School Discipline Rules of Procedure Based on the 2000 DECS Service Manual

This is a sample set of School Discipline Rules of Procedure that a school can adapt for its own campus. It is based on Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual. It sets up a School Discipline Committee, explains how cases are referred, lists grave and minor offenses, and sets out the sanctions for each. School heads, guidance counselors, discipline officers, class advisers, and parents can use it to understand how discipline cases are handled step by step.

On this page 14 sections

Why schools need discipline rules

The school is first a place for learning. It gathers the information and skills a child needs to join the adult world. It aims to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and vocational efficiency, and to teach the duties of citizenship. As a zone of peace (DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2005), the school provides a special environment for the physical, mental, emotional, and moral growth of the young.

Article 349 of the New Civil Code provides that teachers exercise substitute parental authority over their students. With this authority, teachers are also answerable for damage or injury that their students cause to other people while the students are under their supervision and control.

Under the 2000 DECS Service Manual, every school must keep discipline inside the campus and on school premises when students take part in activities the school has authorized. Paragraph 2, Section 6.2, Rule VI of the Rules and Regulations of RA 9155 (DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003) gives the school head the authority, accountability, and responsibility for creating an environment that supports teaching and learning. For this reason, school officials and teachers have the right to impose appropriate and reasonable disciplinary measures for minor offenses or infractions of good discipline.

The Preamble of the Code of Ethics of Professional Teachers also reminds teachers that they are licensed professionals who are expected to hold high moral values and professional competence, and to follow its ethical and moral principles.

Section 1. Creation of the School Discipline Committee

A committee handles grave or major offenses as defined in the 2000 DECS Service Manual. It has a chair, a co-chair, and a member. For each curriculum year level, the school principal designates:

• a School Discipline Officer
• a Curriculum Chairman
• a Class Adviser

Section 2. Duties of the School Discipline Committee

2.1 School Discipline Officer (Chair)

• Serves as prefect of discipline within the curriculum year level.
• Investigates offenses punishable by suspension or expulsion, depending on how serious the offense is (Paragraph 1.1.2, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual).
• Keeps records secure and confidential.
• Serves as mediator between the offender and the aggrieved party.

2.2 Curriculum Chairman (Co-chair)

• Serves as co-prefect of discipline within the year level when the School Discipline Officer is absent, and investigates offenses punishable by suspension or expulsion.
• Keeps records secure and confidential.
• Serves as mediator between the offender and the aggrieved party.

2.3 Class Adviser (Member)

• Serves as liaison between the school and the parents or guardians.
• Writes letters inviting parents or guardians to a conference (Appendix A).
• Prepares the anecdotal report (Appendix F) and keeps it confidential.

Section 3. Referral

Cases beyond the control and expertise of the committee are referred to the offices below. A referral form (Appendix C) is sent with the anecdotal report (Appendix F) and other supporting documents.

3.1 Office of the Principal

• The case needs administrative action.
• The case needs to be referred to another government agency or a private institution.

3.2 Office of Guidance and Counseling

• The student shows deviant or maladjusted behavior.
• The student keeps breaking school rules even after signing a behavior contract (Appendix D).
• The student needs professional help.

Section 4. Jurisdiction

• Class advisers handle all minor offenses or infractions of good discipline first.
• For a grave offense, the class adviser refers the case to the School Discipline Committee. The committee calls the parents or guardians to a short conference (Appendix A) and prepares the anecdotal report (Appendix F).
• When the students involved come from different year levels, the case goes to the School Discipline Officer of the primary offender’s year level.
• The School Grievances and Complaints Committee (SGCC) handles all sensitive cases and cases between students and teaching or non-teaching staff.

Section 5. Attendance and punctuality

These guidelines follow Paragraph 1.2, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual.

• Regular attendance and punctuality are required in all classes. A student who was absent or cut classes must bring a letter of explanation from a parent or guardian, or bring the parent or guardian to school for a short conference with the section adviser or guidance counselor.
• Students may attend special holidays and activities related to their religion, provided the school head gives permission.
• A student whose absences are more than 20 percent of the required class or laboratory periods in the school year or term should get a failing grade and no credit for the subject. The school head may, case by case, exempt a student whose reasons are valid and acceptable to the school. The student must still keep up with lessons and take examinations. Only the school head holds this authority; a teacher cannot grant it without the school head’s consent.
• Habitual tardiness, especially for the first morning and afternoon periods, is not allowed. Teachers call the parents (Appendix A) or visit the student at home (Appendix B).

Section 6. School uniform

These guidelines follow Paragraph 1.3, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual.

• A school uniform is prescribed for all students as per agreement. Shoes are part of the uniform.
• Boys: white polo with school logo, straight-cut black pants, black leather or rubber shoes, and white socks.
• Girls: white blouse with sports collar and school logo, navy or dark blue pleated skirt five inches below the knee, and black closed leather shoes.
• All students must wear the official school ID on campus.
• Boys’ haircut must be at least 1 inch above the ear and 3 inches above the collar line.

Section 7. Categories of offenses

7.1 Grave offenses

These are punishable by suspension or expulsion, depending on how serious they are (Paragraph 1.1.2, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual):

• Gross misconduct
• Cheating and stealing
• Assaulting a teacher, any other school authority or their agents, or students
• Smoking inside the school premises
• Vandalism, such as writing on or destroying chairs, tables, windows, books, laboratory equipment, and other school property
• Gambling of any sort
• Drinking intoxicants and liquor
• Carrying and concealing deadly weapons
• Extortion or asking money from others
• Fighting that causes injury to others
• Using, possessing, and selling prohibited drugs
• Hazing in any form, inside or outside the school premises
• Immorality or sexual harassment
• Instigating, leading, or joining concerted activities that stop classes
• Preventing or threatening students, faculty, or school authorities from doing their duties, attending classes, or entering the school
• Forging or tampering with school records or transfer forms

7.2 Minor offenses

These are minor offenses or infractions of good discipline:

• Absenteeism, cutting classes, and tardiness
• Not wearing the prescribed uniform
• Wearing caps and the like inside the school building, especially in the classroom
• Earrings for boys, more than one pair of earrings for girls, outlandish hairstyles, painted tattoos, too many accessories, and body piercing
• Going to suspected prostitution dens, gambling places, and pornographic places
• Using profane language to insult another person
• Littering (plastic cups, bottles, candy wrappers, or any waste) on campus, especially in classrooms and corridors
• Loitering inside or outside the school during class hours
• Bringing, using, and selling pornographic materials
• Using gadgets such as cellular phones, iPads, and PSPs during class hours
• Public display of affection, such as holding hands, hugging, kissing, necking, petting, and fondling
• Unruly behavior during assemblies, religious services, and similar events
• Going to restricted places
• Selling stolen goods in school
• Not displaying the school ID prominently, or putting stickers and other objects on it
• Sitting on tables, standing on benches, or sitting with feet up and legs wide apart
• Writing or drawing on a classmate’s books and notebooks
• Borrowing without returning
• Spending entrusted funds for personal use
• Refusing to obey a student leader who is doing his or her duty or representing an authority
• Irresponsible pranks, such as pulling a chair away as someone sits, hiding another’s property, or blocking someone’s path
• Jumping over the fence
• Disrespect for the national flag and the singing of the national anthem
• Spitting anywhere
• Chewing bubble gum during class hours, or sticking gum on chairs, walls, and other surfaces
• Putting on make-up and face powder during class hours
• Urinating in inappropriate places
• Voyeurism
• Not giving school letters to parents
• Bullying, including physical, emotional, mental, and cyber-bullying

Section 8. Penal provisions

The school head has the authority, accountability, and responsibility for creating an environment conducive to teaching and learning, and is the person in authority within the school. The principal therefore decides on and carries out the sanctions under the school rules. In doing so, the principal considers the reports and recommendations of the guidance counselor, School Discipline Officer, Curriculum Chairman, and class advisers as the basis for a fair and just decision.

Sanctions

• Oral warning and written reprimand. The student is reminded of the misbehavior and signs a behavior contract (Appendix D) with a parent or guardian. The case is recorded in the confidential log book.
• Probation. The student undergoes therapy, either school therapy or home therapy. In school therapy, the student does school tasks that build responsibility, moral character, and personal discipline, supervised by the guidance counselor, School Discipline Officer, and class adviser. Home therapy is for a student who needs parental guidance; the student does tasks that build intrapersonal skills, supervised by the same officers together with the parents or guardians.
• Suspension. The student may be suspended for a fixed period. This is recorded in the student’s anecdotal record (Appendix G).
• Expulsion. The student is barred from enrolling, and the right to free public education ends.

Referral and sanction by number of offense

Category	First offense	Second offense	Third offense	Fourth offense
Minor offense: referred to	Class adviser	School Discipline Officer	Guidance counselor	Principal
Minor offense: sanction	Oral reprimand	Oral and written reprimand	Probation	Suspension
Grave offense: referred to	School Discipline Officer	Guidance counselor	Principal	School Grievances and Complaints Committee
Grave offense: sanction	Oral and written reprimand	Probation	Suspension	Expulsion

Note: For first and other offenses that are not very serious, the principal may authorize a suspension of up to three days without the approval of the Division Superintendent. Parents must be informed by the teacher or principal of any misconduct that calls for disciplinary action (Paragraph 1.1.2, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual).

Section 9. Miscellaneous provisions

Forbidden punishments

Teachers are forbidden to use corporal punishment (slapping, jerking, or pushing a student), to impose manual work or degrading tasks as a penalty, to give cruel or unusual punishment of any kind, to expose a student to unnecessary ridicule, to use names or expressions that destroy a student’s self-respect, and to permanently confiscate a student’s personal property (Paragraph 1.1.2, Section 1, Chapter III, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual).

Tobacco

Under Section 10 of RA 9211, the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, selling or distributing tobacco products within 100 meters of the perimeter of a school, public playground, or other facility frequented by minors is prohibited.

Fraternities and sororities

Organizing fraternities and sororities is strictly prohibited. The penalty is expulsion (Paragraph 4.3.3, Section 4, Part III of the 2000 DECS Service Manual; DECS Order No. 20, s. 1991; DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2006).

Cell phones

Under DepEd Order No. 83, s. 2003:

• Students may not use cell phones during class hours.
• Students are taught the responsible use of cell phones to keep them from misguided and immoral activities.

Dangerous drugs

Article IV, Section 44 of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, makes school heads, supervisors, and teachers persons in authority for enforcing Article II of the Act. They may apprehend or arrest, or cause the apprehension or arrest of, anyone who violates those provisions.

School security

School security monitors violators of school rules and reports any untoward incident or irregularity to the proper authority, following protocol.

Losing free public secondary education

Section 6 of RA 6655, the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988, states that a student’s right to free public high school ends if the student fails the majority of academic subjects for two consecutive school years, unless the failure is due to a valid cause (Paragraph 1.1.2, Section 1, Chapter I, Part IV of the 2000 DECS Service Manual). A valid cause means reasons beyond the student’s control, such as illness, family instability, or environmental disturbances (DECS Order No. 44, s. 1988).

Sexual harassment

Under Paragraph b, Section 3 of RA 7877, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, anyone who directs or induces another to commit sexual harassment, or who cooperates in it in a way without which it would not have happened, is also liable.

Orientation

Enrollees attend an orientation and sign an agreement during enrollment (Appendix E).

Section 10. Separability clause

These rules may be revised as the need arises, and amendments are circulated to everyone concerned. Earlier rules that conflict with them are rescinded. They take effect starting school year 2009-2010 and the years after.

Other related laws and policies

Republic Act No. 9344, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006

• Section 13, The Educational System. Schools work with families, community organizations, and agencies to prevent juvenile delinquency and to rehabilitate and reintegrate children in conflict with the law. Schools must provide adequate, necessary, and individualized educational schemes for children with difficult behavior and children in conflict with the law. Children held in custody or in rehabilitation centers should be able to keep learning through an alternative learning system, a basic literacy program, or the non-formal education accreditation and equivalency system.
• Section 60, Prohibition Against Labeling and Shaming. From the first contact with the child, authorities must not brand or label children as young criminals, juvenile delinquents, prostitutes, or any other derogatory name. No discriminatory remarks or practices are allowed, especially about the child’s class or ethnic origin.

DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012 (DepEd Child Protection Policy)

• Section 3, paragraph P, Positive and Non-Violent Discipline of Children. This is a holistic, constructive, and proactive approach to teaching that helps children develop appropriate thinking and behavior and fosters self-discipline. It rests on the principle that children are full human beings with basic human rights. It starts with the long-term goals teachers want for their students’ adult lives and uses everyday situations as chances to teach lifelong skills and values.
• Section 15, Prohibited Acts. These acts are prohibited and penalized in administrative proceedings as grave or simple misconduct, depending on their gravity and consequences:
  • Child abuse
  • Discrimination against children
  • Child exploitation
  • Violence against children in schools
  • Corporal punishment
  • Any analogous or similar acts

How to use these rules

• School heads and committees: Adapt the sections to your school, especially the uniform rules and the list of offenses, and prepare the appendices the rules refer to (letters to parents, home visit form, referral form, behavior contract, enrollment agreement, and anecdotal records).
• Teachers and class advisers: Handle minor offenses first, inform parents, and keep anecdotal reports confidential. Refer grave offenses to the School Discipline Committee.
• Parents and learners: Read the lists of offenses and the sanctions table so you know what to expect at each step, and attend the enrollment orientation.

Frequently asked questions