Glossary of Terms
- Abusive Language: Using insulting/offensive language, swearing, cursing, or uttering vulgar words; profane, indecent, obscene gestures, or propositions.
- Aggravated Battery: When a person intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm or permanent disfigurement or uses a deadly weapon.
- *Alcohol: Possession, sale, purchase, or use of alcoholic beverages.
- *Arson: Intentionally setting a fire on/with school property.
- Assault/Threat: See Threat/Intimidation below.
- *Battery: The physical use of force or violence by an individual against another.
- *Breaking and Entering/Burglary: The unlawful entry into a building or other structure or vehicle with the intent to damage or remove property or harm a person(s).
- *Bullying: Systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students or employees that is severe or pervasive enough to create an objectively intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment or that unreasonably interferes with the individual’s school performance or participation in an activity. May involve teasing; threats; intimidation; stalking; cyberstalking; cyberbullying; physical violence; theft; sexual, religious, or racial harassment; public humiliation; or damage to or destruction of property.
- Cheating: Willful or deliberate unauthorized use of the work of another person for academic purposes, or inappropriate use of notes or other material in the completion of an academic assignment or test.
- Classroom Disruptions: Any act which disrupts the orderly learning environment.
- Computer Misuse: Inappropriate use, including but not limited to breaking into restricted accounts or networks, modifying files without permission, illegally copying software, and entering or distributing unauthorized files.
- *Criminal Mischief/Vandalism (more than $1,000): The intentional destruction, damage, or defacement of public or private property, without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it including, but not limited to, graffiti. Vandalism is also defined as any deliberate or malicious attempt to harm or destroy computer hardware or peripherals, data of another user, the Internet, the District’s network, or any other networks that are connected to the District. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
- Cyberbullying: Includes tormenting, threatening, taunting, ranking, degrading, harassing, humiliating or otherwise targeting a student or staff member using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or cell phones or inviting others to join in these acts.
- Cyberstalking: Engaging in a course of conduct to communicate, or to cause to be communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, directed at a specific person, causing substantial emotional distress to that person and serving no legitimate purpose.
- Dating Violence or Abuse: Verbal, sexual, or physical behavior used by one person who is in a current (or was in a past) dating relationship to harm, threaten, intimidate, or control the other person in that relationship. This may include insults, coercion, social sabotage, sexual harassment, stalking or threats or be a pattern of demeaning, coercive, abusive actions that amounts to emotional or psychological abuse. May occur via electronic devices such as WCDs and computers, as well as harassment through a third party.
- Defiance: Boldly resisting or openly challenging school authority.
- Detention: Remaining after school as an alternative to suspension for certain misconduct.
- Dismissal: The removal of the right and obligation of a student to attend a public school for a period not to exceed the remainder of the term or school year and one additional year of attendance.
- *Disruption on Campus: Disruptive behavior that substantially interferes with the normal operations of the school or learning environment, or poses a threat to the health, safety, and/or welfare of others.
- Drugs (excluding alcohol): The possession, sale, transfer, distribution, or use of any controlled drugs. Also includes the sale of any substance represented by the student to be a controlled substance; the use of any legal substance to attain a mood-altering effect; and the possession of any equipment or device for preparing or taking drugs.
- Electronic Devices: A device powered by electricity that provides audible or visible communication signals such as, but not limited to, hand-held video games, MP3 players, radios, CD/Cassette players/recorders, and laser pointers. It does not include electronic calculators or thumb drives. (See also Wireless Communication Devices below.)
- *Fighting (Mutual altercation): At least two students mutually participating in the use of force or physical violence that requires physical restraint or results in injury.
- Forgery: The making of a false or misleading written communication to a school staff member with either the intent to deceive the staff member or under circumstances which would be reasonably calculated to deceive the staff member.
- Gambling: Any participation in games (or activities) of chance for money and/or other things of value.
- Gang Identification: Grooming, accessories, or clothing which local law enforcement or other community agencies currently consider to be gang related are prohibited. These may include but are not limited to items with gang names, initials or monikers, gang related tattoos or scars, and any manner of grooming or dress which by its color, arrangement, trademark, or other attribute is gang related.
- *Harassment: Any threatening, insulting or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written, verbal or physical conduct that: (1) places a student or school employee in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property; (2) has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits; or (3) has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of a school including any course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress in such person and serves no legitimate purpose.
- Hate Speech: Any offensive speech targeted toward people based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender.
- Hazing: Any action or situation, whether on or off school premises, that recklessly or intentionally, endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for purposes such as, but not limited to, initiation or admission into or affiliation with any school-sanctioned activity or organization.
- *Homicide: The unlawful killing of one human being by another.
- In-School Suspension/Detention: The temporary removal of a student from the student’s regular school program and placement in an alternative learning space, under the supervision of school personnel, for a period not to exceed ten (10) school days. The student remains in attendance for the school day(s) assigned and is allowed to continue appropriate curriculum standards without academic penalty.
- *Kidnapping: Forcibly, or by threat, confining, abducting, or imprisoning another person against his/her will and without lawful authority.
- *Motor Vehicle Theft: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and mopeds.
- Out-of-School Suspension: The temporary removal of a student from all classes of instruction on public school grounds and all other school-sponsored activities, except as authorized by the Principal/designee, for a period not to exceed ten (10) school days, beginning at the end of the school day, and remanding of the student to the custody of the parent with specific homework assignments to complete. [F.S. 1003.01(5)]
- Pantsing: The act of pulling another person’s pants down. This inappropriate act is considered a form of harassment and, depending upon the facts of each situation, can be considered sexual harassment.
- Progressive Discipline: Consequences become more severe for repeated same or similar misbehaviors.
- Public Display of Affection (PDA): Inappropriate public display of affection on a school campus or at a school-related activity is not allowed. Any such display may be subject to disciplinary action. PDA may include, but is not limited to, kissing, fondling, “dirty dancing,” sitting on laps, inappropriate touching, etc.
- Restitution: Restoring or paying for damaged or stolen property.
- *Robbery/Extortion (using force): The taking, or attempting to take, anything of value under confrontational circumstances from the control, custody, or care of another person by force, or threat of force or violence, and/or by putting the victim in fear.
- Saturday School: An alternative to out-of-school suspension where students attend school on Saturday under supervised conditions.
- School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR)
- *Sex Offenses: Sexual behavior or conduct without force or threat of force. Includes, but is not limited to, lewd, sexual gestures, and indecent exposure.
- *Sexual Battery: Any sexual act of attempted or actual forcible penetration.
- *Sexual Harassment:
- “Hostile Environment” Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.
- “Quid Pro Quo” Sexual Harassment: A school employee conditions the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of the school on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct.
- Sexual Cyberharassment: Publishing a sexually explicit image of a person that contains or conveys the personal identification information of the depicted person to an Internet website without the depicted person’s consent, for no legitimate purpose, with the intent of causing substantial emotional distress to the depicted person. May be a form of sexual harassment.
- *Sexting: the knowing transmission or distribution to another person, through a computer or similar device, of any photograph or video of any person that depicts nudity. Sexting also includes possessing a photo of any person that was transmitted or distributed by another person that depicts nudity. [F.S. 847.0141]
- Skipping: Intentionally missing class(es) or days of school without knowledge or permission of parent/guardian.
- *Smoking/Tobacco: The use, possession, distribution, or sale of tobacco and/or vaping products on school property, at school functions, on school buses, or at extracurricular/co-curricular activities.
- Stealing: See Theft/Larceny below.
- Students with Disabilities: A student who is documented as having an intellectual disability; a hearing impairment, including deafness; a speech or language impairment; a visual impairment, including blindness; an emotional or behavioral disability; an orthopedic or other health impairment; an autism spectrum disorder; a traumatic brain injury; or a specific learning disability, including, but not limited to, dyslexia, dyscalculia, or developmental aphasia. [F.S. 1007.02]. The term also includes a student who has been found to have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity pursuant to the provisions of and regulations applicable to students under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
- Tardy: Unexcused lateness to school or class.
- *Theft/Larceny ($300 or more): The unlawful taking, carrying, concealing, or riding away with property of another person.
- Theft/Petty Larceny (less than $300): The unlawful taking, carrying, concealing, or riding away with property of another person.
- *Threat/Intimidation: Placing another person in reasonable fear of physical harm with or without the use of a weapon. Must include all the following elements: intent, reasonable fear of physical harm, and capability (also may be known as “assault”).
- *Tobacco Products: Cigars, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, e-cigarette pods or cartridges, or any matter or substances that contain tobacco, and papers used to roll cigarettes.
- *Trespassing: To enter or remain on public school property or at a school sponsored event without authorization or invitation and with no lawful purpose for entry, including students under suspension or dismissal.
- Unsafe Act/Action: Any behavior which compromises the safety of any individual, including, but not limited to, hitting, kicking, slapping, or the use of laser pointers.
- *Vandalism (less than $1,000): The intentional destruction, damage, or defacement of public or private property, without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it including, but not limited to, graffiti. Vandalism is also defined as any deliberate or malicious attempt to harm or destroy computer hardware or peripherals, data of another user, the Internet, the District’s network, or any other networks that are connected to the District. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
- *Weapons: Weapons include, but are not limited to, firearms, guns of any type whatsoever, including air and gas-powered guns (whether operable, inoperable, loaded or unloaded), sword, sword cane, knives (except common pocket knives, plastic knives and blunt-bladed table knives), box cutters, razors, clubs, electric weapons or devices, metallic knuckles, martial arts weapons, ammunition, destructive devices, and explosives and look-alike items that closely resemble weapons or operate similarly. The term “weapon” also means any object which, in the way it is used, is intended to be used, or is represented, is capable of inflicting serious bodily harm, as well as endangering the health and safety of persons.
- Wireless Communication Devices (WCDs): A device that emits an audible signal, vibrates, displays a message, or otherwise summons or delivers a communication to the possessor. The following devices are examples of WCDs: cellular and wireless telephones, pagers/beepers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Smartphones, WiFi-enabled or broadband access devices, two-way radios or video broadcasting devices, laptops, electronic readers “e-readers” (e.g., Kindles or similar devices) and other devices that allow a person to record and/or transmit, on either a real time or delayed basis, sound, video or still images, text, or other information. (See also Electronic Devices above)
- Work Detail: Supervised activities related to the upkeep and maintenance of school facilities or grounds, as an alternative to other disciplinary action. May only be used after parental approval.
*SESIR Incident Report required
Policies