A: Explanation of Policies and Expectations
Governor’s World Language Academy participants must be of unquestionable character and must be responsible and mature members of the high school community. They recognize that respect for others is essential for people who wish to live together in a wholesome environment. This attitude, coupled with each participant’s personal integrity, is of utmost importance for students who will share a campus, including facilities, dining halls, classes, field trips, and other Academy activities for an extended period.
Participants in the Governor’s World Language Academies are guests of the Virginia Department of Education (DOE), the local school divisions that they represent, and host universities where the Academy programs are held. Respect for the personnel and the property of the host campus is expected and rules specific to that site may be attached to this document.
I. Responsibilities
It shall be the primary responsibility of students to maintain a climate of mutual respect and trust in order that the dignity of the individual be protected and the pursuit of opportunities for each student be realized. It shall be the responsibility of the Academy directors and staff to be consistent and uniform in the application of all policies and regulations.
II. General Rules
While participating in any activities as part of the Governor’s World Language Academies, no student shall violate laws or rules and expectations of the Academies. The following list of conduct violations is not meant to be all-inclusive. The Academy director or program coordinator may invoke disciplinary measures for conduct not listed, but which, by common understanding, a student would know or reasonably should have known would be detrimental to the maintenance of good order and/or the academic process. Infractions of such rules will result in disciplinary action and may result in immediate dismissal and possible prosecution under the law.
1. All students are responsible for the care and preservation of their rooms, study areas, and other residence hall facilities. Damage to school property, including lost room keys or identification cards, will be repaired or replaced at the expense of the student causing the damage.
2. All students are expected to participate in all activities of the Academy, including meals, classes, evening programs, etc. Class attendance is required except as excused by medical personnel or the Academy director.
3. Students are not allowed to ride in personal vehicles at any time.
4. Students may not have cars, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, scooters or other vehicles on campus or in the local area during the time the Academy is in operation.
5. Use of the telephone is unauthorized at the Governor’s World Language Academies, since outside contact disrupts the intent to maintain a world language environment. Students may not use cell phones or other wireless communication devices or have them in their possession during the Academy. Parents will be given contact numbers for the Academy directors in case of emergencies.
6. Students of full-immersion Academies (French, German, and Spanish) must speak the language of the Academy at all times and in all situations, with the exception of communication with medical personnel, law enforcement officials, and other instances defined below.
During religious services while praying, singing, or chanting, but NOT to chat with members of the congregation, ect.
When reading published religious materials
In correspondence home to friends and family members (during designated times)
If parents call with a family emergency
In other extenuating circumstances as deemed necessary by the program coordinator, the DOE specialist, or the Academy director
Willful or consistent violations of this rule will result in dismissal from the Academy.
7. Students must remain within areas specified for their use on the host campus and abide by the rules set forth for these areas, such as swimming pools, sports fields, etc. This includes restricted boundaries for field trips and other activities off campus.
8. Students must abide by the curfews established by the Academy director. Absence from the campus without the director’s prior approval, absence from one’s assigned room in the residence hall after curfew, visiting under any circumstances a hall or area not assigned to the Academy, visiting rooms in a residence area assigned to the opposite sex, and harboring guests and visitors may result in immediate dismissal from the Academy.
9. Cheating, plagiarism, forgery, lying, stealing, or any other acts of dishonesty shall not be tolerated. This includes unauthorized or illegal use of computers or computer networks and violations of the host university’s computing and acceptable use policies. Access to computers will be arranged by the Academy staff for Academy-related activities only. Students may not have personal laptop computers, tablets, or any other similar device for communication in their rooms or in their possession.
10. Gambling in any form is prohibited.
11. Students shall not behave in a disorderly, reckless, disturbing or inappropriate manner or in any other manner interrupt or disrupt the operation of the Academy and its activities.
12. Discrimination, harassment, or retaliation in violation of the host university’s policies on such misconduct based on the protected categories of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status, and genetic information, is prohibited, as is other bullying or harassing conduct not based on any of the protected categories under those policies.
13. Sexual misconduct, as defined and addressed under the host university’s policies on sexual misconduct and relationship violence, is prohibited.
14. Students shall not fight or display or contribute to aggressive behavior that is disruptive or dangerous.
15. Students shall not injure, deface, or destroy the property of the Academy, the host site, or the property of others.
16. The parents of students who require prescription and/or over-the-counter medications must inform the Academy director. Prescription and over-the-counter medications must remain in the possession of the student for whom they have been prescribed, and students must be able to self-medicate. Dispensing prescription medications to others for whom they were not prescribed will result in immediate dismissal from the Academy.
III. Violations of the Virginia Code Resulting in Immediate Dismissal from the Academy and Possible Prosecution under the Law
Students who do not observe the following laws as well as others cited in the Virginia Code or the United States Code will be dismissed immediately from the Academy and will be subject to prosecution under the law.
1. Possession of Tobacco Products – VA Code Section 18.2-371.2 and related sections
No person under twenty-one years of age may lawfully purchase or possess any tobacco product including but not limited to cigarettes and cigars.
2. Possession of Alcoholic Beverages – VA Code Section 4.1-305 and related sections
No person under twenty-one years of age may lawfully purchase or possess alcoholic beverages.
3. Possession of Legally Controlled Substances (Drugs, etc.) – VA Code Sections 18.2-250 and 18.2-250.1
The possession, use, distribution, manufacture or sale of legally controlled substances is prohibited. The possession of paraphernalia in conjunction with drugs or drug residue is prohibited.
4. Possession of Firearms and Weapons – VA Code Section 18.2-308.1
Possession of a firearm, stun weapon, or other weapon on school property is prohibited. School property is interpreted to include the Academy site because it is administered by the Virginia Department of Education.
5. Tampering with a Fire Alarm – VA Code Section 18.2-212 and related sections
Any person, who without just cause, calls or summons, by telephone or otherwise, any ambulance or fire-fighting apparatus, or any person who maliciously activates a manual or automatic fire alarm in any building used for public assembly or for other public use, including, but not limited to, schools, theaters, stores, office buildings, shopping centers and malls, coliseums and arenas, regardless of whether fire apparatus responds or not, shall be deemed guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
IV. Enforcement of Rules
Academy directors, personnel, and/or the program coordinator may exercise disciplinary measures, including dismissal from the Academy, after giving the student notice of the charges against him/her, and, if he/she denies them, an explanation of the facts as known to Academy personnel and an opportunity to present his/her version of what occurred. This informal hearing will be held as soon as possible after the alleged misconduct. In the case of any student whose presence is deemed to pose a danger or threat to persons or property or whose behavior creates an ongoing disruption to the Academy, the student may be removed from the Academy immediately, and the notice, explanation of facts, and opportunity to present his/her version shall be given as soon as practicable thereafter.
If a student is dismissed from an Academy, a letter will be sent to the superintendent of the public school division or headmaster of the private school, with copies to the parents of the student, the nominating teacher, and the principal of the public high school that nominated the student for participation. Please be aware that local schools may take additional disciplinary actions, at their discretion. Students that have been dismissed should not indicate on college applications or résumés that they attended the Governor’s World Language Academies. Should a student leave an Academy at any time before the end of the program, regardless of the reason, no certificate will be awarded.