Dear SCA Families, 

As Scintilla Charter Academy (SCA) expands to offer an educational choice for our families for grades PK-12, SCA’s Student Code of Conduct will be revised for the 2023-2024 school year. This revision is important to ensure the high expectations scholars are held to when choosing SCA are clearly defined. The mission of Scintilla Charter Academy is to provide a deeper learning experience in which each child is empowered through creativity, collaboration, inquiry, and critical thinking to achieve his or her unique potential and acquire a love of learning, along with a strong sense of community and character. To accomplish this mission, our teachers and our scholars require an active learning environment filled with both collaboration and respect.

With daily structures in place to support character and culture, such as Crew and Advisory, character education instructional resources for our teachers, schoolwide norms, and procedures to provide feedback to scholars and families if inappropriate behavior occurs, SCA’s commitment to establishing a culture of community and providing instruction and feedback on our high expectations for student character is demonstrated daily. If, despite these efforts, a scholar chooses to continue to repeatedly demonstrate behavior that disrupts the learning environment, this behavior will not be tolerated. 

Scintilla Charter Academy is a school of choice. By choosing to attend SCA, parents are choosing to agree that they will send their child to school prepared to learn and be respectful of SCA’s active learning environment and the people in it. SCA’s active learning environment is a critical component of the positive and dynamic school culture that has been established. If a staff member has to continue to correct inappropriate behavior or is required to stop teaching to redirect or remove a child from class, valuable instructional time is lost for others. SCA does not hire staff members solely to provide discipline, nor do we have an in-school suspension (ISS) program or an alternative school. Scholars who violate SCA’s Student Code of Conduct will be required to return home so expectations for appropriate behavior can be reinforced by their parents. 

The revised Student Code of Conduct will ensure all SCA scholars and families understand the expectations of scholars while at school, at school-sponsored activities, as well as in activities that are non-school related. Scholars involved in activities at school or outside of school that endanger the health, safety, and well-being of others or disrupt the learning environment will be subject to possible expulsion and potentially face involvement with our local law enforcement.

A Family Code of Conduct will also be included in SCA’s policies to clearly define expectations of appropriate behavior of families who choose for their child to attend SCA. Just as we expect our scholars to behave respectfully to all SCA staff, we expect our parents and families to do the same. If a family member disrespects, threatens, or attempts to intimidate any staff members or other families in any manner, the family member will be banned from the campus. Our staff members are committed to providing an exemplary educational opportunity for every scholar and deserve to be treated respectfully. The Family Code of Conduct will also address the expectations for respectful behavior as an audience member at all SCA events. This includes Celebrations of Learning, Community Circle, Spartan Showcase, athletic events, fine arts performances, PTO activities, or any other SCA-sponsored event. 

In addition to a revised Student Code of Conduct and Family Code of Conduct, SCA's attendance policies for tardies and absences will be updated to provide higher expectations for ensuring scholars are on time and present to learn. Scholars who are late or absent miss the discussion, the questions, the explanations by the teacher, and the thinking that makes learning come alive. Not only does arriving at school on time promote learning, but arriving late to school can also be very disruptive for the child, the teacher, and the other scholars in the class.

SCA’s revised Student Code of Conduct, Family Code of Conduct, and policy for excessive tardies and absences will be distributed this summer. All families will be required to sign to acknowledge they have received, reviewed, and agree to follow the revised procedures. 

We are proud to expand to offer an educational choice for children in our community in grades PK-12 and are committed to ensuring the children who choose to attend Scintilla Charter Academy are in a learning environment with high expectations for academics and behavior to allow all scholars at SCA to reach their unique potential.

SCA all the way!

Mandy Brewington, Superintendent