Policies and Procedures: Student Disciplinary Action and Expulsion:
DCE endeavours to resolve any conflict or issue that arises in a timely manner on a case-by-case basis. However, in certain cases, the school disciplinary procedure may come into effect. DCE maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding aggressive behaviour, and we require that all school rules, as outlined in the student handbook, are respected. In the event that the school rules or attendance regulations are broken, disciplinary action will formally proceed according to the following steps:
A verbal warning will be issued to the student by the Director of Studies. This warning will be noted in the student’s file, and a letter of confirmation will be issued to the student. A case of attendance falling below 85% will result in such a verbal warning.
A second, written warning will be issued to the student. A case of attendance failing to improve or falling a second time will result in such a written warning.
A final written warning will be issued to the student. A case of attendance failing to improve or falling a third time will result in such a written warning.
The student will be expelled from the school. In case of expulsion, no refund of course or registration fees can be made.
Note – in extreme circumstances, where a student’s behaviour poses a threat to themselves, other students or members of staff, they may be suspended from school with immediate effect, subject to an investigation, and expelled without the aforementioned steps being completed. This also applies to cases of attendance fraud.
Damage: Students are liable for any damage caused by them, and payment for such damage must be made immediately.
Discipline: All students will be informed of DCE’s code of conduct and behaviour at the commencement of all courses. Violation of DCE’s rules of conduct will result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate expulsion for serious offences. If a student is expelled from DCE, there will be no refund or credit under any circumstances.
Bullying and Harassment: DCE will not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment, either in person or online, against either fellow students or DCE staff. Bullying or harassment will result in disciplinary action and may result in expulsion.
Disputes: Any disputes relating to services provided by DCE must be brought to the attention of the DCE management while the complainant is in Ireland. DCE will not entertain complaints about services provided where these complaints were not reported to DCE at the time. Where necessary, any legal disputes will be heard in the courts of the Republic of Ireland. Incidents must be reported at the time they happen. Disputes must not be taken onto social media before or during investigation by the college. You must contact us with any complaints before leaving feedback, so that we may act on your complaint – Spurious or false feedback will be investigated and may lead to disciplinary action.
Attendance Records Policy
For each class, we present an attendance register, which students are required to sign both before and after the break. These are filed at Reception, and are used to calculate students’ attendance on a weekly basis.
Any student arriving more than 15 minutes late for class is not permitted to sign for the first half of class. Students leaving class early will have their attendance for the second half removed. In cases of emergency, students may apply to the Director of Studies for permission to leave up to 15 minutes early and still retain their attendance. This will be granted on a case-by-case basis at the Director of Studies’ discretion. Please note that work is not considered an emergency and cannot be given as a reason to leave early.
The attendance register is a legal document. Students are not permitted to tamper with the attendance register in any way, to attempt to sign for a class they have not attended or have lost attendance for, or to sign on behalf of another student. Anyone found doing so will receive a warning and may be expelled.
It is absolutely forbidden for any staff member to request or accept money or gifts in exchange for altering the attendance record, and any such requests should be reported immediately. Likewise, any student making an offer of money or gifts in exchange for attendance will be subject to disciplinary procedures as above and may be reported to the GNIB.
DCE continually checks students’ attendance records. Students not meeting the attendance criteria, as above, will receive up to three warnings reminding them that in order to comply with college and GNIB requirements, they are obliged to attend classes for 15 hours per week. Students are advised that lack of adherence to the attendance policy will result in them being reported to GNIB and expelled from the college without refund.
Lateness Policy
Please note: You must arrive on time for class. Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late for class will not receive attendance for that half of class, and will not be allowed to enter until after the break. It is disrespectful to the teacher and disruptive to other students to disturb a class by arriving even a few minutes late.
If you have any questions about this, please contact Carla Kerr at dos@dcedu.ie