RESPECT

ATTENDANCE

CLAREMONT SCHOOL BOARD POLICY CODE: JE
Date of Adoption: 2 / 2 1 / 9 6 STUDENT ATTENDANCE

The Claremont School Board is committed to the educational success of all students and subscribes to the academic value of a student's presence in school. Therefore, regular and punctual patterns of attendance are expected of each student enrolled in the Claremont School District. Student attendance is considered the cooperative responsibili@of the parent/auardian and school officials under New Hampshire State Statute.

EXCUSED: Those absences that are unavoidable and unplanned such as:

Personal illness
Death of a relative
Quarantine of home
Subpoenas and court orders

SCHOOL SANCTIONED: Those absences approved by the school.

Field trips
Project Challenge
Educational conferences

PARENTAL SANCTIONED: Those absences that are approved by the parent/guardian and the school's administrator, which may include:

(See Procedure #7)

College visitations
Attending important family functions
Observation of religious holidays
Family emergency

UNEXCUSED:

Any absence that is not school sanctioned, parental sanctioned, or excused. Unexcused absences are considered truancy. See Truancy Policy.

Procedures:

I An adequate and comprehensive system of attendance records will be maintained for each student. Each teacher is responsible for accurate reporting of daily attendance in their own classroom. The building principal or his/her designee i s responsible for submitting attendance information to the Superintendent's Office.

· If an excused absence occurs in grades K-12, it is the parent or legal guardian's responsibility to notify the school secretary by 8:30 AM on the days that the student will not be attending.

3 . In grades 6-12, a note for each absence
must be presented to the office prior to admission to class. This note must be written and signed by
the parent/guardian. Notes will be filed as documentation in case of appeal. A daily detention will be assigned for failure to produce a parental note.

4. In grades K-12, follow-up telephone calls will be made to the parent/guardian by the school secretary if the parent/guardian has not notified the school by 8:30 AM of the child's absence. Outgoing calls shall be documented and logged.

5 . Students not attending school, truant, suspended, or dismissed for illness may not participate in school or extracurricular activities that day.

6 . If absenteeism exceeds 5% of the required school days, a meeting will be held with the school principal or their designee to determine reasons for absences.

7 . Requests for parental sanctioned absences must be submitted in advance to the building administrator on the District's request form. A two school day notice is required; for absences of three or more days, a five school day notice is required. The building administrator may waive this procedure in cases of urgency of when unexpected conditions arise. Denials of such requests can be appealed to the Superintendent's Office whose decision is final.

CLASS CUTTING

Cuffing a regularly scheduled class is unacceptable. Parents/guardians will be notified of class cuts by the classroom teacher. Unless a student has a written parent excused reason for the absence, a zero will be assigned for that day's work and an in-school suspension will be assigned. Should a subsequent cut occur, the student will not be allowed into class until a meeting has been held between the administration and the student's parent/guardian.

READMISSION TO CLASS AFTER ABSENCE

All students returning to school after any absence must report to the Attendance Office for a readmission pass to the classroom. Students will not be re-admitted without this pass.

TARDINESS

Lateness to class is not acceptable. Classroom doors will close on the second bell. Students will be marked tardy at this point. No student will be admitted to the classroom without a pass from the Attendance Secretary. This pass will be marked with the date and time. Classroom teachers will assign detention for all tardies and forward a list to Betty Gierko for parent documentation. Upon receipt of the third tardy, the parent will be called in for a meeting with the administration and teacher before the student can be re-admitted to class.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

If a student has an unexcused absence and wishes to have it considered excused, he/she must bring in a note from home, within 2 days, to the attendance secretary, giving the reason for the absence. If the reason is excusable, according to the Claremont School Board policy on attendance, the absence will change from unexcused to excused, thereby allowing students to make up class work missed because of the absence. Students have 2 days to arrange for or complete makeup work.

CODE OF CONDUCT

All students will be given a separate Code Of Conduct as approved by School Board Policy. Specific infractions and consequences are identified for all discipline issues. (See separate Code Of Conduct.)

Respect and responsibility is expected from all students and staff. Please read your Code Of Conduct carefully so that expectations of you and your classmates will be clearly understood.

CORRIDORS

Students will be required to have a written, signed, timed, and dated pass to leave classes including study halls for any reason. Students may travel only to bathrooms or the library during class time. There will be no locker travel during class, so plan accordingly.

DETENTION POLICY

Detention can easily be avoided by adhering to rules in the school. However, as in all schools, there will be those who, for one reason or another, choose to ignore rules and
detention will be assigned to them.

1 . Students will be given notice before being required to serve detention.
2. Detentions will be from 2:30 SHARP to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
3. Students are required to bring work to do during detention.
4. Failure to serve will result in additional consequences.

EXPECTATIONS OF DRESS

During the 1997-1998 school year, students in grades K-8 will adhere to a newly adopted dress code policy. This policy will go into effect for students in grades K - 1 2 during the 1998-1999 school year.

Students in some classes at SRVRTC may be requested to meet certain dress requirements as mandated by their program. These will be identified by the instructor.

Student dress and grooming will be the responsibility of the individual and his/her parents. All students are expected to be groomed and dress appropriately with respect to the following criteria:

Cleanliness - Clothing and grooming must be such that they do not constitute a health and/or safety hazard.

Clothing - Must be adequate to insure a decent andclean appearance.

Educational Distraction - Grooming and dress must not be so unusual or bizarre as to constitute a distraction or to interfere with the educational opportunity of other students.

At Stevens High School and SRVRTC, common courtesy dictates:

Hats and sunglasses are not to be worn in the building.

Shorts that are an acceptable length.

Shirts and tops at a minimum of waist length with no bare skin showing.

No tank tops.

Pants and shorts worn at or above the hips.

Clothing free of provocative or obsce ne writing or graphics and not referring to smoking, alcohol, drugs, sex, or anything prohibited by the School District's Code Of Conduct.

Jackets and coats may not be worn in classrooms.

Gender-appropriate clothing.

Limited body piercing.

No distracting clothing because of excessive holes.

STUDENTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM CLASS. PARENTS WILL BE CALLED TO BRING IN APPROPRIATE APPAREL.

FAILURE TO SERVE DETENTION

Students will be given 24 hour notice for any assigned ,detention. Upon receipt of a detention, parent notification will take place by the teacher. Failure to serve the assigned detention will result in an automatic in-school suspension. Should the student fail to report to ISS, the parent will be called in for an administrative meeting immediately.

FOOD & DRINKS

Students are not to consume lunches, snacks or beverages in the hallway or in classrooms. Eating and drinking is confined to the cafeteria.

ITEMS NOT ALLOWED IN SCHOOL

Cellular phones
Beepers or pagers
Walkmans, disc players, radios
Boom boxes
Skateboards

Items will be confiscated and turned over parents. Cellular phones and beepers will turned over to the police.

IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION

Students may be assigned to in-school suspension by either a teacher or an administrator for violation of the school rules.

While serving in-school suspension, students are expected to:

1. Abide by all rules of the supervising staff member.

2. Complete all work assigned by the supervising staff member.

3. Complete all work assigned by classroom teachers. (It is the student's responsibility to obtain such work.)

4. Attend a full day of ISS which runs from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday - Friday. Failure to serve a complete day will result in additional consequences.

In return, students will:

1. Receive credit for attendance at school.

2. Receive credit for all work completed while serving in-school suspension.

3. Be allowed to make up tests and quizzes.

Failure to serve in-school suspension will result in a
meeting with parents prior to the student's return to class.

LUNCH PROGRAM

Lunch is served daily by the cafeteria staff. Students eligible for the Federal School Lunch Program are encouraged to apply in the Student Services Office. Lunch rules include:

1 . All food must be eaten in the cafeteria. NO FOOD OR DRINK IS ALLOWED IN CLASSROOMS OR HALLWAYS.
2 . Trash must be put into trash cans.
3. Students in Grades I 1 and 12 may eat in the cafeteria or off campus. Once students have left the building, they may not re-enter until the bell sounds. Students may wait in the cafeteria for the start of class.
4 . All freshmen and sophomores will eat lunch in the cafeteria.
5 . Students traveling in halls after completing the lunch break are expected to be quiet and not disturb classes in session.
6. No backpacks are allowed in the cafeteria during lunch periods.

OUT OF SCHOOL SUSPENSION

Suspension from school means that a student may be asked to leave the school grounds immediately after contact with a parent. Students on suspension from school will be restricted from attending regular school, will be restricted from participating in school activities, and wiII not be allowed to make up missed work.

All offenses listed may result in out of school suspension for the first offense. (Code Of Conduct).

1 . Gross insubordination to any staff member.
2 . Throwing rocks, snowballs, food in the cafeteria, or other solid objects.
3. Stealing property or money.
4. Threatening or intimidating fellow students.
5. Unauthorized possession of school keys.
6. Using or possession of fireworks, knives, or weapons.
7. Fighting.
8 . Unacceptable language to a staff member.
9. Smoking on school grounds.
10. Possession or use of drugs and/or alcohol.
11. Excessive cutting.
12. Sexual harassment.

The above are only examples of school violations. The administration may suspend a student for any offense that it deems as detrimental to the safety and well-being of the high school and the school community.

RULES

Although there are numerous standards of acceptable decorum, there are only 6 basic rules to follow at Stevens High School:

1. Be courteous to each other and all staff members.
2. Be in class on time each day.
3. Insure the health and safety of all.
4. Care for the property and belongings of the school, staff, and students.
5 . Dress and act in an appropriate manner. 6 . Do your own work to your best ability.

SCHOOL PROCEDURES, RULES, & POLICIES

Students, teachers, and administrators are responsible for adhering to all school procedures, rules, and policies in this Student/Parent Handbook.

SCHOOLS SEARCHES
Claremont School Board Policy--JIHA-R-1

A student's person and/or personal effects (e.g. purse, bookbag, etc.) may be searched when a school official has reasonable suspicion that the student may be in possession of an item or substance in violation of school policy or state law.

A pat-down search of the student or a search of the student's garments (jacket, socks, pockets, etc.) will be conducted in private by a school official of the same sex and with another adult witness present.

A search beyond the student's outer clothing is permissible only when there is a serious threat to the health and safety of the student or others. Such a search will be conducted i n private by a school official of the same sex with an adult of the same sex present unless the threat to the health and safety of the student or others constitutes such an emergency that the delay caused by following these procedures would be inappropriate.

SCHOOL PROPERTY & LOCKER SEARCHES Claremont School Board Policy --- JIHA-R-2

The Claremont School Board acknowledges the need for safe storage of books, school materials, and other personal property on school premises and may provide lockers, desks, cabinets, or other such property for storage. Such items remain the property of the school and the school exercises exclusive control over such property. Therefore, a student should not expect privacy regarding items placed on school property because school property is subject to search at any time by school officials.

A student's locker or its contents may be searched when a school official has reasonable suspicion that the locker contains an item or substance in violation of school policy or state law. Such a search will be conducted in the presence of another adult witness.

A generalized search of lockers without individualized suspicion that a particular locker contains an item or substance in violation of school policy or law shall be conducted during the school year only when there is a serious threat to the health or safety of persons within the school. A generalized search of all lockers will be made after the close of each school year.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

CLAREMONT SCHOOL BOARD POLICY CODE: GBAA
Date of Adoption: June 5, 1996

I. General Statement Of Policy

The School District recognizes sexual harassment to be a form of sex discrimination which is against the law. It is the policy of the District to provide a learning and working environment which promotes respect of the dignity and worth of all its members and which is free from sexual harassment.

All members of the District are expected to contribute to an environment free of sexual harassment. It shall be a violation of this policy for any student or employee of the District to harass a student or employee through conduct or communication of a sexual nature as defined by this policy.

The District takes seriously and will respond to any complaint of sexual harassment. The District recognizes that there are different levels of intervention and response to complaints of sexual harassment. The purpose of taking action is 1) to stop behavior which is offensive to an individual and to the school community; and 2) to educate the individual and the school community.

This policy is in effect for all school-sponsored events and applies to all employees and students of the District. I t also applies to behavior by non-school personnel toward employees and students on school ground, in school facilities, and at school-sponsored events.

The District is committed to implementing this policy by training staff, by educating students of all ages, by publicizing procedures for responding to sexual harassment, and by taking appropriate action.

II. Sexual Harassment Defined

A. Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated conducts, or other verbal, written, o r physical conducts or communication of a sexual nature made by an employee to a student, made by an employee to another employee, or made by any student to another student or to an employee when:

1 . Submission to such conduct or communication is made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of retaining employment or of obtaining an education; or

2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct or communication by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individuai's employment or education; or

3. Such condition or communication has the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with an individuals employment or education or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment or education environment.

B. Sexual harassment can include, but is not limited to:

1. verbal abuse or harassment;
2. pressure for sexual activity, either subtle or explicit;
3. unwelcome touching;
4. sexually suggestive or obscene written or visual material publicly displayed or directed at another;
5. suggestions or demands for sexucl i involvement accompanied by implicit or explicit threats when such concerns an individual's employment or educational status;
6. suggestions or demands for sexual involvement accompanied by implicit or explicit promises of preferential treatment with regard to an individual's employment or educational status.

Ill. School District Action

When a complaint of sexual harassment is determined valid under the appended procedure for responding to complaints, the School District will take action based on the results of the investigation.

1.) A substantiated charge against an employee may result in disciplinary action up to an including suspension or dismissal as consistent with due process procedures, state law, and all rights contained in the collective bargaining agreements between the Claremont School Board and its employee groups.

2.) A substantiated charge against a student may result in disciplinary action up to an including suspension or expulsion consistent with due process procedures.

IV. Reprisal

The School District should discipline any individual who retaliates against 1) any person who in good faith reports alleged sexual harassment or 2) any person who testifies, assists, or participates in an investigation, proceeding o r hearing relating to a sexual harassment complaint. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, any form of intimidation, reprisal, or harassment.

V. Non-Harassment

The School District recognizes that not every advance or comment of a sexual nature constitutes harassment. Whether a particular action or incident is sexual harassment requires a determination based on all the facts and surrounding circumstances. A false accusation of sexual harassment can have a serious detrimental effect on innocent parties. An intentionally false charge will be treated as a serious offense and should result in disciplinary action.

VI. Right To Alternate Complaint Procedure

This policy does not deny the right of any individual to pursue other avenues of recourse provided by statute in New Hampshire and/or Vermont.

SMOKING

The Claremont School Board recognizes that smoking poses a health and safety hazard and prohibits by policy smoking in school and on school property. New Hampshire laws also prohibit smoking in all schools, in all school vehicles, and on school property. Therefore, students and staff of
Stevens High School and the SRVRTC are bound by this regulation. Students violating this policy and the law are subject to immediate suspension and law enforcement referral.

TRUANCY

CLAREMONT SCHOOL BOARD POLICY CODE: JEDA
Date of Adoption: 8/14/91 Date of Interim Reissue: 11/15/95

Unauthorized absence from school is considered truancy and will be treated as such. See RSA 193:1,2,7.

A student who does not attend or leaves a class without permission after reporting to school is truant. Any student who is absent from school without the knowledge arxi permission of his/her parents or school authorities is truant.

A concentrated effort will be made to prevent and remedy truancy in its early stages. School personnel, wherever possible, and as much as possible, will seek cooperation from parents and assist parents in remedying and preventing truancy.

The Board and school officials will endeavor to reduce truancy by enforcing strict regulations in regard to tardiness and unexcused absences and diligently investigating possible cause(s) and solutions. The Board and school officials will work cooperatively with parents in addressing truancy issues.

The principal will be responsible for enforcing the compulsory attendance laws which require regular attendance, provide for penalties if parents and guardians do not carry out their responsibilities, and establish procedures for referral of a truant student to juvenile authorities.