5130                

CHARACTER EDUCATION

5130

The Wake County Board of Education values the right of every child to a high quality education.  To fulfill this obligation, the Board recognizes that this includes an expectation that school staff provide an environment that teaches, models, and encourages the development of good character.

5130.1

Character education programs will include a focus on the system’s eight character traits of courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and self-discipline defined as the following:

Courage: Having the determination to do the right thing even when others don’t; having the strength to follow your conscience rather than the crowd; attempting difficult things that are worthwhile.

Good judgment: Choosing worthy goals and setting proper priorities; thinking through the consequences of your actions; and basing decisions on practical wisdom and good sense.

Integrity: Having the inner strength to be truthful, trustworthy, and honest in all things; acting justly and honorably.

Kindness: Being considerate, courteous, helpful, and understanding of others; showing care, compassion, friendship, and generosity; and treating others as you would like to be treated.

Perseverance: Being persistent in the pursuit of worthy objectives in spite of difficulty, opposition, or discouragement; and exhibiting patience and having the fortitude to try again when confronted with delays, mistakes, or failures.

Respect: Showing high regard for authority, for other people, for self, for property, and for country; and understanding that all people have value as human beings.

Responsibility: Being dependable in carrying out obligations and duties; showing reliability and consistency in words and conduct; being accountable for your own actions; and being committed to active involvement in your community.

Self-discipline: Demonstrating hard work and commitment to purpose; regulating yourself for improvement and restraining from in appropriate behaviors; being in proper control of your words, actions, impulses, and desires; choosing abstinence from premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances and behaviors; and doing your best in all situations.

5130.2

Every school will have programs and activities that support efforts to develop good character.  Within these initiatives, schools will provide opportunities for students to demonstrate and practice good character. This should include helping students to understand, assess, and be responsible for their own behavior and how to act responsibly toward others.

5130.3

School staff members will ensure that positive behavior is practiced, demonstrated, modeled, and reinforced within an environment of mutual respect, caring, and dignity.

5130.4

School staff will provide opportunities for the integration of character education in all areas of the curriculum.

5130.5

The school will form collaborative partnerships with families, and the community to model character and develop character education initiatives.

Legal References:  2001 HB 195 amended GS 115C-81

Adopted:  April 5, 2005