Provincial Code of Conduct
For all Nova Scotia public schools Summary
• One code for all schools in Nova Scotia
• Specifically lists acceptable and unacceptable behaviours
• Not intended to be simply punitive
• Intention of Code:
o Safety and security of students, staff, and other members of school community
o Learn from mistakes/restorative approach; develop new behaviours and strategies to reduce occurrence of unacceptable behaviours
• Creating safe and inclusive learning environments
• Focus on equity and fairness (recognize that some students are marginalized)
• Not always “black & white” or “zero tolerance” (unique circumstances must be taken into account)
• Focus on establishing relationships with students
• Individualized response to behaviour (each person and situation may be unique and demand a unique response)
• Progressive discipline (first offense vs. repeated offense)
• A range of responses available
• Change of policy: principals can now suspend for a period of up to 10 days (formerly 5 days)
The complete Nova Scotia Provincial School Code of Conduct document can be found at:
