Code of conduct

Educational Center “Liberated School”

Revised: March 2024

Mission
The International Educational Center “Liberated School” provides every child with high-quality education in an atmosphere of mutual respect, building a reliable foundation for life and learning anywhere in the world. We create a space where children can freely express themselves, discover their interests, and forge their own developmental paths, while educators continuously enhance their professional skills. Our goal is to help children feel confident in a changing world, fostering a generation that values freedom, responsibility, and mutual understanding.

Vision and Values
We are developing a school that provides an opportunity for children and parents with diverse financial means and values aligned with ours to learn in a comfortable environment. Here, children gain the support of more adults, socialize in a learning-centered setting, and parents find a community. Our goal is for children to adapt to change, learn how to learn, and try new things in a space where making mistakes is normalized. We aim to help them shape and understand their choices. It is important for us to create a sense of a second home and immerse students in Armenia's cultural context. We follow evidence-based education principles and adhere to international standards. We are building a place where individual traits become personal strengths, learning becomes a joy, knowledge and skills arise naturally from genuine interest, and everyone feels grounded and supported. For us, education is an opportunity to become authors of our own lives and create a sustainable future in any changing circumstances

Goals
● A safe and comfortable space for children to make choices, mistakes, and achieve visible
success;
● Smooth adaptation of children to life changes;
● Transparent learning and feedback among students, school, and parents;
● Creating a positive attitude toward studying and teaching learning skills for lifelong learning;
● Developing skills in analysis, reflection, research, and selecting tools to address real-life
situations;
● Cultivating abilities necessary for learning, personal agency, making choices, and lifelong
learning;
● Building a supportive community of teachers, students, and parents.

Our Principles and Ethical Guidelines
Mutual Respect.
We treat all members of the school community with care and respect, addressing one another in a respectful manner and not allowing hostile or offensive behavior. Any verbal or written statements, photos, or videos containing insults are prohibited. Manipulation, pressure, jokes aimed at harm, humiliation, or offense, and any physical interaction without prior consent are also not allowed. We listen to and support each other because a safe environment is essential within the school.

Acceptance.
We are all different, and that is normal. We accept the differences that make every person unique. We avoid stereotypical judgments about students, teachers, or people in general and do not compare individuals to one another. We evaluate and comment not on personal traits but on progress, dynamics, and actions.

Responsibility.
We consider children full participants in the educational process. We are not afraid to make mistakes or discuss them, as it is important to show that mistakes are normal. We seek help if something doesn’t
work out. We do not punish students or staff but explain and demonstrate the consequences of behavior. Academic honesty is a crucial principle for us.

Safety
Students, parents, and school visitors are prohibited from bringing the following items to school, excursions, or other events:
● Any weapons (firearms, melee weapons, gas sprays, pepper sprays, as well as replicas of knives, guns, etc.);
● Alcohol, energy drinks;
● Any toxic, poisonous, or explosive substances. Students are prohibited from the following on school grounds, during excursions, or at other events:
● Smoking, including electronic cigarettes;
● Consuming alcohol;
● Using profanity;
● Gambling with money;
● Trading, except for fairs organized with school administration consent;
● Any sexual conduct within the school. Members of the school community must treat each other with care and respect.
Consequences:
● If a member of the school community disrespects another, they should report it to the curator or homeroom teacher.
● The school must promptly inform the parents of all participants involved in any safety violations.
● The school discusses unsafe behavior with the curator, homeroom teacher, or psychologist, depending on the situation.
● If the situation repeats more than twice, a three-party meeting (student, parent, homeroom teacher, and curator, if applicable) will be organized to determine steps for resolution.
● If new agreements fail, the school may suspend the student for one to three days for aggressive
or disrespectful behavior.
● In cases of disrespectful behavior (as outlined in the Ethical Guidelines) that manifest in aggressive forms towards any member of the educational process, “Liberated School” reserves the right to suspend the student from classes or terminate the contract unilaterally without a financial recalculation.
● If a parent or legal representative of a student demonstrates physical or psychological aggression towards any member of the educational process, the school reserves the right to terminate the contract unilaterally without a financial recalculation.

Arrival and Departure
● Adults are not allowed past the security desk unless they need to pay for the cafeteria. In such cases, parents may proceed to the cafeteria but not to classrooms or the second floor unless a staff member invites them. The staff member must notify security in advance or escort the visitor personally.
● To pick up a child, parents must inform the curator that they are waiting and then wait at the entrance.
● Children go on walks without personal belongings and cannot be picked up directly from the walk. Parents must enter the school so the child can retrieve their belongings and notify the curator.
● If a meeting with a school staff member is scheduled, the parent will be escorted by an administrator or the staff member they are meeting.
● For a student to leave the school independently after lessons, a written statement must be submitted to the school administrators.
● During the school day, students cannot leave school independently without parental and school administration permission. Parents must inform the curator or homeroom teacher in writing to request early departure.
● With a written statement for independent departure, students may leave school after lessons or with written approval from the curator, homeroom teacher, academic director, or school director.

Attendance and Tardiness
● Students must attend all classes unless ill or excused for other reasons, which parents must inform the homeroom teacher or curator about in advance.
● Students should arrive for lessons on time, at least 10 minutes before the first lesson begins.
● Parents must notify the homeroom teacher or curator in advance about tardiness or absences due to family or other reasons. Students are responsible for making arrangements with teachers and the homeroom teacher to catch up on missed material.
● In cases of systematic tardiness, the homeroom teacher must inform the administration.
● Teachers and curators must inform parents about systematic tardiness and absences via the electronic journal and personal communication.

Consequences:
● For tardiness of more than 5 minutes, teachers may require a written explanation addressed to the school director, deny class entry (students must wait for the next lesson near curators), assign additional work to make up missed material, or request mandatory consultations.
● For unjustified, repeated tardiness, the educational agreement may be terminated unilaterally. Lessons and Breaks Property
● Students, staff, and parents must treat school property and the belongings of others with care.
● Lost or found items should be handed to curators. To retrieve lost items, students or parents should contact the class curator.
● If a member of the school community damages school property or another person’s belongings through careless behavior or rule violations, they or their legal representative must participate in restoring or replacing the damaged property.

Mobile Phones
● Students may use mobile phones, tablets, and laptops during extended breaks and at designated “phone times.”
● “Phone times” are set by the curator or homeroom teacher and discussed with students during
class meetings. Parents may inform the curator of specific needs for their child’s phone use.
● At other times (during lessons and breaks), phones must be stored in bags or classroom phone
storage boxes.
● Students may use phones in lessons only at the teacher’s discretion.

Consequences:
● If a student uses a phone during a lesson without the teacher’s permission and does not respond
to warnings, the teacher may confiscate the phone until the end of the lesson.
● If a student uses a phone during outdoor activities or other situations where it poses a safety risk, the curator may confiscate it until the end of the school day or until the parents arrive.
● If a student repeatedly violates the phone rules, refuses to hand over the phone, or fails to store it in a bag/backpack, the teacher, curator, or administrator may confiscate the phone and transfer it to the administration. The phone will be returned at the end of the day or handed over to the parents. The curator or homeroom teacher will notify the parents.
● If phone rule violations persist, a three-way meeting with the student’s parents will be held to develop a strategy for handling such situations. The school reserves the right to require the student to leave the phone at the security desk for the entire school day for several days, as decided by the administration and homeroom teacher.

Leaving Lessons
● Students may leave lessons for personal reasons; the procedure and timing for leaving are determined by the teacher.
● If a student regularly or significantly misses class time, the teacher must notify the homeroom teacher.
● Students must inform the teacher or curator if they need to visit the medical office or are feeling unwell. The teacher or curator must know exactly where the student is during the lesson.
Consequences:
● If a student misses a significant portion of the lesson, the teacher may assign additional tasks.

Sports Hall
● Students may use the sports hall, ensuring it is left clean and orderly afterward.
● Students cannot use the sports hall without a supervising adult school staff member.
● Students cannot use sports equipment without supervision.
● Students must return sports equipment to its designated place after use.

Cafeteria
● Visitors to the cafeteria must clean up after themselves and not leave trash behind.
● Students eat in the cafeteria. In exceptional cases, eating in the classroom may be arranged with
the homeroom teacher’s approval.
● Food must be stored in designated refrigerators in the cafeteria, which are available for use by students and staff. Food storage in classrooms is not allowed.

Outdoor Behavior Rules
● Students may not go outside without a supervising teacher, curator, nurse, or parent.
● Students may leave the school independently only if they have a written statement from their parents or upon a confirmed request from the parents.
● Students may go out to the schoolyard under the supervision of school staff.
● Students must leave their belongings (backpacks) in the school when going out for walks or
excursions.
● Parents must inform the curator if they are picking up their child from school.

Grades: Current and Final
● Grades within the school are given on a 10-point scale.
● In grades 1–2, grades are not given; feedback is provided in the form of written comments.
● In grade 3, grading is at the teacher’s discretion.
● Trimester grades are assigned at the end of each trimester, and academic reports are published once per trimester:
○ 1st trimester: Modules 1–2
○ 2nd trimester: Modules 3–4
○ 3rd trimester: Modules 5–7
● The final grade for a subject is given at the end of the year. Teachers may assign an average annual grade or determine the final grade based on the student’s performance trend.
● Teachers must communicate their grading system at the beginning and end of the year.

Homework
● Teachers must publish homework by 3:30 PM on the same day for elementary school and by
6:00 PM on the same or following day for middle school.
● Students must complete assigned homework on time. If unclear, students should contact the
teacher via the electronic journal to ask questions.
● If a student cannot complete homework for valid reasons (family circumstances, class trips, etc.), they or their parents must notify the teacher in advance, either personally, via message, or through the school’s electronic journal.
● If homework is not completed, the teacher will record this in the electronic journal with
comments or a grade.
● During after-school care, students complete homework under the guidance of curators, who may also facilitate peer support.
● Parents may opt out of homework completion during after-school care by notifying the curators.
Consequences:
● If homework is mandatory and not completed, the teacher will mark it as “HW-” in the journal
and may assign a deadline for submission.

Non-Attestation, Missed Work, and Retakes
● Students may rewrite any work if the teacher provides such an opportunity.
● Teachers may require students to complete additional tasks before retaking work to help them understand the material or take the retake more seriously.
● For missed assignments, the teacher will record “NA” (non-attestation) in the electronic journal. If the work is not completed within two weeks (except in cases of valid school absence), the “NA” will be changed to “1.”
● Teachers may replace the original grade with the retake grade, record both grades, or calculate
an average. Teachers must inform students of these rules in advance.
● Teachers may assign individual tasks to help students improve final grades or develop skills.
Consequences:
● For non-attestation in a trimester, the student is assigned additional tasks to be completed within two weeks. Failure to do so will result in a mandatory three-way meeting between the teacher, student, and parents to resolve the issue. If non-attestation persists and agreements are not fulfilled, the school reserves the right to expel the student from external programs (such as the European Gymnasium) or prohibit participation in final assessments.
● For non-attestation in a subject for the year, the school may assign additional tests in August to allow admission to the next academic year or reserve the right not to renew the education contract for the following year.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity means respecting intellectual work and rejecting cheating and other dishonest
practices in learning.
Examples of violations include:
● Cheating on in-class work or homework;
● Copying work from the internet;
● Submitting work completed by another person or program as one’s own;
● Using unauthorized materials secretly during assignments;
● Jointly completing individual assignments;
● Forging grades, comments, or feedback.
Consequences:
● If suspected of violating academic integrity, the teacher may require the student to present their
work orally to verify its authenticity.
● For confirmed violations, the student receives a “1” without the right to retake.
● In cases of repeated violations, the school reserves the right to terminate the contract without
recalculation.

Payment and Other Issues
Payment and other terms are regulated by the agreement between the parent and the school.