BlandHigh School

2006-2007

Student/ Parent Handbook

Table of Contents

Letter from the Principal…………………………………..3

Daily Rules and Procedures……………………………….4

Attendance Policy…………………………………………6

Dress Code………………………………………………...8

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs……………………………...9

Weapons……………………………………………………9

Public Displays of Affection……………………………...10

Use of Personal Electronic Devices………………………10

Lockers……………………………………………………10

Extra-Curricular Activities………………………………..11

List of Extra-Curricular Activities………………………..11

Signing In and Out of School……………………………..12

Make-Up Work…………………………………………....13

Tardy Policy…….…………………………………………13

Bell Schedules……………………………………………..14

Bullying……………………………………………………15

Fighting……………………………………………………15

Parent Teacher Conferences………………………………16

Student Phone Use………………………………………...16

Messages………………………………………………….16

Changing Buses…………………………………………...16

Grievance Procedures for Parents………………………....17

Handbook Receipt/Acknowledgement…………………….18

BlandHigh School

31 Rocket Drive

Bland, VA 24315

(276) 688-3621

Dear Parents and Students,

I would like to take this opportunity to extend to you a warm welcome to the 2006-2007 school year. We are excited about beginning a newschool year and look forward to seeing what each of our students will accomplish in the coming months. The faculty and staff at BlandHigh School are dedicated to ensuring that all students receive the highest quality of education in a safe and secure environment. We know that this will only be possible with the assistance of every student and the support of every parent. If fact, we feel that the entire community has a stake in the success of our students and are willing go beyond the call of duty to make sure that our students excel. Please join us in creating a school climate that is positive,comfortable, and conducive to learning.

The following pages make up our revised handbook for the 2006-2007 school year. Please take the time to review it and we would appreciate any feedback that you provide to us regarding any of our policies. You may notice that we have changed several of our guidelines regarding attendance, public displays of affection, the use of portable electronic devices, and our dress code. The final page needs to be completed and returned to the student’s homeroom teacher.

Once again, welcome to the 2006-2007 school year.

Sincerely,

Kevin W. Siers, Principal

Daily Rules & Procedures

Before School

  1. All students, who wish to eat breakfast, need to report directly to the cafeteria upon entering the school building.
  2. Students who do not wish to eat need to report to the high school gym. (Students will not be allowed to report to the gym first and then leave to go to the cafeteria.)
  3. Students will travel from the cafeteria to the high school gym using the outside doors. Students should not be in the main hallways for any reason.
  4. Vocational students will be dismissed from the gym at 8:25 to report to their lockers. All other students need to remain in the gym or cafeteria until the morning bell rings.
  5. High school students may pass elementary students in the breakfast line prior to 8:25 a.m.
  6. All cafeteria trays and silverware must remain in the cafeteria.

During Class

  1. All students must have a hall pass when not in class.
  2. Students who need to do work in another classroom must get written permission from their regular scheduled teacher.
  3. Students sent out of class by the teacher must report directly to the office.
  4. Students will only be allowed to use the phone for emergency reasons during class time.

Lunch

  1. All students need to report to the cafeteria during lunch time.
  2. Students are not allowed to sign out for lunch.
  3. Students are not allowed to bring pop or “fast food” into the lunch room. (If a parent wishes for their child to consume these items, the school will make arrangements for the student to eat lunch in an alternate setting.)
  4. Students needing to make up work in a teacher’s room will need to obtain written permission from that teacher prior to lunch and present the note to the faculty member who is on lunch duty.
  5. Students needing to leave the cafeteria are required to obtain permission from the faculty member on duty.
  6. All cafeteria trays and silverware must remain in the cafeteria.

After School

  1. All students, who are not participating in an after-school activity, need to be out of the school building by 3:25 p.m.
  2. Students who are participating in an after-school activity need to report to their teacher, coach, or sponsor by 3:30 p.m.
  3. The activity buses are only for students who participate in school sponsored events at the athletic fields in Bastian or at RockyGapHigh School. Students are not to ride the activity buses if they are only going as spectators.
  4. Students, who stay for any after school activity, need to be picked up no later than 10 minutes after that activity ends.

Attendance Policy

Statistics prove that the surest indicator of astudent’s success in school is attendance. Last year, over 90% of our students who did not pass their Standards of Learning (SOL) tests were those with poor attendance habits. The Bland County School Board approved a new attendance policy that went into effect during the 2005-2006 school year. The following bullets describe how this plan is implemented at BlandHigh School:

Students are allowed up to six unexcused absences during the entire school year.

Students will first be marked as unexcused for all absences. This will be changed to an excused absence when the student turns in his/her absence excuse to the high school secretary. There must be a note turned in for an absence to be excused. Phone calls will not guarantee that an absence will be marked as excused.

All excuses must be turned in on the day that the student returns to school. The school reserves the right to keep absences marked as unexcused if notes are not brought in on the day that the student returns. (*Up to five absences may be excused with a parent’s note. All excused absences past five will require a doctor’s excuse.)

Students who exceed six unexcused absences will be required to attend after-school make up sessions which run from 3:30-4:30 on Monday-Thursday. (Make up sessions will not begin until the first week of November.) One hour of make up time equals one class period.

Students who exceed six unexcused absences and do not make up their time will receive a failing grade for that course.

Letters will be sent home after a student has accumulated six unexcused absences and again after a student has accumulated twelve unexcused absences. The school will begin the process of filing truancy charges on any student who accumulates more than twelve unexcused absences.

Parents who wish to appeal an attendance issue should request a hearing with the schools attendance committee. Requests should be made in writing to:

BHS Attendance Committee

31 Rocket Drive

Bland, VA 24315

All appeals will be scheduled and heard within five school days after receipt of the request.

Dress Code

Clothing that displays promotions for illegal substances, contains inappropriate pictures or profanity will not be worn.

Shirts must be full length and cover the shoulders. (No tank tops or “spaghetti straps”)

All shorts and skirts must at least cover to the mid-thigh.

Holes in pants or shorts must be lower than the mid-thigh.

Hats will only be allowed on designated hat days.

Sunglasses may only be worn while participating in outdoor events.

Wallet chains need to be left at home.

All pants must be worn around the waist. (No saggy pants with underwear exposed.)

All book bags/back packs must be left in the students’ lockers after school begins.

Pajamas and house-shoes will be allowed only on designated pajama days.

Hooded sweatshirts are permitted as long as the hood is not worn while inside of the school.

Consequences

  1. Students, who are in violation of the dress code, will be directed to correct the situation. (Students will be allowed to call home, if needed, in order to secure clothing that complies with the code.)
  2. Students who are unwilling to correct the situation will be suspended for one day on the first offense.
  3. Students who have committed two or more dress code violations will serve in In-School Suspension or Out-of-School suspension until a parent conference can be held with the school administrator.

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs

Tobacco- Students should not have tobacco or tobacco related products (including lighters) in their possession during school or at any school sponsored event. The consequence for violation of this policy is a three day suspension on the first offense, five days on the second, and ten days for each offense thereafter.

Alcohol- Alcohol possession or consumption at school or school sponsored events is prohibited. The consequence for violation of this policy is a ten day suspension on the first offense and a ten day suspension with a recommendation for expulsion for the second offense.

Drugs- There is a zero tolerance for possession or use of illegal drugs at school or school sponsored events. Students in violation of this policy will be suspended for ten days with a recommendation for a one year expulsion.

Weapons

Students are prohibited from bringing knives, guns, chains, etc. onto school grounds. Students in violation of this policy will be suspended for a minimum of 10 days with a possible recommendation for expulsion.

Public Displays of Affection

Students will refrain from all public displays of affection during school hours. These include holding hands, hugging, kissing, etc. Violation of this policy will result in an office referral. Repeated offenses will result in an assigned consequence ranging from a phone call home to In-School Suspension.

Use of Personal Electronic Devices

Students will refrain from bringing cell phones, CD players, MP-3 players, hand-held video games, etc. to school. Students caught with these items between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. will have them confiscated. All confiscated items will be turned in to the office where they will be kept until the last day of school unless a parent comes in to sign for the item.

Lockers

All students will be assigned a locker. Students are expected to keep their lockers locked at all times. The school is not responsible for items stolen from lockers.

Students should feel free to decorate their lockers with appropriate materials that are not deemed offensive to others. Students should not write, draw, or paint in or on their lockers.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities. Statistics show that students who are involved in school sponsored activities perform better in the classroom and demonstrate better attendance patterns. In order to be eligible, students must have passed a minimum of five courses for the proceeding semester. Students who wish to participate on an athletic team must also have a current physical on file with the Athletic Director.

List of Extra-Curricular Activites

Football- Varsity, JV, and 7th & 8th Grade

Weight Lifting

Girl’s Basketball- Varsity, JV, and 7th & 8th Grade

Boy’s Basketball- Varsity, JV, and 7th & 8th Grade

Girl’s Tennis- Varsity and JV

Boy’s Tennis- Varsity and JV

Baseball- Varsity and JV

Softball- Varsity and JV

Track and Field- Varsity and JV

Cross Country

Golf

Football Cheerleading- Varsity and JV

Basketball Cheerleading- Varsity and JV

Soccer- JV

Volleyball- Varsity and JV

School Newspaper

Senior and Junior Beta Clubs

Forensics

One-Act Play

Drama Club

Yearbook

MACC Teams

FFA

FBLA

FCCLA

Signing In and Out of School

Students who arrive at school after the 8:34 tardy bell rings must sign in at the office and obtain a tardy slip.

All students must sign-out before leaving school grounds.

Students who need to sign out for an illness must first see the school nurse.

Students, who know in advance that they will be signing out, need to bring in a note from their parent(s) which lists the date and time the sign out will occur along with the reason for signing out. This note must also have a valid phone number where the parent can be reached for verification.

Students, who return to school after signing out, must sign back in through the office.

Parents who wish for their child to sign out rather than attend a school sponsored event during school hours (i.e.- pep rallies, ball games, etc.) will need to make arrangements in advance by personally calling the school or coming in to sign the student out. Students will not be allowed to call home on the day of the event in order to sign out. (Students who do not wish to attend these events will be scheduled a study hall.)

Students who leave school without following the sign-out procedures will be assigned a consequence ranging from In-School Suspension to Out-Of-School Suspension.

Make-Up Work

Students, who are absent (excused and unexcused), must obtain their make-up work on the day they return to school. Students will be given three school days to turn in all assignments for a single absence. Students who missed two or more consecutive days will be given three school days for the first day missed plus one day for each additional day missed. (Example- Three consecutive days of absences equals five school days to turn in all make-up work).

Tardy Policy

Students need to be inside of their classroom when the tardy bell rings. Students who are not in the classroom will need to sign the tardy log in their teacher’s room. Students will need to complete one day of make-up time for every three unexcused tardies that they accumulate.

**Students who are tardy because they were finishing work in another class need to present a note from that teacher to their regular scheduled teacher.

BELL SCHEDULES

REGULAR SCHEDULE

1ST 8:30-9:25

2ND 9:29-10:20

3RD10:24-11:15

4TH11:19-12:10

5TH12:14-1:30

A Lunch 12:14-12:40

B Lunch 1:05-1:30

6TH1:34-2:25

7TH2:29-3:15

ONE HOUR LATE TWO HOUR LATE

1ST 9:30-10:10 1ST10:30-11:10

2ND10:14-10:50 2ND11:14-11:50

3RD10:54-11:30 3RD11:54-12:30

4TH11:34-12:10 4TH12:34-1:10

5TH12:19-1:30 5TH1:14-2:00

A Lunch 12:19-12:45 A Lunch 1:10-1:35

B Lunch 1:05-1:30 B Lunch 1:35-2:00

6th1:34-2:25 6TH2:04-2:40

7th2:29-3:15 7TH2:44-3:15

EARLY DISMISSAL

1ST8:30-9:00

2ND9:04-9:35

3RD9:39-10:10

4TH10:14-10:45

6TH10:49-11:20

7TH11:24-12:00

5TH12:04-1:00

A Lunch 12:04-12:30

B Lunch 12:35-1:00

Bullying

Bully-

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Main Entry: 3bully
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): bul·lied; bul·ly·ing
transitive senses
1: to treat abusively
2: to affect by means of force or coercion
intransitive senses: to use browbeating language or behavior :

…Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Every student should feel safe and free from harassment while at school. Bullying, in any form, will not be tolerated. Students who are victims of bullying behavior are encouraged to report all incidents to a teacher, counselor, or school administrator.

The school has developed a comprehensive process for dealing with students who harass or intimidate. All referrals for bullying will be forwarded to the Peer Mediation Team after the school administrator has determined an appropriate consequence. The Peer Mediation Team (made up of students and the guidance counselor) will meet individually with the student(s) to discuss his/her actions and develop a “plan of alternate behavior” that the student will be expected to follow in the future.

Fighting

Fighting in school is defined as a verbal or physical altercation between two or more students. The consequence for these incidents varies depending on the situation. At a minimum, a verbal altercation between students will result in a one day out-of-school suspension. At a minimum, a physical altercation will result in three days of out-of-school suspension.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

If a conference is desired, teachers should be contacted ahead of time to schedule a mutually convenient time. This may be during the teacher’s planning time, before school, or after school. Visitors will not be allowed tointerrupt instructional time except for emergencies. This takes away valuable learning time from your child and the other students as well. Let us know what your conferencing needs are, and we will plan our time to accommodate you.

Student Phone Use

Students will not use the office phone for calls except in an emergency. If you must get a message to your child at school, a message will be taken to them. They will not be called from an instructional class except in case of emergency.

Messages

If parents need to get a message to school, they need to send a written note. The child often becomes confused when he/she tries to remember a message all the way to school.

Changing Buses

If a student is not taking his/her regular bus home, but will be picked up at school or will take a different bus home with a friend, it is extremely IMPORTANT and REQUIRED that a note from the parent/guardian must be receive by the teacher. If a child is planning to visit a friend who rides the same bus, but lives at a different stop, teachers still request a note. Students will be issued a BussPass to be presented to the bust driver indicating that a change in bus or bus stop has been approved

Grievance Procedures for Parents

We understand that there will be times when parents and students disagree with a decision made by a teacher or school administrator. Therefore, we have created the following grievance procedure to give parents the opportunity to resolve their concerns.

  1. Parents will need to address the problem directly with the person (teacher or principal) whose decision they are protesting.
  2. If the problem cannot be resolved at the first level, the parent has a right to request a meeting with the next person in the chain of command. If the grievance is with a teacher, the parent needs to request a meeting with the principal. If the grievance is with the Principal, the parent should request a meeting with the Superintendent.
  3. If the Principal and Superintendent are not able to resolve the problem to the parent’s satisfaction, they have the right to appeal to the School Board. Generally the school board meetings are held on the last Monday of each month. The decision of the school board will be considered final in all matters.

BlandHigh School