All schools need disciplinary processes appropriate to the student population to regulate student actions

and behavior and document when disciplinary actions are taken. While many minor infractions in the
classroom can be handled instantly by a teacher and don’t require documentation, most schools prefer
to document instances where more significant disciplinary actions are needed.

By outlining rules and consequences for breaking them in a student handbook, and having students and
parents sign that they have read and understood them, the stage is set for fairer, more effective
discipline. Documenting infractions and disciplinary actions provide an account of events that can be
reviewed by teachers, students, administrators, and parents. Without processes for documenting
infractions and discipline, confusion, misunderstanding, and even legal conflicts can result.

Progressive Disciplinary Actions and Accompanying Processes

The typical K-12 school system has a “ladder” or hierarchy of support and disciplinary actions when
students break rules. Though student misbehavior should be handled on a case-by-case basis, having
consistent processes in place helps ensure that discipline meted out is done so with consistency and
fairness.

When an infraction occurs, the disciplinary process should begin with documentation of the event and
the circumstances surrounding it. Some infractions may only merit guidance interventions, while others
must involve contacting parents or escalating the disciplinary response in some other way. When this is
necessary, documenting the entire process is fairest to all parties involved.

Documenting Guidance and Disciplinary Actions

When a student engages in sufficiently inappropriate behavior, the teacher or an administrator typically
contacts the parent and then takes some other disciplinary step like having a conference one on one
with the student, sending the student to the school counselor, or referring the student to the dean or
principal’s office. Documenting these incidents makes it easier for teachers, administrators, and parents
to recognize patterns of misbehavior and be better informed should further disciplinary action become
necessary later.

Documenting Detention and Suspension

Detention is one of the most common school punishments in many countries. Detention requires a
student to be in a designated classroom at a specific time during the school day, like recess, lunch, or
after school, or to attend school on a non-school day – typically a Saturday. When students are assigned
detention on non-school days, there may be laws that parents must be given a certain amount of
advanced notice, and this step can be built into the disciplinary process. Documenting the assignment of
detention and that a student served the assigned detention period can be valuable should questions
about it.
Suspension, or mandatory leave assigned to a student, can be assigned either in the school or out of
school. Parents or guardians are always notified about the reason for and duration of the suspension,
whether it’s served in the school or away from school. Documenting the suspension process is also an
important part of disciplinary record keeping.

Electronic Processes Create a Complete Audit Trail

When disciplinary processes are documented through electronic forms and workflows, the benefits are
immediate. Not only are electronic forms faster, but they also won’t be illegible or lost, and hard copies
can be printed out at any time. Copies can be sent electronically to parents without delay, and all forms
in a disciplinary workflow process create an audit trail of what happened, what discipline was assigned,
and when the disciplinary action ended. It’s cleaner, faster, and keeps administrative staff from having to
spend time filing papers.

Well-Planned School Disciplinary Processes Protect Schools and Students

A school disciplinary process that is spelled out clearly and administered consistently is better for all
parties involved. Schools can document that their disciplinary choices were appropriate to the situation,
parents can follow the process from end to end, and students know that their completion of a
disciplinary assignment will be noted and part of the record.

You don’t have to hire a programmer to create these electronic workflows. School systems can use
software like ProcessMaker, which is open-source software for creating electronic forms and workflows,
without the assistance of a programmer or other IT professionals. It’s the smart way to create
customized forms and workflows that conform exactly to your school’s policies and procedures, and
ensure that disciplinary processes are efficient and well-documented.