PCSS Inclusion Policy
Porter Creek Secondary school community is committed to ensuring inclusive, high quality, culturally responsive and equitable education. All students deserve to feel that they belong; that they are accepted, safe and valued, so that they can best learn and succeed. Inclusion transcends the idea of physical location and incorporates basic values that promote empowerment, participation, friendship and belonging.
This requires:
Roles-
Leadership:
Administration at PCSS work to ensure consistency from classroom to classroom to ensure that learners are treated equitably and with accountability. Administration provides regular, specific training on protocol to all staff regarding intervention in cases of harassment and ensures compliance with provisions of Bill 304.
Staff:
Educators at PCSS work to be flexible, accommodating, adaptive, and student centered. They will differentiate based on student capacity - mental health or living situation - at any given moment. All staff have a duty to intervene if witnessing harassment - it is an expectation that staff respond to all incidents whether intended or unintended. All staff will promote the independence of every student at PCSS - empowering student voice and self-advocacy.
Students:
Students at PCSS will demonstrate accountability for their own behaviour. Students will take ownership for their own learning as respected members of the school community. They will advocate for themselves to ensure their needs are met.
This requires:
- Ensuring equitable access - No barriers that limit the ability for students to reach their full potential. Every student needs to see themselves reflected throughout PCSS and have their diverse learning needs met in ways that are responsive, respectful and supportive.
- Freedom from discrimination for all - Students and staff have the right to self-identification, which includes the use of their pronouns and chosen name. Students and staff have the right to the confidentiality of their sexual orientation, gender identity, pronouns and name. Proactive and reactive measures are established in each class to ensure students and staff are protected from bullying, discrimination, harassment and violence.
- Collective/shared responsibility - All members of the PCSS school community have a collective responsibility to support the growth and achievement of all learners. We are supportive of one another and take the time to listen, learn and understand.
- Appropriate learning environment - All necessary supports, including environmental accommodations, instructional differentiation and curriculum material manipulation can and will be delivered in the general education classroom.
- Culturally responsive & Learner centered - Educators are advocates for student learning. At PCSS we focus on and respond to the needs and strengths of all learners. The Cultural Competencies that guide our classroom norms are established through the PCSS annual orientation at the beginning of each school year. This is further aligned through ongoing Professional Development.
Roles-
Leadership:
Administration at PCSS work to ensure consistency from classroom to classroom to ensure that learners are treated equitably and with accountability. Administration provides regular, specific training on protocol to all staff regarding intervention in cases of harassment and ensures compliance with provisions of Bill 304.
Staff:
Educators at PCSS work to be flexible, accommodating, adaptive, and student centered. They will differentiate based on student capacity - mental health or living situation - at any given moment. All staff have a duty to intervene if witnessing harassment - it is an expectation that staff respond to all incidents whether intended or unintended. All staff will promote the independence of every student at PCSS - empowering student voice and self-advocacy.
Students:
Students at PCSS will demonstrate accountability for their own behaviour. Students will take ownership for their own learning as respected members of the school community. They will advocate for themselves to ensure their needs are met.