School Policy

The Ministry of Education identifies attendance as an important component of the evaluation of student achievement. Regular attendance is critical for the student’s learning and achievement of course expectations.

At Birmingham International Collegiate of Canada, class attendance is compulsory, except in the case of illness. Credits can be lost in the case of frequent absence for other than medical reasons. Punctuality for all classes is expected, as it is a mark of respect for oneself and one’s fellows.

In keeping with this position, Birmingham International Collegiate of Canada has adopted the following policy and procedures:

• Teachers in all classes will maintain a daily attendance record. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. Lates will also be recorded. Daily attendance sheets will be sent to the office.
• Student absences must be reported to the office prior to the start of class. Students who are absent and who have not notified the school will be contacted. Note: Students are encouraged to make appointments outside regular school hours.
• If a student’s frequent absences are jeopardizing his/her successful completion of a course, staff will notify the principal and/or the Guidance Department. Staff will then meet with the student and the parents/guardians to explain the possible consequences and discuss steps to improve attendance.
• At mid-semester: Where a student has missed five (5) classes, a teacher may be unable to assess his/her progress and so may give a No Mark designation on the progress report (after consultation with the Principal).
• At semester end: Where a student has missed ten (10) classes, a teacher may be unable to assess his/her progress and so may give a No Mark designation after consultation with the Principal. It may be necessary for the student to attend additional classes in order to meet the expectations for that course.

Plagiarism includes handing in a research project, paper, essay, statistics, lab results, art work or any other work, written by anyone other than the person handing in the work, without giving credit to its original author.

Plagiarism includes:

• Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill.
• Turning in another student’s work without that student’s knowledge.
• Turning in a paper a peer has written for the student.
• Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment.
• Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation.

The Internet has made simple an additional type of plagiarism:

• Turning in a paper from a “free term paper” website
• Copying verbatim in whole or in part from a website summary page.

To become familiar with how to properly cite the work of others students must become familiar with proper work citation forms. See A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language Association (MLA)Documentation.

The first penalty for plagiarism of this sort will be a grade of zero for the paper. The second penalty will be either a failing grade in the course or expulsion from the school. In the event of a second offence, the student’s teacher and the school principal will decide which penalty is appropriate. Any third case of plagiarism will result in an automatic expulsion.

BICC views plagiarism as a serious offence and has provided all of its teachers with the most up to date methods of tracking student plagiarism.

If a case is suspected, teachers must first consult with the principal before investigating. Following the discovery of proof that a student has plagiarized a work, the student will have a meeting with both the teacher and the principal. At this stage, school policy and practices regarding plagiarism will be reviewed. Immediately following this meeting, a contract will be signed by the student signalling that they understand the nature of their offence.

Introduction

Birmingham International Collegiate of Canada promotes responsibility, respect, civility and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment. All students, parents, teachers and staff have the right to be safe and to feel safe in our school. With this right comes the responsibility to be law-abiding citizens and to be accountable for actions that put at risk the safety of others and oneself.

Guiding Principles

Students, parents or guardians, teachers and other staff members are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct at Birmingham International Collegiate, whether they are on school property, on school buses or at school-authorized events or activities.

All members of the school community at Birmingham International Collegiate are to be treated with respect and dignity, especially persons in positions of authority. They are expected to use non-violent means to resolve conflict. Physically aggressive behaviour is unacceptable.

The possession, use or threatened use of any object to injure another person is strictly forbidden and will result in immediate expulsion. BICC has also adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards members of the school community who are in possession of, or under the influence of, or provide others with, alcohol or illegal drugs.

Insults, disrespect and other hurtful acts disrupt learning and teaching in a school community. Birmingham International Collegiate of Canada, we all have a responsibility to maintain an environment where conflicts and differences can be addressed in a manner characterized by respect and civility.

1- All students admitted to Birmingham International Collegiate of Canada (“Birmingham”) are required to pay all fees in full in advance, as per the fee schedule accompanying the offer for admission. The formal letter of admission will not be issued until after all fees are paid in full.

2- Should a student wish to withdraw from a course or transfer to another course before the deadline for course withdrawals/transfers for that semester, the tuition fee for that course will be credited to the following semester or transferred to the other course for the current semester. In such cases, a course withdrawal or transfer form must be completed by the student and approved by the Director prior to withdrawal or transfer in order for the tuition fee transfer to be effective.

3- Should a student withdraw from a course after the course drop deadline for that semester, no tuition fee refund or credit will be given to the student for that course. In such cases, a course withdrawal form must be completed by the student and approved by the Director prior to withdrawal.

4- Should a student be requested by the Director to withdraw from Birmingham for disciplinary reasons, no fees paid will be refunded to the student.

5- Students who require additional courses beyond the initial courses for which tuition fees have been paid or who wish to retake a course are required to pay the tuition fees for the additional courses in advance.

6- All fees paid to Birmingham are non-refundable, except in the following circumstances:

Should a student be unable to obtain a valid study permit to begin studies in Canada using the Letter of Acceptance issued by Birmingham, the student may be eligible to receive a full refund of tuition fees paid, less the administration fee of $800.00CAD.

In order to be eligible for a refund, the student must provide the following documents to Birmingham for review and approval within 10 business days of receiving the rejection letter from the Canadian Embassy or Consulate General in your own country:

• The original visa rejection letter, issued by the Canadian Embassy or Consulate General in your own country.

• A written request for refund, signed and dated by the student or his or her legal guardian if the student has not reached the age of majority at the time.

• All original documents issued by the school, including the original Letter of Acceptance, all receipts issued by the school, a copy of the passport, a legible copy of the refusal stamp on the passport, and a copy of all application forms and documents submitted to the Canadian Embassy or Consulate General in your own country for an application of a study permit.

• All required documents must be submitted to Birmingham before a refund can be processed. Please allow Four to Six (4-6) Weeks for the processing of a refund request. Approved refunds will be subject to a deduction of Courier charges or wire transfer bank charges, if applicable.

7- If a student has been granted a study permit but does not register at Birmingham or transfers to another school after registering at Birmingham, the student is not entitled to a refund of any of the fees previously paid to Birmingham.

8- Should a student decide to withdraw from Birmingham after his or her visa application has been submitted to the Canadian Embassy or Consulate General in your own country or decide to cancel his or her visa application for any reason, no fees paid to Birmingham will be refunded to the student under any circumstances.

Should you have any objections to what is stipulated and outlined above, please contact the school via email within three business days after receiving the Tuition Refund Policy. All fees and the refund policy are subject to change without notice.

BICC assures students that any concerns they have about their educational experience are dealt with in a responsive and timely manner. Both the Faculty Member and Student will be taken into consideration should any conflict arise at BICC. This Policy is also applicable to all levels of staff at BICC.
This policy concerns student complaints about pedagogical issues, the quality of the students’ educational experience and/or any serious complaints about inappropriate academic behaviour of the Faculty Member/Instructor. In addition to this, the policy deals with issues that may arise between staff members and between the employee and their superiors per BICC’s Organizational Chart.  Click Here

BICC is committed to providing a healthy learning and working environment by promoting the values of respect, civility, safety, responsible citizenship and academic excellence throughout each classroom and in the hallways. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, included and accepted. Therefore, equity, inclusion and respect are critical components embedded in the learning environment at BICC.

The BICC Code of Conduct is developed in accordance with the Education Act. The BICC Code of Conduct also reflects the values and expectations of the BICC community. Click Here