Peer Court Youth
Volunteer
RULES
OF CONDUCT
Introduction
Peer
Court participation is a privilege, not a right. That privilege can be lost if
you fail to act in a responsible manner, break confidentiality, or if you
violate the law. As a Peer Court volunteer, you are expected to serve as a role
model for your peers at all times, even when you are not at a Peer Court function.
You therefore must maintain high standards of conduct and encourage others to
do the same. Since Peer Court is designed to promote law-abiding behavior, your
behavior must be consistent with that purpose.
Attached
are Peer Court’s Rules of Conduct,
which you must follow if you wish to participate in the program. If you fail to
follow these rules or are suspected of not following the rules, you shall be
given an opportunity to explain your actions to a panel of your peers who will
determine whether you have failed to uphold the behavioral standards and rules
of conduct of the program. You may be subject to disciplinary action by this
panel, including suspension or even removal from the Peer Court program for a
Code of Conduct violation.
Youth
Volunteer Acknowledgment
_______ ______
Printed
Name
______ ______ _______
Signed
Name Date
Rules Of Conduct
1. You must maintain the confidentiality
of all Peer Court proceedings and must not reveal any information about a case
to anyone outside of Peer Court
2. You must not engage in illegal conduct
or violate the rules and regulations adopted by your school or school district
3. You must not engage in conduct
involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
4. You are expected to tell the truth at
all times
5. You must participate free of bias or
prejudice toward any other person’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual
orientation, national origin, or disability
6. You must be respectful to the Peer
Court volunteers, staff, victims, victim’s families, respondents, respondent’s
families and any other witness
7. You must appear promptly and prepared
for all Peer Court trainings and proceedings. If you have to cancel, you must
let someone from the Peer Court staff know as soon as is reasonably possible so
that a replacement may be found for you
8. You must perform your role as effectively
and competently as possible
9. You must engage in proper or courteous
conduct during the Peer Court hearing
10. You must not ask any question intended
to harass or degrade any of the participants
11. You must not let any outside
influence, such as other volunteers, parents, friends or your own self-interest,
affect your actions and decisions related to a Peer Court case
12. You must dress appropriately when participating
in a Peer Court hearing
13. You must notify a member of the Peer
Court staff immediately if you are arrested, convicted of a crime or suspended
from school
14. You must report to the Peer Court
staff if you feel that another volunteer or participant has failed to follow
the Rules of Conduct
15. You must cooperate with the staff, any
disciplinary committee, or review panel in the investigation of allegations
involving a violation of these Rules of Conduct
Disciplinary
Procedures
In
the event that the Peer Court staff is made aware of a possible violation of
the Rules of Conduct by one of its youth volunteers, an investigation of the
situation will be conducted by program staff. The volunteer suspected of
violation will be contacted and asked to explain his/her side of the story. The
volunteer may be required to appear before a specially convened Disciplinary
Panel comprised of senior youth volunteers who will determine whether a
violation has been committed.
If
the volunteer is found to be in violation, the Disciplinary Panel will be
authorized to determine the appropriate consequence(s), including but not
limited to:
Letter(s)
of apology, reflective essay(s), suspension from the program for a determined
period of time, and/or program expulsion.