THE PERSONAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF RICHARD HARDY MEMORIAL SCHOOL STUDENTS

As a student of Richard Hardy Memorial School you have a right to a good educational environment and at the same time, you have a responsibility to do your part in providing it. If we all work together, interdependently, we make this a truly great school and you will get an excellent education. So let us look at both your rights and corresponding responsibilities. These rights and responsibilities apply to all students Pre-K-12.

• Student to Teacher/Staff Relationships
  1. Regular Faculty and Staff: You have a right to the best instruction that RHMS is capable of providing. For the teachers to be as successful as possible and for you to work and achieve to the best-of your ability, you must take the responsibility upon yourself to cooperate with the teachers. Teachers are responsible to your parents for the activity of learning that goes on in the school. You may not always understand or feel that something is right or fair and they will not always have the time to explain or discuss their decisions. However, unless you believe that you are being told to do something immoral or illegal, you are to obey that faculty and staff member of RHMS. You must obey the employees of this school district regardless of whether they are your primary instructor or not.
  2. Substitute Teachers: Our substitute teachers serve in very challenging circumstances because they will not be familiar with all the small details of a class.  Your job as a student is to assist the substitute, treating them as a guest. If they change a class policy or procedure, do not insist upon doing things the way the normal teacher would do them. Rather, help the substitute give you a great day of education by cooperating fully.
  3. Visitors: Official visitors, observers, speakers, etc. are considered to be honored guests and will be treated with courtesy and respect. “You may forget but the public never forgets that you are a RHMS Hawk!”

• Student to Student Relationships
  1. Each student has the right to expect that his classmates will respect his/her feelings, time needed for an education, and personal items brought to school. Each student needs to respect others’ rights to freedom from such things as bullying, selling drugs and sexual harassment. For example if you are courteous to others, you will receive courtesy much of the time. If you are helpful, you will receive help. If you talk about others, then you will be talked about.  The best way to create an environment of respect is to follow the old adage, “If you can’t say something nice to someone, don’t say anything at all.” Tolerance of each other differing beliefs, hobbies and appearances is essential to being treated with respect yourself.
  2. Students must also recognize that every time you take up a teacher’s time by failing to hand in your work on time, being late, acting up in class, etc., you are stealing your friends’ time and thus education. Research shows that time spent on educational tasks in school (also known as “time-on-task”) are directly related to educational achievement.

• Student to Self Relationships
  1. You are responsible for your actions and your education. All that RHMS and your parents can do is present you with this golden opportunity. If you are a wise young man or woman, you will use your time carefully and you will focus on the goal of your education. If you are wise, you will also choose your friends carefully.  A wise man once said that “bad company corrupts good morals.” Choose good company. Choose to emulate upperclassmen who are setting high level examples for you.
  2. This school does not believe that a person can be made to do something wrong or to disobey. It is a choice that you must make. We will not look at your family background and give you a pass for bad behavior. We will not look at how much money you make and say, “It’s okay; he/she is deprived.” If you want to be successful, the keys are simple: Be honest.  Be responsible. Be proactive.
  3. Therefore, all decisions will be yours, and so will the consequences. Your first responsibility, then, is to decide how you should conduct yourself while you are at school. Your second responsibility is to be prepared to accept the consequence of your actions. Our hope and our goal is to be able to say to you often and particularly at the end of your time at RHMS, “Well done!”