Student Code of Character, Conduct, and Support

Imogen Foundation Afterschool – Master policy for grades K-8

For family acknowledgment during registration and for sharing with school partners.

Imagination • Mentorship • Opportunity • Growth • Empathy • Nurturing

Accessible • Inclusive • Responsive

This code describes the kind of afterschool community Imogen Foundation is committed to building: safe, welcoming, inclusive, growth-centered, and rooted in social and emotional learning. It also serves as Imogen Foundation’s written student conduct and behavior-management policy for afterschool programs.

 

Purpose and Scope

Imogen Foundation creates learning environments where people feel heard. In afterschool, that means creating spaces where children feel safe, included, and able to participate fully. Through project-based learning, social engagement, youth leadership, literacy, and high-quality enrichment, students practice listening, self-expression, collaboration, and emotional resilience every day.

This Code of Character, Conduct, and Support applies to all student participants during arrival, snack, enrichment classes, choice time, transitions, field trips, dismissal, and any digital or device-based program activity. It should be read together with the Parent Handbook, site-specific procedures, and host-school safety requirements. When students are on school property, DOE building safety procedures and emergency directions govern alongside this code.

 

Our Shared Foundation

At Imogen Foundation, our shared expectations are organized around safety, belonging, responsibility, inclusion, and growth. These commitments reflect the IMOGEN values and AIR pillars and help students practice self-awareness, self-management, empathy, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making in everyday program life.

These expectations are meant to support the lifelong development of the social and emotional skills children need to thrive in school, in relationships, and in the communities they help shape.

Community Commitment	What It Looks Like in Practice
Be Safe	Keep hands, feet, objects, and words safe. Stay with the group. Follow staff directions during transitions, drills, emergencies, and dismissal.
Be Respectful	Use kind and considerate language. Respect people’s identities, bodies, boundaries, belongings, and ideas. Listen when others are speaking.
Be Responsible	Participate, try your best, care for materials, be honest, and ask for help before problems grow.
Be Inclusive	Welcome others, make room for differences, and do not exclude, shame, target, or bully anyone.
Be Ready to Grow	Use calming strategies, accept redirection, reflect on mistakes, repair harm, and reconnect with the group when ready.

 

Student Rights

• To be physically and emotionally safe in program spaces and on field trips.
• To be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.
• To be protected from bullying, harassment, intimidation, retaliation, and discrimination.
• To receive support when upset, overwhelmed, or struggling.
• To have access to reasonable accommodations and support needed to participate fully.
• To be heard, to tell their side of what happened, and to be included in problem solving when harm occurs.
• To make mistakes, repair harm, and continue growing in the community when safety can be maintained.

Student Responsibilities

Every student is expected to help protect the community by practicing the skills that help communities thrive:

• Follow program routines, group agreements, and staff directions the first time when safety is involved.
• Remain in approved, supervised areas unless a staff member gives permission to move.
• Treat peers, staff, school partners, and visitors with kindness and respect.
• Use materials, technology, and spaces safely and appropriately.
• Practice self-control, honest communication, and problem solving.
• Help repair harm to people, property, or the group when a choice causes disruption or injury.
• Respect health, allergy, medication, food, and dismissal procedures.
• Use digital tools, online platforms, and communication respectfully and safely.

These responsibilities help students practice self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making in everyday afterschool life.

Conduct We Expect

At Imogen Foundation Afterschool, students are expected to practice these shared expectations across activities, relationships, transitions, and moments of conflict or repair.

• Safe movement in hallways, classrooms, gyms, cafeterias, bathrooms, outdoor spaces, and field trip locations.
• Language that is appropriate to a school and youth-program setting.
• Respect for differences in race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, religion, language, disability, learning profile, body type, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and family structure.
• Age-appropriate participation in activities, including active play, quiet choices, and self-initiated interests.
• Honest communication with adults when there is a problem, concern, injury, or conflict.

Prohibited or Unsafe Conduct

The following behaviors are not allowed in Imogen Foundation Afterschool because they undermine safety, dignity, belonging, or the ability of the community to function well:

• Physical aggression or unsafe physical behavior, including hitting, kicking, punching, biting, fighting, throwing objects at others, tripping, or using objects to threaten or injure.
• Bullying, intimidation, harassment, retaliation, slurs, repeated teasing, exclusion, cyberbullying, or discrimination targeting any protected identity or personal characteristic.
• Threats of harm to self or others, or conduct that creates a substantial risk of injury.
• Leaving a supervised area, group, classroom, bathroom plan, or dismissal area without permission.
• Stealing, vandalizing, or intentionally damaging school or program property.
• Possessing a weapon, look-alike weapon, lighter, vape, alcohol, cannabis, illegal drug, or any prohibited or dangerous item.
• Unwanted touching, sexualized comments, sexual harassment, coercion, or exposing private body parts.
• Recording, photographing, or sharing images of others without permission, or misusing technology to shame, threaten, or target someone.
• Refusal to follow essential safety directions, especially during emergencies, drills, transitions, dismissal, or field trips.

How Adults Will Respond

At Imogen Foundation, we understand that behavior is communication. Adults respond in ways that keep everyone safe, teach skills, and protect dignity. Our approach is preventive, restorative, age-appropriate, and developmentally appropriate. Whenever possible, staff first help a student regulate, understand what happened, and reconnect with the community.

Adult responses are timely, connected to the behavior, and paired with support. Staff consider student age, context, disability-related needs, trauma, communication needs, and patterns over time when determining next steps.

At IF, authority carries responsibility. Adults are expected to use their authority with self-awareness, restraint, fairness, and care, so that discipline supports safety, trust, repair, and growth rather than fear, shame, or control.

Responses adults may use

• Reminder, redirection, coaching, proximity, or reteaching of expectations.
• Regulation support, such as a calm-down break, sensory support, breathing, movement, or a reset with an adult.
• Reflection conversation, mediation, conflict resolution, apology, restitution, or restorative conference.
• Temporary change in seat, group, or activity when needed for safety or successful participation.
• Parent or caregiver outreach, behavior reflection, re-entry conference, individualized support plan, or family support plan.
• Immediate safety response, temporary removal from an activity or the remainder of the program day, and an enrollment review for repeated or severe safety concerns.

Our goal is accountability that helps students build the skills needed to return successfully to the community.

Responses adults may not use

• Corporal punishment or any punitive physical handling.
• Physical restraint, meaning force used to significantly and involuntarily restrict a child’s movement for a sustained period.
• Humiliation, ridicule, sarcasm intended to shame, belittling, threats, or frightening language.
• Withholding food, drink, rest, bathroom access, or participation in basic needs as punishment.
• Isolation in a closet, darkened room, or any location where a student cannot be seen and supervised.
• Excessive time-out or forced physical exercise as punishment.

Levels of Support and Response

Level	Typical Situations	Possible Supports and Responses
Level 1: Coaching and Redirection.	Low-level disruption, minor conflict, off-task behavior, or other concerns that do not create an immediate safety risk.	Reminder, redirection, choice reset, coaching, regulation support, reflection, apology, repair of materials or space, and practice of the expected behavior.
Level 2: Restorative and Family Partnership	Repeated concerns, peer conflict, more serious disruption, hurtful language, misuse of technology, or behavior with a stronger impact on others or the group.	Student conference, parent contact, mediation, restorative conference, behavior reflection form, temporary change in activity or group, check-in/check-out plan, individualized support or family support plan.
Level 3: Serious Safety Response	Aggression, threats, severe bullying or harassment, elopement, prohibited items, major property damage, unsafe refusal, or behavior posing a significant risk of harm.	Immediate safety intervention, site leadership involvement, same-day family notification, incident documentation, removal from activity or program day, re-entry meeting, safety plan, referral to school or community supports, and enrollment review or discontinuation where necessary for safety.

Separation, Physical Intervention, and Crisis Response

A student may be separated briefly from the group only when the behavior is causing harm, is likely to result in harm, or is seriously disrupting the group and the student needs time and support to regain self-control. Any separation must be brief, supervised, and followed immediately by adult support and guidance for returning to the group.

Short-term physical intervention may be used only as an immediate response to prevent substantial injury to the student or others or to move a student away from immediate danger. It is never used as punishment. Families will be informed whenever a significant safety intervention is used, and the site will determine whether a re-entry or safety planning meeting is needed.

Family Partnership

Families are essential partners in student success. This code is shared with parents and caregivers at enrollment and reviewed with students in age-appropriate ways. Imogen Foundation staff communicate with families about significant concerns, invite family perspective, and work collaboratively to identify supports that help each child succeed.

When a student needs more than day-to-day redirection, Imogen Foundation may convene a parent meeting, create a support or re-entry plan, connect a family to school or community resources, or coordinate with host-school staff as appropriate. Parents and caregivers are asked to help children understand this code, to share information that may affect behavior or participation, and to work respectfully with staff on solutions.

This partnership is part of how children learn reflection, communication, repair, and responsible participation in community.

Digital Conduct and Privacy

This code applies to student behavior both in person and online when digital tools are used as part of the program. Digital tools should support learning, expression, and connection – never bullying, threats, harassment, impersonation, or embarrassment.

Students must follow staff instructions for technology use, privacy, passwords, and appropriate content. Imogen Foundation teaches digital citizenship in age-appropriate ways and maintains clear reporting pathways for incidents involving electronic communication.

Students are expected to use digital spaces in ways that reflect self-management, respect for others, and responsible decision-making.

Safety, Supervision, and Dismissal

• Students must remain under competent direct supervision and may not leave program spaces or groups without permission.
• Students may be released only to a parent, caregiver, or other person authorized in writing, or to self-dismiss, only with written permission that is accepted by the program and aligned with site rules.
• Students must follow all bathroom, hallway, field trip, and visitor-control procedures established by the site.
• During lockdown, evacuation, hold, shelter-in, or other emergencies, students must follow staff and school safety directions immediately.

Alignment with School and Program Policies

Nothing in this code limits a student’s rights under law or host-school policy. When conduct also implicates DOE building rules, emergency procedures, anti-bullying rules, or other applicable school policies, Imogen Foundation coordinates with the school and follows all required reporting and safety procedures.

This code may be supplemented by site-specific procedures, field trip rules, enrollment terms, dismissal rules, and health plans. Imogen Foundation may update the code as laws, regulations, or operational needs change.

Our goal is always to help students stay connected, repair harm, and continue growing in community. This is how conduct becomes character, and how accountability becomes part of learning.