, use polite language to explain why.
• Get permission before recording someone (still photo, audio, video) at school, home or on school transport.

Responsibility

• Follow your teacher’s instructions.
• Use your blog for learning.
• Write in full sentences. Pay attention to spelling and punctuation.
• Use only first names in your posts.
• Protect your privacy - don’t include your phone number, address, or schedule in posts.

Kindness

• Get permission before you post information or pictures of others.
• Treat others online the way you like to be treated.
• Use kind language in your digital messages.

Integrity

• Make sure your work is your own.
• Get permission before you using images or video from the web.
• Give credit for the words, pictures and ideas of others.
• If you use information or pictures from other web pages, include a link to that page.

Courage to act

• Follow Core Values when you post from home.
• If you see unkind or inappropriate posts or comments, tell a grown up.
• Stand up to bullies. Let a teacher or adult know if someone is being mistreated.

High school guidelines

ASL encourages High School Students to create a positive digital footprint for their High School years and into their adult lives. The opportunity to create a name for oneself online is a wonderful one and can serve to highlight the projects, writing and high-level thinking of our students, creating an online portfolio of quality work. These are some guidelines for school-related work to be published online:

• In creating work online, it is important to distinguish between personal and official web publishing. Remember that material created for classwork or school-related affiliations should consider the audience carefully. References to The American School in London should be consistent with the ASL guidelines. You may wish to distinguish your accounts for personal use and school use.
• Remember that when you post your work online, you have a global audience. This is both exciting and puts a lot of responsibility on you to represent yourself well. Write in a formal manner and do some serious editing before posting work.
• Be careful about information you provide about yourself and others, including locations and activities. You may use a handle for your name or first name for online posts; but be careful not to reveal too much information about yourself.
• Give credit where credit is due. If the content you’re putting online isn’t your own, make sure to cite your sources, even if it is only via a link to the original source. For images and video, you should have the owner’s permission, or if the material is from Creative Commons, make sure to follow the guidelines of the particular resource.
• Be aware of providing metadata when you post online, especially in geo-location information from photos you’ve taken with an Internet-connected device, such as a smartphone or tablet. This can provide more information than you intended for your audience.
• When commenting or responding to another person online, remember to treat them with the same respect you would provide a person when face-to-face. Write respectfully, honestly and with consideration at all times.
• Be respectful of other people’s privacy, as well as your own. Remember to seek permission to include photos or video of anyone else in your online work, even if it’s your own family.
• Photos, videos, and other media captured for school use must not be repurposed and used in a context other than for school and education purposes. 
• All use of online and computer-based systems should align with the HS Code of Conduct and ASL Core Values.
   

After-school study hall is a supervised, after-school class environment, where students work quietly. Student may be assigned study hall or they may elect to attend voluntarily. On the day it is assigned, study hall takes priority for students over any extracurricular activities (athletics, clubs, activities, community action programs, etc). 

Study hall runs five days a week in O-345, from 3:15 to 4:45 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 2:30 to 4 pm on Wednesday.

Students can voluntarily attend study hall, or they can be assigned for one of the following reasons:

• As a behavioral consequence for late or missing assignments. This is structured time designed to hold students accountable to finish their work.
• To take make-up assessments as necessary.
• As a behavioral consequence for attendance infractions such as unexcused absences and excessive tardies.

The processes through which students might be required to attend and are ultimately assigned to study hall depend on the situation and are listed below.

Late/missing work

• Teachers will notify students when they are required to go to study hall. 
• Students will be assigned to study hall the following day (i.e., if a student misses an assignment Monday, they are assigned to Tuesday afternoon study hall). 
• If a student hands in the completed work by the end of lunch on the day of the assigned study hall, the teacher can amend the form to notify the study hall proctor that the work is complete and that the student does not need to attend study hall on that day.
• Students can be assigned study hall every day until the missing work is complete.

Make-up assessments

• Teachers will notify students when they are required to go to study hall. 
• The study hall proctor will administer the assessment and return it to the teacher when completed. 

Tardies/absences

• Students will be assigned one study hall for each unexcused tardy they have per week in excess of two, or for each cumulative unexcused tardy they have in a semester in excess of 10.
• The HS attendance officer will email any student who crosses the aforementioned thresholds at the beginning of the following week, with instructions on when their study hall(s) will take place.

Assigned study hall sessions take priority over other extracurriculars or afternoon school commitments a student might have. Students are responsible for communicating with their parents/guardian, coaches, activity leaders, etc., if they need to attend a study hall session, causing them miss an extracurricular commitment. 

Students are assigned to study hall for the entirety of the period. When students complete missing work, they must stay and work on other homework until study hall concludes for the day. Students are expected to attend study hall when assigned and will be assigned closed campus for a week following any study hall absences, in addition to making up the study hall as soon as possible.