Policies of Conduct & Standards

The Bank Street College Code of Conduct and Due Process Procedure provide guidance and recourse to preserve a sense of safety and security within our academic climate. They outline the acts that violate the balance of harmony, respect, and safety within an academic environment and the restorative procedures that bring the community back into balance.  In order to maintain good academic standing, students are expected to observe the College’s Code of Conduct and demonstrate the academic and personal dispositions necessary for work with children, adults, families, and communities.

At Bank Street, we deem this work to begin in our graduate school classrooms and to be grounded in sound judgment based in values of social justice and equity, with an explicit commitment to anti-biased and anti-racist educational practice. Enactment of these values and practice is central to our approach to progressive education and fosters the harmony of our academic climate. Violation of this code is not tolerated and can be grounds for dismissal from our academic programs.

The following acts are deemed violations of the Graduate School Code of Conduct:

• Language indicative of disregard of individuals based on their racial, ethnic, and cultural background, class, gender, sexuality, religious/spiritual background, and/or ability status (this includes intentional failure to use preferred gender pronouns);
• Acts that recklessly or intentionally endanger the mental or physical health of any member of the Bank Street College learning community;
• Acts that are harmful to others, including intentional obstruction of others’ rights, sexual assault, abuse, discrimination, and harassment (for more information on sexual misconduct, see the Enough is Enough page);
• Willful destruction of College property;
• Willful destruction of the property belonging to any member of the Bank Street College learning community;
• Appropriation of College property;
• Appropriation of property belonging to any member of the Bank Street College learning community;
• Disturbance of the peace for any member of the Bank Street College learning community;
• Violations involving illegal possession, use, or sale of alcohol or drugs;
• Inappropriate or punitive actions toward children or adults, including verbal, nonverbal, or physical abuse, relational aggression, and other ostracizing behaviors; and/or
• Any act not specified above that threatens the sense of health, safety, and/or belonging of any member of the Bank Street College learning community.

Extension of the Code to Online Learning Contexts:

Bank Street College offers a number of online, blended learning, and web-enhanced educational, training, and workshop experiences. The code of conduct above applies to all online learning contexts; in addition, there are specific behaviors we expect our students to adhere to online:

• Use common sense, good manners, and respect. Be courteous, considerate, and tolerant. Always remember that there is a human being on the other side of the screen with individual ideas and feelings;
• Respect intellectual property: abide and respect intellectual property laws and always give credit to sources that may increase participants’ reference database; and/or
• Maintain confidentiality and privacy within the online space.  This includes not sharing course materials and communications outside of the learning community without explicit permission and carefully protecting the privacy of the children, adults, and settings.

In the Graduate School, instances may arise in which one or more faculty members judge that a student lacks the academic and/or personal dispositions necessary for continuing coursework or completion of studies leading to a degree or program of study in the Graduate School or for continuing coursework on a non-matriculated basis. The College reserves the right to dismiss the student or suspend the student’s enrollment in supervised fieldwork/advisement and/or coursework for dispositional issues (including any violation of the Code of Conduct), as well as concerns related to academic performance.

Plagiarism, verbal or physical abuse, excessive absences, inappropriate classroom or fieldwork setting behavior, violations of the Code of Conduct, or other concerns regarding a student’s professional conduct that occur in any academic or professional setting, including online course environments and campus common areas (e.g., restrooms, corridors, elevators, lounges, etc.) is prohibited. All students should have the reasonable right to expect a climate of safety and security at Bank Street, where we all abide by the Graduate School’s Code of Conduct and Professional and Academic Standards.

• Violations of the Code of Conduct may result in suspension, dismissal, or other appropriate disciplinary action, in addition to any penalty pursuant to the penal law.
• Violations for illegal drug or alcohol use may result in a student being charged with a drug violation. Such students may also risk the loss of their financial aid and may be required to complete a course of substance abuse treatment as a part of their remediation.
• Violations that disrupt the personal space and/or sexual safety of any member of the Bank Street College learning community are subject to the Education Law Article 129B: Enough is Enough. Students may be required to complete a course of mental health treatment as a part of their remediation. For more information see the Enough is Enough page.

If any member of the College community observes or experiences any of these violations occurring in any face-to-face, online, blended, and/or other settings or satellite spaces, including all common areas (e.g., restrooms, lounges, elevators, lobby, areas, etc.), the individual is expected to report them in writing to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The statement should:

• Specify allegations and the person(s) involved; and
• Provide a brief description of the circumstances.

The Dean of the Graduate School will respond with the formation of an Individual Review Committee (a description of which can be found below), which will be convened within thirty days upon receipt of the written complaint.

If the student is dismissed, the student has the right to request that the Dean of the Graduate School convene an Individual Review Committee (IRC) to review the case. This appeal must be made in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School within fifteen business days of the date of the dismissal letter. The IRC reviews the circumstances and allegations and makes a recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School makes the final decision concerning student dismissal, reinstatement, or possible disciplinary action.

Individual Review Committee:

When an Individual Review Committee (IRC) is convened, it is generally composed of three faculty members. The Dean facilitates the appointment of the IRC, selects a date for a review of the case, and informs the individual whose conduct is the subject of the IRC that the individual will hear from the Committee. An IRC will be convened within thirty days after a written report alleging a violation of the Code of Conduct or Professional Standards or within 30 days after a request from a student to convene an IRC.

It is the task of the IRC to read the report, meet with the individual(s) who wrote it, and meet with the person alleged to have violated the Code of Conduct or Professional Standards. The person accused may bring another person to observe the proceedings of the IRC meeting. The IRC then decides whether the Code of Conduct or Professional Standards have been violated. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the IRC meets with the Dean to report its findings; the Dean then makes and implements the final decision about the violation and any disciplinary action. The Dean will notify the affected individual within five working days from the date of the meeting.

Student Self-Advocacy:

The College fully supports students’ rights and responsibilities to serve as advocates for themselves. Given their aspiration to serve in the role of educational leaders and practitioners in varied settings, our students are expected to develop and practice advocacy skills that will be an asset to the children and adults for whom they are or will one day be responsible. Grounded in democratic and social justice values, we are resolved that our students know that these ideals are also inclusive of times when they feel they are being unfairly treated or that their perspective has not been wholly understood by the Graduate School administration. Students are invited to respectfully share their perspectives or disagreements using Due Process Procedures but ultimately must abide by the Dean’s final determination of their cases.

In accordance with the federal legislation known as the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989, Bank Street College of Education established the following policy:

Bank Street College prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of illegal drugs and/or alcohol by employees and students on School property or while conducting College business. This policy includes School activities taking place on or off Bank Street property, including driving to and from College-related activities. Alcoholic beverages may be served at Bank Street College events/activities on or off School premises but are not to be served to anyone under twenty-one (21) years of age. A security guard is on duty during all campus events.

Violation of this policy follows the Due Process Procedure outlined above.

Student Assistance:

Below are some of the counseling and rehabilitation programs available in this area. For further information or other drug counseling, rehabilitation, and related programs, see the Director of Human Resources.

Inter-Group Association of Alcoholics Anonymous of New York
307 Seventh Avenue, Room 201
New York, NY 10001
212-647-1680 (meeting information)
www.nyintergroup.org

Alcohol Treatment and Referral Network
800-ALCOHOL (24-hour hotline)
www.800alcohol.com

Daytop Village-Manhattan Adult Outpatient Medical Services
500 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
212-904-1500
www.daytop.org

National Drug Information Treatment and Referral Hotline
800-662-4357 (24-hour hotline)

Stuyvesant Square Chemical Dependency
Services at Beth Israel Medical Center
212-420-4545
www.wehealny.org/services/bi_stuysq

The Addiction Institute of New York
1000 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
212-523-6491
www.addictioninstituteny.org

Plagiarism

Students at Bank Street are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity and will be credited only for work they have authored and/or they have appropriately assigned authorship to and provided referencing information as needed. Students should be aware of the definition of plagiarism and that all violations will be taken seriously and may result in dismissal.

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas, words, or theories as one’s own in an academic submission and failing to appropriately cite the original author. All scholarship must rest on honest academic effort:

• All work submitted must be original;
• Any reference to another person’s work (including ideas, theories, or concepts) must be cited explicitly and using the formatting guidelines of the most recent version of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual; and
• Work presented as actual experience cannot be invented or fabricated.

APA Citation Guidelines

• All sources cited within the text of a paper must be included in the reference list at the end. Conversely, only sources cited in the paper should be included in the reference list.
• When a direct quotation is cited within the body of a paper, quotation marks must be used and the author’s name, year of publication, and page number must be included.
• When paraphrasing another’s work, one must cite the original source, giving credit to the original author. When paraphrasing, page numbers are not necessary but the author’s name and year of publication are required.
• Electronic resources must be cited as well. Materials found on the internet are subject to copyright laws. See The Writer’s Handbook (Bank Street Library Research Tools) for examples of citations of electronic resources.
• Citation and formatting guidance for the APA Publication Guidelines are available at APA Style.

As academic honesty is a central institutional value to Bank Street College of Education, any direct or indirect infringement of this value by means of plagiarism is taken seriously. In an instance where an instructor suspects that the work submitted by a student is entirely or partially plagiarized, the following steps will be followed:

• Step 1: The instructor will report the suspected academic violation, with appropriate evidence, to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
• Step 2: The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will confer with the instructor to review the evidence and make a determination as to whether the incident warrants further investigation.
• Step 3: If the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs determines that further action is warranted, she will meet with the student as well as the instructor and the advisor and/or Program Director and the Chair to discuss the allegation and provide the student with an opportunity to describe the process of research and writing of the material in question.
• Step 4: Following a review of the evidence and deliberation described in Step 3, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will make one of the following determinations:
  • Option 1: The student may be required to redo the paper or complete an additional assignment. Should this process extend beyond the final session of the course, the student may request a grade of Incomplete. In this case, all policies and procedures related to a course determination of Incomplete shall apply. Students may appeal this decision to the Committee on Academic Standing.
  • Option 2: The student may be given a grade of No Pass (NP). In this case, all policies and procedures related to a course grade of NP shall apply. Students may appeal this decision to the Committee on Academic Standing.
  • Option 3: The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs may determine that the student’s behavior has violated the Code of Conduct and/or Professional Standards of the College and that the student should be dismissed from the student’s academic program. The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will provide notification of this decision in writing to the student and the Registrar of the College. The student may appeal this decision by requesting that the Dean of the Graduate School convene an Individual Review Committee following procedures described in the Due Process Procedure above.

The Academic Standing Committee is Chaired by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and consists of standing members (the Registrar and Senior Director of Student Learning Support), and three faculty representatives. Appeals should be sent to the Academic Standing Committee at asc@bankstreet.edu.  You may also complete the Request to the Academic Standing Committee Form found on this webpage, just two bullets below this section (Academic Standards & Grievance Procedures > Request to the Academic Standing Committee Form).

Faculty members in the Graduate School work very closely and effectively with their students. Occasionally, differences occur between graduate students and their advisors or course instructors about, for example, course grades or evaluation of supervised fieldwork/advisement. Students are encouraged to resolve such problems directly with the individual advisor or instructor.

If the difficulty cannot be resolved in this way, the following formal grievance procedure should be followed:

• The student discusses the problem with the Program Director or Department Chair (if discussed with the Program Director, the Program Director informs the Chair).
• The Program Director or Chair discusses the issue with the faculty member involved (and with the student’s advisor, if appropriate). The Program Director or Chair prepares documentation and notifies the student in writing of the recommendation.
•  If the student deems the problem still unresolved, the student may write a report and submit it to the Academic Standing Committee at asc@bankstreet.edu, along with any pertinent information—there is a form students may use in the below section. This report must be submitted by June 1 of the following year for a fall semester course or by January 1 of the following year for a spring or summer term course.
• The Committee on Academic Standing reviews the report and the issue with the student (and an outside person if desired) and, either together or separately, with the faculty member.
• The Committee on Academic Standing makes a decision and shares it with the student, the faculty member, the Program Director, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The decision of the Committee on Academic Standing is final.
• Once a degree is awarded and posted to a student’s record, the student’s academic transcript cannot be amended or changed, with one exception: After the degree is posted, should a student wish to appeal a grade earned in the final semester, the student will have 30 days from the degree grant date to file an appeal with the Committee on Academic Standing.

Difficulties with program structures, schedules, or other issues should first be discussed informally with the student’s advisor or Program Director. If such difficulties are unresolved, they should then be communicated in writing to the student’s Program Director, with copies to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Written responses documenting the complaint and its resolution will be shared with the student within 30 days and records will be maintained by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will also create an annual summary of these formal complaints and the responses to them. We suggest you complete the Request to the Academic Standing Committee Form found on this webpage in the bullets above this section (Academic Standards & Grievance Procedures > Request to the Academic Standing Committee Form).