Community guidelines

1- Profile and organization of the courses

Respect for cultural, sexual, gender, social, and economic diversity. Both the teaching-learning process and all school activities are framed within mutual respect for all BCNlip members. The respectful attitude in our differences, the expression of diversity and multiculturalism, constitutes the spirit of our school, and its objectives and educational project are based on it. Behavior, verbal expressions, or gestures that violate the dignity of any person, be it a student, teacher, or administrative staff, and other members of the institution, will not be allowed or accepted. Acts of physical violence will not be permitted within the school premises, nor outside it, at the street door, or in the surrounding space. The student who commits such acts individually and/or as a group, spontaneously and/or premeditatedly, will be sanctioned, and based on the severity of the case, will be immediately expelled from the institution if the Management so decides after evaluating the case. Requests for teacher changes will not be accepted. The school organizes the courses, assigns its teachers, and merges groups based on its criteria and needs, a prerogative of the institution with pedagogical criteria. Only in exceptional and severe situations will the management evaluate and decide on the need for a course change or a teacher change.

2 – Punctuality

Students must enter the classroom at the agreed time. In case of delays or exceptional circumstances that prevent it, the corresponding teacher will be informed in advance. Entry will not be allowed after 30 minutes from the start of the class.

3 – Mobile phone usage

It cannot be used in class unless the teacher requests it for a didactic activity and exclusively for pedagogical purposes. Recording classmates or teachers during or after class, within the school premises, without their consent, or covertly for dissemination, is also prohibited.

WhatsApp groups have a strictly pedagogical and didactic function. Their use is regulated under the current regulations.

Mobile phone usage will not be allowed for the extraction of information (phone numbers, profiles, and personal data) or for communicating with teachers outside of their working hours, invading their privacy.

The classroom, like all school facilities, is a private space. The student who commits such offenses will be immediately sanctioned according to the criteria and decisions deemed appropriate, in application of what is established in Article 197 of the Penal Code, as well as Data Protection Laws and Guarantee of Digital Rights.

4 – Camera use on Zoom

All students participating in the class remotely, through this application, are required to turn on the camera and remain visible to the teacher and their group throughout the class and/or workshop. A turned-off camera or the absence on screen of the participant will be counted as “absent.”

In the event of technical problems for proper connection, the teacher will be immediately informed, who, if the issue stems from the educational space and its computer system, will take the necessary steps for its resolution.

Zoom classes may be recorded if necessary and for pedagogical purposes, within the school and by accredited personnel for this purpose.

5 – Students both with and without the need for visas. Attendance to courses

For the issuance of the final Certificate of Achievement for a course, the student must consider the following:

Certificates of achievement will be issued considering the attendance regime, the attitude in class, and the final exam, which will be expressed in credits. For this reason, continuous engagement with the teacher and group is essential for obtaining it. The student may receive a certificate of achievement or, failing that, if they do not earn enough credits, only accreditation for the level of the course. The school will assign a course to the candidate and propose to issue the corresponding final Certificate of Achievement, which will be granted based on the teacher’s criteria and report.
Physical attendance to the course could be consulted, in some cases, by the Department of Immigration and the Police for administrative, criminal, and/or background investigation purposes, unrelated to the School, such as during renewal of permits. Generally, it is assumed that the student must attend 80% of the classes.
Work-life balance will be considered through flexibility in meeting in-person attendance, which may be requested by students with newborns and minors in their care if circumstances require it. For this purpose, students can attend class remotely via Zoom. Children will not be allowed to enter the classrooms during class hours, nor will they be allowed to remain in the school’s facilities. The institution will not be responsible for unaccompanied minors under any circumstances.
Any behavior or strategies aimed at impersonating others in school events, attending class and/or taking exams, as well as forging or stealing academic documents, private data of a member of the educational community, and/or through theft or misappropriation of the organization’s computer data, will be punished with immediate expulsion.

6 – Language of use

During the courses and workshops, the language of study will be spoken. The school’s methodology, as well as its related didactics and pedagogy, will be respected. This methodology is based on communication, a task-based approach, and immersion. Our goal is to promote the adaptation and integration of our students into the Catalan community and its culture.

7 – Continuous assessment and final exams

Self-assessment and weekly skills evaluations will inform both the teacher and the student about their progress, strengths, and difficulties. Final exams are mandatory, in-person, and will be conducted through technological support. The teacher’s criteria and assessment are unquestionable. The grading and subsequent level approval will be based on a credit system designated for this purpose. Translators or technological aids for plagiarism or the development of texts that are not manually done by the student will not be accepted. Any deceptive act or item discovered by the teacher will result in the immediate nullification of the exam.

8 – Eating in class

Eating will be prohibited during regular class and/or workshop, except for those activities that include it and are proposed and organized by the school, the teacher, and their group.

9 – Respect and care for the educational space

Proper use of the space and its facilities, bathrooms, and furniture, as well as all the material and elements that the school provides for optimal language training, will be expected. Intentional damage or theft will be immediately sanctioned. Attending class with pets will be allowed as long as the group and the corresponding teacher allow it. There are people who express various feelings and emotions about this. Pets will not be allowed to enter without prior consent, and when a new student joins the class, they will also be consulted, in favor of the physical and emotional health of all group members. This consultation will be repeated with each new student. Entry with objects or substances that are dangerous to the health and personal integrity of the members of the educational community will not be permitted.

10 – Respect for the environment

Bcnlip is aware of the need to promote respect for the environment and the practice of responsible consumption. Therefore, its immediate goals are:

To promote energy efficiency and saving measures, both thermal and electrical.

To raise awareness about the urgent need for responsible water consumption within its facilities.

To encourage responsible consumption of all types of products and services within the school and its surroundings: the cafeteria, respect and care for plants and trees in the environment, smoking outside the facilities, away from the school entrance.

To support a waste management system based on minimization, reuse, and recycling.

To identify and minimize other relevant environmental impacts associated with educational activities.

Points to consider: Sanctions will have an educational and reparative character. They will ensure respect for all students and their rights, always seeking, to the extent possible, the agreement and understanding between the affected parties. Their primary goal will be to repair the harm caused and to teach the student about the consequences of their actions, offering the opportunity to learn and grow from such an experience.

The Bcnlip Management will apply the sanctions they deem appropriate, taking into account various factors to ensure a fair and proportional response to the offense committed. Some are:

Age of the student: The sanction will focus more on education and correction than on penalization.
Personal, family, and/or social circumstances: The individual circumstances of the student, including their family and/or social environment, will be taken into consideration to evaluate and determine the appropriate response.
Mitigating factors: Some actions can reduce the severity of the offense committed. These can include acknowledging the offense, repairing the harm caused, apologizing, and/or performing tasks within the school setting that demonstrate a willingness to make amends.
Aggravating factors: Certain actions can increase the severity of the offense, including premeditation, planning, and/or recurrence; indifference to them, and when the actions harm or damage fellow students and/or members of the educational community. Any form of discrimination will be considered severe.

Offenses and sanctions

Minor offenses

- Repeated and unjustified tardiness or absence from class.

- Acts and behaviors that disrupt the normal development of classroom activities.

- Lack of consistent student cooperation in carrying out curricular activities. Improper treatment towards other members of the educational community. Minor damage to facilities, furniture, educational materials, and/or the belongings of other members.

Applicable sanctions:

- Oral or written reprimand.

- Appearance before the Academic Director and if deemed necessary, referral to the Mediator.

- Performing tasks that contribute to the improvement of center activities or to repair the damage caused.

- Suspension of the right to participate in the center’s extracurricular or complementary activities.

Serious offenses

Acts of indiscipline, serious insults, or offenses against members of the educational community.

Repetition of behaviors contrary to the center’s coexistence rules within the same school year.

Physical, emotional, or moral aggression against members of the educational community.

Discrimination based on race, culture, sex, gender, appearance, disability, politics, or religion.

Impersonation in school events and the theft or forgery of academic documents.

Severe damage caused by the improper and intentional use of the facilities, furniture, educational materials, center documents, or the belongings of other members.

Improper use of electronic means during class hours that disturb academic life or violate the rights of the educational community.

Recording, advertising, or dissemination through any medium or electronic support of aggressions or humiliations to other students and/or members of the educational community.

Non-compliance with previously imposed sanctions. Use or introduction of dangerous objects or substances harmful to health in the center.