Students who violate the standards of conduct and thereby jeopardize their position in the school are, in most cases, required to appear before the Discipline Committee along with their advisor. If the student’s advisor is not available, another faculty representative will be arranged.
The goal of the Discipline Committee is to lead each student toward a sense of responsibility to the school community. Counseling and guidance for each student appearing before the committee is a very important role played by the members – both students and faculty. The Discipline Committee is composed of nine students and four faculty members, plus the Dean of Student Life, who is a non-voting member. Some circumstances may call for a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Discipline Committee, consisting of only faculty members. The Upper School Director reserves the right to call such a meeting in circumstances which are extreme or sensitive in nature.
Student membership on the Discipline Committee will consist of the following: four senior representatives, three junior representatives, and two sophomore representatives. Two freshmen representatives will be added to the committee in the second semester and will be non-voting members of the committee during the remainder of the year. One additional member from each class will be added at the end of each school year by class election. Adequate representation of both day and resident students will be maintained. Students running for election must have the overall support of the faculty as determined by the Dean of Student Life. Underclassmen representatives will likely matriculate at the end of each school year pending the approval of the committee’s faculty members and the Dean of Student Life. The student president of the Discipline Committee will be elected by the members of the committee and must be a senior with at least one year of experience on the committee. The faculty members of the Discipline Committee are volunteers appointed by the Dean of Student Life.
The Student Life Office will attempt to notify parents prior to any Discipline Committee hearing. A formal letter from the Student Life Office will follow if the Discipline Committee determines that the student has, in fact, violated Darlington's standards of conduct. A vote in favor by at least two-thirds of the members present is required for such a determination. A quorum needed for any meeting of the Discipline Committee will require the presence of at least five students and three faculty members.
The Discipline Committee makes disciplinary recommendations to the Upper School Director; recommendations may include probation, final notice, or dismissal. The Upper School Director will meet with the student and parent(s) to discuss the recommendation.
A combination of members from both Discipline Committee and Honor Council will join together for cases that involve both a conduct violation and a violation of the Honor Code.
Advice to Parents: Adolescents can and will make mistakes. Students who are highly regarded may be charged with and/or found guilty of a major disciplinary violation. Here at Darlington, we urge parents to charge their children, regardless of past experiences, to uphold the standards placed on students in the Student Handbook. Support from parents of the Student Handbook and Student Life Office is essential and greatly appreciated. When a question occurs about a potential violation, a system such as ours necessitates that the Discipline Committee must intervene.
