Welcome to the Onslow County Schools community and the 2023-2024 school year! With a vision of Excellence in Education, our purpose across the system is to educate students for success. Our staff is focused on the mission of preparing students to be globally competitive leaders and responsible citizens in a rapidly changing world.

In an effort to work together with students, families, and the community in providing a safe and orderly environment for learning, you will find included within this Student Code of Conduct the Onslow County Board of Education system-wide behavior and discipline policies, School Bus Safety rules, and related processes to be implemented across the system. In addition to this handbook, each school has established school level expectations which supplement the district board policies. The school level rules and regulations are distributed separately, usually in the form of a school handbook and/or classroom expectations. Students are expected to comply at all times with the Code of Conduct and standards of behavior established by the school and the Onslow County Board of Education.

The Code of Conduct provided within this handbook contains the disciplinary policies as they apply to students in grades 4–12, except as otherwise indicated. Discipline of students in grades pre-K through 3 is to be addressed at the discretion of the school principal. The School Bus Safety Conduct Rules apply to all students. Principals are responsible for enforcing the established system and school-wide policies. If you have any questions concerning district, school, or classroom policies, please contact your school principal. Onslow County policies for handling these concerns are focused at the school level.

Students engaging in conduct which violates a provision of this Student Code of Conduct or any specified school rules may be subject to disciplinary measures as outlined in policy 4302, School Plan for Management of Student Behavior, and related district policies. Examples of such disciplinary measures include short term suspension, long term suspension, 365-day suspension, or expulsion.

The policies contained herein are constantly under review and are subject to revision as necessary due to state law and/or court mandate. District staff and OCS Board of Education are currently working with the NC School Boards Association on the process of customizing and updating the district’s policies.  Any changes to the information contained in this handbook will be made available through updated polices provided online.  You can view the most up-to-date policies on the district website at www.onslow.k12.nc.us.

The Onslow County School System is proud to have a safe, positive and engaging learning environment on all our campuses. We are fortunate to have a positive working relationship with our law enforcement agencies and community leaders and look forward to working together for another successful school year!