Students Rights and Responsibilities

1. Right to Safety:

• To receive services in a safe and clean setting. 
• To receive services from staff who have passed state-sanctioned background checks and participate in ongoing professional training.

2. Right to Nourishment:

• To have a nourishing, well-balanced varied diet. 
• To never have the foundational diet used to as a bargaining tool or punishment.

3. Right to Rest and Sleep:

• To have regular patterns of rest and sleep.
• To have their own bed.
• To sleep in an environment that respects dignity and safety.

4. Right to Communicate: 

• To communicate with parents, staff, and fellow students in respectful and productive ways.

5. Right to Respect of Body and Person:

• To be treated with respect and dignity as a human being in an age-appropriate manner. 
• To be free from chemical or mechanical restraint, seclusion or isolation. 
• To have their own conscience affirmed about religion, values, and beliefs.
• To be free from abuse, neglect, corporal punishment and other mistreatment such as humiliation, seclusion, threats of bodily harm or exploitation.
• To have their rights explained to them.
• To be evaluated and cared for in the least restrictive environment. 
• To not be denied admission or services because of race, sex, creed, sexual preference, color, religion, or national origin.
• To be subject of research ONLY with the consent of the person(s)-served, or the permission of a person legally authorized to act on behalf of the person(s)-served.

6. Right to have one’s possessions within the bounds of the institution’s safety and consistent with therapeutic needs.

7. Right to Privacy:

• To personal space and storage with the understanding that staff may oversee those spaces to maintain safety and program integrity.
• To have records kept confidential by federal and state law.
• To have private showering and toileting.

8. Right to Freedom of Movement, Natural Elements, and Recreation:

• To engage in age-appropriate activities, with regular scheduling and healthy physical exercise.
• To daily exposure to natural elements such as fresh air, light, and outdoor exercise (as appropriate).

9. Right to Not be Given Meaningless Work.

10. Right to a Voice in their Treatment:

• Be aware of their treatment goals and participate in their determination and assessment of progress.
• To disagree and record that disagreement in appropriate forms that are kept in the student file unmodified.
• To submit grievances and appeals without modification of the student’s narrative.
• To consult with a private practitioner at the expense of the person(s)-served.

11. Right to Family Visits and weekly communication with parents or guardians:

• Custodial guardians are never denied access to their children.

12. Right to Medical Care:

• To receive prompt evaluation, care, and treatment. 
• To medical care and treatment by the highest standards available at the time of incident.
• To have custodial parents as part of decision-making for medical care.

13. The right to an age-appropriate education.

• Education that is in harmony with their academic level and personal development.
• Right to transcripts of academic achievement during their tenure at the school.

14. Right to Withdrawal:

• Custodial parents may withdraw the student from the program at the will of the custodial guardian.

15. Right and Method to Report Abuse:

• To access mechanisms to report any instance of perceived abuse.
• To have their narrative preserved and protected.
• To be free of retaliation for a report.

Student Responsibilities are:

• To learn and follow all rules in the student handbook.
• To learn and follow all zone rules.
• Do your best to achieve all Personal Treatment Plan goals.
• Respect yourself, other students, staff, and property.
• To act within reasonable standards of good citizenship and sportsmanship.
• To work to restore family relationships to the best of your ability.
• To be teachable.
• To be self-controlled.
• To contribute to the therapeutic community.
• To maintain good hygiene and physical fitness.
• To be productive every day.

Students Rights