Student Relations

• Students receive and sign for the DeKalb County School District Code of Student Conduct which contains the discipline rules and regulations of the DeKalb County School District.

• Students are taught the contents of the Code of Student Conduct.

• Special education and English language learners are assisted in understanding the contents of the Code of Student Conduct by appropriate staff.

• Students who enroll in school during the school year receive, sign for, and are taught the contents of the Code of Student Conduct, based on a process developed by their school.

• Students are administered tests on the contents of the DeKalb County School District Code of Student Conduct. Students who score less than 100% on the test must take a retest after additional instruction is provided. Tests are age appropriate and are prepared for grades K–3rd, 4th–5th, and 6th–12th.

• Students receive the keeping weapons out of your school information to notify students of policies and laws and to encourage students to take an active role in making and keeping their school safe and free of weapons.

• As required by the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) section 16-11-127.1, posters that contain the state law prohibiting weapons on school property have been placed in every school and center in public view.

• Posters that contain the federal and state laws prohibiting the possession and distribution of drugs on school property and within 1,000 feet of school property have been placed in every school and center in public view.

• Safe School Zone posters have been placed in every school and center in public view.

• Bullying posters have been placed in schools to inform students that bullying is strictly prohibited by state law and DeKalb County Schools.

• Posters have been placed at the entrances of middle and high school locker rooms prohibiting taking/using any type of video recording devices in locker rooms.

• 1-877-SAY-STOP posters have been placed in all schools to inform students and the public that incidents of bullying, violence, and other related concerns may be anonymously reported to that toll-free number.

• Posters informing students of the Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TAADRA) have been placed in every middle and high school. Students must regularly attend school or not commit specific offenses in order to maintain the privilege to operate a motor vehicle.

Bullying, harassment, and hazing are detrimental to the well-being of students and greatly hinder them from reaching their true academic potential. The DeKalb County School District’s” BULLYING STOPS HERE!” Awareness Campaign endeavors to stop student bullying, harassment, discrimination, and hazing in schools. This comprehensive approach to addressing these issues seeks to educate, not only students, but the entire community of stakeholders.

Students and local school personnel are asked to sign a Bullying Awareness Pledge. Students pledge that they will refrain from participating and/or supporting bullying, harassment, or hazing. In addition, local school personnel pledge to immediately address bullying, harassment, and intimidation, assist in its prevention and to model appropriate behavior for their students. During this ongoing campaign, schools focus on promoting awareness to staff, students, parents, and the community on topics related to bullying, harassment, and hazing. These topics include cyberbullying and cyberethics, bystander response, reporting incidents, kindness, friendship, bias, and respect.

For more information and resources, visit our   Bullying/Harassment/Hazing page.

Hearing

District due process hearings are conducted by a Hearing Officer who hears evidence concerning charges of student misconduct, which, if proven, may require punishment greater than a ten school-day suspension. The Hearing Officers are appointed by the Superintendent and have no prior knowledge of the charges. If a hearing is to be held, the student and parent or guardian will be provided verbal and written notice of the date/time of the hearing, charges and a list of possible witnesses.

District due process hearings are confidential and not open to the public. The student and his/her parent or guardian and their witnesses may attend the hearing, but other relatives or friends of the student will not be allowed to attend. The proceedings are recorded electronically. The School District may summon witnesses to testify on its behalf at the hearing. The student and parent or guardian may also bring witnesses to the hearing. If the student or parent/guardian wants School District personnel or other students to testify at the hearing, they should contact school administration, which will arrange the issuance of summonses for these persons. Witnesses testifying in a District due process hearing will not be allowed to have an attorney present at the hearing unless that witness is or may be charged in the incident.

Waiver

A parent/guardian and student may choose to waive their District due process hearing and accept the appropriate consequences for the incident by completing and signing a District Due Process Hearing Waiver. By submitting this waiver, the parent/guardian and student agree to the decision and waive any future challenges and appeals relative to that incident.

In August 2015, DeKalb County School District began implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety and support improved academic outcomes. More than 40 DeKalb County Schools, 1,400 Georgia Schools and 27,000 schools nationwide are implementing PBIS and saving countless instructional hours otherwise lost to discipline. The premise of PBIS is that continual teaching, combined with acknowledgement or feedback of positive student behavior will reduce unnecessary discipline and promote a climate of greater productivity, safety and learning. PBIS schools apply a multi-tiered approach to prevention, using disciplinary data and principles of behavior analysis to develop school-wide, targeted and individualized interventions and supports to improve school climate for all students. (OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports, 2009)

List of PBIS schools for the 2024-2025 School Year

• Allgood Elementary School

• Ashford Park Elementary School

• Avondale Elementary School

• Briar Vista Elementary School

• Bob Mathis Elementary School

• Browns Mill Elementary School

• Cedar Grove Elementary School

• Cedar Grove Middle School

• Chamblee Middle School

• Chapel Hill Elementary School

• Chapel Hill Middle School

• Columbia Middle School

• DeKalb Alternative School

• Dresden Elementary School

• Druid Hills Middle School

• Dunaire Elementary School

• Eldridge Miller Elementary School

• Evansdale Elementary School

• Fairington Elementary School

• Flat Shoals Elementary School

• Freedom Middle School

• Henderson Middle School

• Henderson Mill Elementary School

• Huntley Hills Elementary School

• Martin Luther King, Jr. High School

• McNair Discovery Learning Academy

• McNair Middle School

• Miller Grove High School

• Miller Grove Middle School

• Murphey Candler Elementary School

• Montclair Elementary School

• Montgomery Elementary School

• Oak View Elementary School

• Panola Way Elementary School

• Peachcrest Elementary School

• Princeton Elementary School

• Salem Middle School

• Sequoyah Middle School

• Stone Mill Elementary School

• Stone Mountain Elementary School

• Stone Mountain Middle School

• Stoneview Elementary School

• Toney Elementary School

• Towers High School

• Tucker Middle School

• Tucker High School

• Woodridge Elementary School

• Woodward Elementary School

The Department of Student Relations conducts hundreds of conferences each year with parents and students. Schools refer parents and students to the Department of Student Relations if they are enrolling/re-enrolling from incarceration, suspension, expulsion, or after having been away from school for an extended period of time.

The Department of Student Relations assists parents in identifying appropriate resources for family and children needs.

The Department of Student Relations maintains a working relationship with several government and community agencies and resources, including:

• DeKalb County Juvenile Court

• DeKalb County Board of Health

• DeKalb County Department of Public Safety

• Georgia Emergency Management Agency

• Homeland Security

• DeKalb County Department of Health

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office

• DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services

• DeKalb County PTA Council and others

• DeKalb County Solicitor-General’s Office

• DeKalb County Magistrate Court

• 678.676.1811

• 678.676.1917 (Fax)