 |
Recent action in the Arkansas State Legislature has resulted in changes to the Marion School District's Board of Education and Faculty Handbook. Information on changes to Crittenden Prep Academy's handbook is given below:
Student Attendance: Education is more than the grades students receive in their courses. Important as that is, students’ regular attendance at school is essential to their social and cultural development and helps prepare them to accept responsibilities they will face as an adult. Interactions with other students and participation in the instruction within the classroom enrich the learning environment and promote a continuity of instruction which results in higher student achievement. In recognition of the need for students to regularly attend school, the district’s policy governing student absences is as follows:
- Students shall not be absent, as defined in this policy more than 12 days in a semester.
- When a student has 6 absences, his/her parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis shall be notified that the student has missed half the allowable days for the semester.
- Notification shall be by telephone by the end of the school day in which such absence occurred or by regular mail with a return address sent no later than the following school day.
- Whenever a student exceeds 12 absences in a semester, the District shall notify the prosecuting authority and the parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis shall be subject to a civil penalty as prescribed by law.
- Students with 13 absences in a course in a semester shall not receive credit for that course.
- If the student fails to receive credit for a sufficient number of courses and at the discretion of the principal after consultation with persons having knowledge of the circumstances of the absences, the student may be denied promotion or graduation.
- Excessive absences, however, shall not be a reason for expulsion or dismissal of a student.
- At any time prior to when a student exceeds the number of allowable absences (unless unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances), the student, or his/her parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis may petition the school or district’s administration for special arrangements to address the student’s absences.
- If formal arrangements are granted, they shall be formalized into a written agreement which will include the conditions of the agreement and the consequences for failing to fulfill the agreement’s requirements.
- The agreement shall be signed by the student, the student’s parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis, and the school or district administrator or designee.
- Unless a student’s excessive absence is due to an unforeseen circumstance, the District will not accept a doctor’s note for a student’s excessive absence.
- Days missed due to in-school or out-of-school suspension shall not count toward the allowable number of days absent.
Additional Absences: Additional absences that are not charged against the allowable number of absences are those where the student was on official school business or when the absence was due to one of the following reasons and the student brings a written statement upon his/her return to school from the parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or appropriate government agency stating such reason:
- To participate in an FFA, FHA, or 4-H sanctioned activity;
- To participate in the election poll workers program for high school students;
- To serve as a page for a member of the General Assembly;
- To visit his/her parent or legal guardian who is a member of the military and been called to active duty, is on leave from active duty, or has returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting; and
- For purposes pre-approved by the school administration such as visiting prospective colleges, to obey a subpoena, or to attend at an appointment with a government agency.
The District shall notify the Department of Finance and Administration whenever a student fourteen (14) years of age or older is no longer in school. The Department of Finance and Administration is required to suspend the former student’s operator’s license unless he/she meets certain requirements specified in the code.
Applicants for an instruction permit or for a driver's license by persons less than eighteen (18) years old on October 1 of any year are required to provide proof of a high school diploma or enrollment and regular attendance in an adult education program or a public, private, or parochial school prior to receiving an instruction permit. To be issued a driver's license, a student enrolled in school shall present proof of a “C” average for the previous semester or similar equivalent grading period for which grades are reported as part of the student’s permanent record.
Board Approved: 7-19-11
Make-Up Work: Students may make up any work that was missed due to absence regardless of the reason for the absence. When students miss school, they shall be allowed to make-up the work they missed in accordance with the following regulations:
- Students must take responsibility for getting and completing make-up work.
- Students must ask teachers for assignments.
- Students may not work on assignments during regular class periods.
- Students may take assignments home or work on them during breakfast/lunch.
- Students may not take textbooks home without the approval of the teacher.
- Students must check out books through the office.
- Failure to return a textbook will result in a fine to cover the cost of the book.
- Students have 1 day for every day absent to complete make-up work.
- Example: if a student is absent on Wednesday, the make-up work will be due at the beginning of the day on Friday. Students should turn make up work into the office or to each teacher.
- Failure to complete make-up work will result in a zero being recorded for that grade. Assignments may not be omitted without the principal’s approval.
Board Approved: 7-19-11
Dress Code: Crittenden Prep Academy expects its students to dress appropriately while attending school. Students will be asked to use the following principles to guide them in choosing apparel.
- Student clothing must not disrupt the educational process.
- One's clothing must not be personally hazardous in activities such as shop, lab work, physical education, art, and on-the-job training.
- Students must not wear immodest or profane clothing that shocks the conscience or wear clothing in an immodest manner.
- Students must refrain from wearing clothing that is made of see-through materials.
- Each school’s principal or designee is charged with determining if a student’s clothing is provocative in some way resulting in a disruption to the educational process.
- Since clothing styles are ever-changing, each school’s administration is charged with providing updated and specific examples of proscribed clothing.
- Students are prohibited from wearing, while on the school grounds during the school day and at school-sponsored events, clothing that exposes underwear, buttocks, or the breast of a female. This prohibition does not apply, however to a costume or uniform worn by a student while participating in a school-sponsored activity or event. (Act 835 of 2011)
- “Sagging” by students will not be tolerated on campus.
- At no time shall doo rags, bandannas, scarves, decorative hats/hair coverings, or sweatbands be worn by students during school.
- Students are not to wear/bring hats to school.
- Students may wear knit toboggans and or ear warmers outside during winter months, but they may not be worn inside.
- Hooded sweatshirts that button or have a zippered front must be worn un-zippered or unbuttoned to assure that our expectation that belts are to be worn and that shirts are to be tucked is met.
- Pullover hoodies do not meet the purposes of our appearance code and are not to be worn inside the school.
- No student will be allowed to wear pajamas or house slippers to class.
- Clothing with inappropriate advertising or inflammatory, derogatory, or suggestive messages will not be permitted.
- Gang signs, symbols, or colors will not be tolerated.
- Students will not be allowed to wear price tags or stickers on their clothing.
- All bags/purses will be stored in the office during the day. Students will be allowed to carry clear or mesh bags/backpacks for school materials during the day.
- Young Men
- Pants or shorts that approach the knee, i.e. longer than mid-thigh.
- Both pants and such shorts must have belt loops. Shirt tails are to be tucked in completely around the waist and a belt must be worn correctly and must be visible. Except in physical education class or athletic practices, belts are to be worn at all times by male students.
- This means that basketball shorts or other athletic shorts may not be worn outside of P.E. or the athletic period.
- Additionally, shirts worn by male students must have short sleeves at a minimum.
- Starter© shorts, gym shorts, knit pants or spandex or clingy, immodest spandex-like materials worn as pants are not appropriate as school attire.
- Leggings or spandex may be worn under shorts or skirts (not shirts)that approach the knee, i.e. longer that mid-thigh.
- Additionally, the guideline of at least a 3 inch one piece shoulder covering is clarified to mean that straps must be three fingers wide. This clarification is to mitigate against any unnecessary showing of cleavage and/or one’s undergarments.
The following consequences are adopted for violations of the Dress Code policy:
1st Offense—Warning
2nd Offense—Suspension at the end of day; pending a parent contact
3rd Offense—Suspension at the end of the day pending parent conference at CPA.
4th Offense—1 day In-School Suspension
5th Offense—2 days In-School Suspension
6th Offense—1 days Out-of-School Suspension
7th Offense—3 days Out-of-School Suspension
8th Offense—5 days Out-of-School Suspension
Next Offense—Recommendation to superintendent for Expulsion
Marion students violating the appearance code policy at any extracurricular school activity will be asked to comply immediately with policy or leave the event (no refund for gate admission).
Board Approved: 6-26-08
Revised: 6-11-09
Revised: 7-19-11
Cell Phones on Campus: Students may choose to bring cell phones to school but must follow the restrictions given below.
The student and student’s parent/guardian assume any risk associated with students’ owning/possessing such equipment. CPA is not responsible for phones, damaged, lost, or stolen regardless of its location when the incident occurred.
Cell phone use for any purpose except for an emergency (personal sickness, bus accident, etc.) while riding a bus to and from school is forbidden.
Students must turn in phones for storage in the office during the school day. Students may be allowed access to their cell phones only if approved by the administrator.
Students who do not follow the above policy will face the following consequences:
- 1st offence: confiscation of the phone with parental contact; phone returned at the end of the day
- 2nd offence: confiscation of the phone and parents will have to pick up at CPA
- 3rd offense: confiscation for 5 days and parents will have to pick up at CPA after that time.
- 4th offense: phone will be confiscated for 10 days and parents will have to pick up at CPA after that time.
- 5th offense: confiscation of the phone for the remainder of the semester.
- Additional offenses will be referred to the superintendent for further penalties-even possible expulsion for non-compliance of the Board’s policy.
CONTACT WITH STUDENTS WHILE AT SCHOOL
Contact by parents: Parents wishing to speak to their children during the school day shall register first with the office. Phone calls/messages will be processed by the office staff in such a manner as to not interfere with the student’s education.
Contact by non-custodial parents: If there is any question concerning the legal custody of the student, the custodial parent shall present documentation to the principal or his/her designee establishing the parent’s custody of the student. It shall be the responsibility of the custodial parent to make any court ordered “no contact” or other restrictions regarding the non-custodial parent known to the principal by presenting a copy of a file-marked court order. Without such a court order on file, the school will release the child to either of his/her parents. Non-custodial parents who file with the principal a date-stamped copy of current court orders granting visitation may eat lunch, volunteer in their child’s classroom, or otherwise have contact with their child during school hours and the prior
approval of the school’s principal.
Unless prior arrangements have been made with the school’s principal, Arkansas law provides that the transfer of a child between his/her custodial parent and non-custodial parent, when both parents are present, shall not take place on the school’s property on normal school days during normal hours of school operation.
Contact by law enforcement, social services, or by court order: State Law requires that Department of Human Services employees, local law enforcement, or agents of the Crimes Against Children Division of the Department of Arkansas State Police, may interview students without a court order for the purpose of investigating suspected child abuse. In instances where the interviewers deem it necessary, they may exercise a “72-hour hold ” without first obtaining a court order. Other questioning of students by non-school personnel shall be granted only with a court order directing such questioning, with permission of the parents of a student (or the student if above eighteen [18] years of age), or in response to a subpoena or arrest warrant.
If the District makes a report to any law enforcement agency concerning student misconduct or if access to a student is granted to a law enforcement agency due to a court order, the principal or the principal’s designee shall make a good faith effort to contact the student’s parent, legal guardian, or other person having lawful control by court order, or person acting in loco parentis identified on student enrollment forms.
The principal or the principal's designee shall not attempt to make such contact if presented documentation by the investigator that notification is prohibited because a parent, guardian, custodian, or person standing in loco parentis is named as an alleged offender of the suspected child maltreatment. This exception applies only to interview requests made by a law enforcement officer, an investigator of the Crimes Against Children Division of the Department of Arkansas State Police, or an investigator or employee of the Department of Human Services.
In instances other than those related to cases of suspected child abuse, principals must release a student to either a police officer who presents a subpoena for the student, or a warrant for arrest, or to an agent of state social services or an agent of a court with jurisdiction over a child with a court order signed by a judge. Upon release of the student, the principal or designee shall give the student’s parent, legal guardian, or other person having lawful control by court order, or person acting in loco parentis notice that the student has been taken into custody by law enforcement personnel or a state’s social services agency.
If the principal or designee is unable to reach the parent, he or she shall make a reasonable, good faith effort to get a message to the parent to call the principal or designee, and leave both a day and an evening telephone number. ~
Board Approved: 7-19-11
| |
