HANCOCK
HIGH AND MIDDLE
SCHOOL
2005-2006
HANDBOOK
OF
STUDENT
GUIDELINES
Thomas Q. Zachary, Principal
Donnie Seal, Assistant Principal
Becky Holt, Guidance Counselor
Kay Greene, Guidance Counselor
Hancock High/Middle School
Phone: (423) 733-4611
Fax (423) 733-1427
INTRODUCTION
Dear
Students,
These
guidelines are to help you get to know what it
takes to “make it” at Hancock County High and
Middle School. I suggest that you read them
carefully
so
you know what is expected of you and how to
make wise decisions concerning education and
behavior at Hancock County High and Middle School.
Sincerely,
Mr.
Thomas Q. Zachary
Principal
GUIDANCE
A
guidance counselor is available to assist students in
planning schedules, checking records, and completing
forms for continuing education after high school.
Each
student should have a conference with the
counselor not less than once a year.
EACH STUDENT HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO:
- Know and adhere to reasonable rules and regulations
established by local boards of education and implemented
by school administrators and teachers.
- Respect the human dignity and worth of every individual.
- Refrain from libel, slanderous remarks, and obscenity in
verbal and written expression.
- Study diligently and maintain the best possible level of
academic achievement.
- Be punctual and present in the regular school program.
- Dress and groom in a manner that meets reasonable
standards of health, cleanliness, modesty, and safety.
- Help maintain and improve the school environment,
preserve school property, and exercise the utmost care
while using school facilities.
- Refrain from gross disobedience or misconduct or behavior
which would lead to any physical harm or that disrupts the
educational process.
- Respect the reasonable exercise of authority by school
administrators and teachers in maintaining discipline in the
school and at school-sponsored activities.
- Obey the law and rules so as not be subjected to ill
effects or endanger others by the possession or the use of
alcohol, illegal drugs, and other unauthorized substances.
- Carry only those materials which are acceptable under the
law and accept the consequences for the articles stored in
one’s locker.
STATEMENT OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
HANCOCK COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM
RECOGNIZES THE FOLLOWING:
The primary intent of
society in establishing the public school, is
To provide an
opportunity for learning, that the students have full
Rights of citizenship
as delineated in the United States Constitution
and its amendments, that citizenship rights
must not be abridged,
obstructed, or in other ways altered except in accordance with due
process of
law, and that education is one of these citizen rights.
And that:
It is the policy of
the
Discriminate on the
basis of race, color, religion, national origin,
age, or disability in its educational programs
or employment
policies as required by Titles VI and VII of the
Civil Rights Act
of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX
(1972) Educational
Amendments, Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Inquires regarding
compliance with Title IX, section 504 or the
American with
Disabilities Act should be directed to the office of
The Director,
or to the Office for Civil Right,
Gary Seal, Title VI,
Title IX Coordinator, 429 Court Street
(Central Office),
SealG@Ten-Nash.Ten.K12.TN.US, or
the Office for Civil Rights,
PERMANENT RECORD
According to the
Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the
Parent/guardian or
student age 18 or over is permitted to inspect
and review educational records relating to the
student.
RULES AND GUIDELINES
LEAVING SCHOOL
DURING THE DAY
Any student leaving early for any reason must obtain
the permission of the principal or designee and must
sign out in the office. No student can leave and return
without permission from the
office. This does not
constitute an excused
absence.
Notes from the
parents will not be accepted unless they
have a telephone number for a parent for
verification by
the office.
Adult students, those 18 years old or older, must have
consent from parent(s) on file in order to sign themselves
out of school.
A parent or guardian must report to the front counter
to pick up a student.
Any student who does not properly check out is
considered truant.
ILLNESS
Students who become ill shall report to the office
for referral to the school clinic.
STUDENT DRIVING
AND PARKING
All students who drive to
school must register their car
or vehicle with
the office. The cost of the parking sticker
is $20.00.
Students must park in
designated areas in an assigned
space.
Immediately after arriving
at school, drivers and occupants
are required to get out of the car and go to their
assigned
areas or classrooms; students are not to re-enter the car
until officially dismissed from school unless given special
permission through the office.
Campus speed limit is 15
mph on the entrance way
and 5 mph in the parking and loading areas.
Driving privileges will be
revoked and a suspension
issued as a result of taking another student off campus
without authorization, by leaving campus without
permission, and/or by being repeatedly tardy to
school.
Illegally parked vehicles
will be towed.
OPENING AND CLOSING OF SCHOOL
Students arriving early or
leaving after official
dismissal time are expected to remain in designated
areas of the building and campus while waiting for
school to begin in the morning and for buses or other
rides in the afternoon.
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT,
GAMES (TOYS)
Students are not to have CD players, headphones, radios,
video games, walkmans, etc. at school. Possession of any
of these devices will result in the item being confiscated.
Playing cards of any type are prohibited.
VANDALISM
It is the policy of the Hancock County School System
to require any student who defaces or destroys school
property to restore or replace the damaged item. A
student or students, who commit vandalism may also be
cited to Juvenile Court.
DISRUPTION OF THE
EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
No student shall by the use of violence, force, noise,
coercion, threat, intimidation, fear, active and passive
resistance, pulling the fire alarm, or any other conduct,
cause the disruption or obstruction of any lawful mission,
process or function of the school, or urge other students to
engage in such conduct. Pulling the fire alarm without
proper provocation is a Class B misdemeanor, that can
results in up to 45 days in jail and up to $200.00 in fines
plus court cost. In addition, to being cited to court students
pulling the fire alarm will be subject to suspension,
alternative school or expulsion.
SEARCH AND SEIZURE
School authorities are charged with the responsibility of
safeguarding the students in their care. In the discharge of
that responsibility school authorities may search student’s
property (including vehicles, purses, backpacks, gym bags,
etc.) or a student, with or without the student’s consent.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Students who participate in
extra-curricular activities
are required to be in attendance the full day of the
event, or have permission from the principal to
participate under special circumstances.
GRADES
A (4.0) = 93 – 100
B (3.0) = 85 – 92
C (2.0) = 75 – 84
D (1.0) = 70 – 74
F (0.0) = 0 – 69
28 credits required for
graduation.
LOCKERS
Lockers will be assigned to
each student. Locks will be rented
from the school office.
The cost is $5.00. If other locks
are used
on school lockers, they will be removed. Students cannot share
lockers or switch lockers or locks without permission from
the office.
Students are expected to
keep lockers clean and understand that the
school has the right to inspect or search lockers at any
time.
Unannounced and random drug
dog searches will also be conducted.
TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks are issued
free. When textbooks are issued to a
student he
or she is financially responsible for those
textbooks. If a textbook is
not returned or lost,
the student must pay for the textbooks.
TELEPHONES
Office telephones are not
for student use and should not be used
without
permission. Only in cases of emergency
will students be
called to the phone
during class.
CELLULAR PHONES
Pursuant to
Policy, NO cell phones are allowed at
school or on school
property.
VISITORS
Hancock High and Middle School is a closed campus. Visitors
are not permitted except for official reason approved by the
principal’s office. Students should not bring guests to school
or have visitors from outside. Any visitor who has reason to
be on campus should report to the office, sign in, and receive
a visitor’s permit. Students are not to bring young children to
school at any time.
USE OF TOBACCO
The use of tobacco in any form is prohibited on school premises
and on school buses during transportation to and from school and
to and from school activities. Possession of tobacco products is
also included in the ban. The penalty for use of tobacco or tobacco
products will be a citation to Juvenile Court.
REASONABLE SUSPICION
OF SMOKING
Any student who has a very strong odor of cigarette smoke or strong
odor of cigarette smoke as s/he speaks, may be associated with recent
smoking and may be disciplined with smoking on school grounds.
PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF
AFFECTION
Demonstration of affection between students is personal and not
meant for public display. This included touching, petting, or any
other contact that may be considered sexual in nature.
FUNDRAISERS
school
sponsored organizations. Selling without
the principal’s
permission
or during class time is strictly prohibited.
CAFETERIA/LUNCH
PERIODS
In
order for the cafeteria to operate efficiently, students should wait
their
turn in line, eat quietly, take all trays and silverware to the
designated
disposal areas, and not seat more at a table than it was
designed
to accommodate.
All
food and drinks must be eaten in the cafeteria.
No soft drinks
are
allowed in the cafeteria. No food is to
be brought or delivered to
students on campus during school hours.
HALL
PASSES
Each
student must have a hall pass as evidence of teacher permission
to leave
the room during class time. A tardy will be given for not
having a
hall pass when out of the classroom.
STUDENT DRESS CODE
Students will come to school dressed in an appropriate
manner according to the following rules listed below.
While fashion changes, the reason for being in school
does not. Students are in school to learn. Any
fashion
(dress,
accessory, or hairstyle) that disrupts the
educational process or presents a safety risk will not
be permitted.
If a student has selected a manner of
appearance that is beyond mere freedom of expression
and disrupts the educational process or
presents a
risk to the student or others, s/he may be
removed from
the school and sent home.
Student attire and
Accessories Regulations
· There will be no midriff, tank tops, halter-tops,
muscle shirts; sun-dresses, or spaghetti straps.
Shirts, blouses, and dresses must completely
cover the abdomen and back. Shirts or tops must
cover the waistband of pants or skirts with no
midriff visible. Students are prohibited from
wearing shirts/blouses that are oversized or
immodestly undersized.
· Head apparel (hats, headbands, bandannas, other
head coverings, and sunglasses) are not permitted
to be worn in the building.
· Clothing that advertises alcohol, drugs, or tobacco
products and clothing with look-a-like alcohol, drug,
tobacco slogans, or trademarks are not permitted.
· Clothing with writing and /or symbols that are
obscene or suggestive of obscenities, violence,
and/or drug/alcohol related are not permitted.
Clothing with rips, holes, cuts that expose the
body or underclothes are not permitted.
· Swimwear or any spandex type clothing, shorts
or shirts are not permitted.
· Appropriate footwear must be worn at all times.
· Oversized clothing and jackets that are excessive
or compromises the safety of students will not
be permitted.
· Chains or studded accessories are not permitted and
will be confiscated.
· Mini-skirts or shorts or garments of this nature are not
acceptable; skirts must be knee length.
· Apparel or appearance which tends to draw attention
to an individual rather than to a learning situation must
be avoided.
· 1st period teachers will assume responsibility for
overseeing dress code compliance. Students
in
violation of dress code will be sent to the office.
·
In
situation where a disagreement exists regarding
this dress code, the principal shall make the final
decision.
·
A written
record of violators will be kept in the
office. Obvious violators will be
required to change
or sent to In-School for the remainder of the day.
Students will be unexcused for class missed for
dress code violations.
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
Students will not possess,
distribute or be under the
influence of illegal drugs or alcoholic beverages in
school buildings or on school grounds, in school
vehicles or buses, or at any school-sponsored activity
at any time, whether on or off school grounds. If a
student violates this policy, he/she will be subject to
expulsion from school.
WEAPONS
Students shall not possess,
handle, transmit, use or attempt
to use any dangerous weapon in school buildings or on
school grounds at any time, or in school vehicles and/or
buses or off the school grounds at a school-sponsored
activity, function or event.
If a student violates this
policy, he/she will be subject to
expulsion from school.
ATTENDANCE
POLICY
LATE TO CLASS
Any student entering any
classroom after the tardy
bell rings is considered late. (Teachers will keep a
tardy list and turn it in at the end of the day.) Students
who accumulate four (4) tardies
will be placed in
in-school detention.
Principals who catch students late
for class may issue punishment in addition to giving a
tardy.
LATE TO SCHOOL
Any student who arrives at
school after the first tardy bell
shall report to the office.
EXCUSED ABSENCES
Excused absences will not
count as penalty absences.
However, students are
responsible for making up
missed class work.
Excused absences will be given
for the following reasons:
1.
Illness with
doctor verification
2.
Death in the
family
3.
Recognized
religious holiday
4.
School sponsored
activities
5.
Extreme family
hardships
6.
Student absences
approved by the principal
UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
A student may miss
(unexcused) three (3) times during
a nine-week grading period without having his/her grade
penalized for absences.
However, he/she is expected to
make up any work missed.
After three (3) unexcused
absences in a nine-week grading period, make-up work
and grade penalties may be given at the discretion of the
teacher.
When a student
has eleven (11) unexcused
absences during a grading period he/she
will receive a failure in the class.
Unexcused Absence Examples
The following excuses are
example of, but not an
exhaustive list of reasons for unexcused absences.
·
Truancy
·
Tardy
·
Visiting
·
Shopping
·
Oversleeping
·
Missing
the school bus or ride to school
·
Hair
appointment, tanning appointment, senior pictures
·
Working/working
at home (discretion of the principal)
·
Baby-sitting
·
Job
Interviews
·
Absent
from school, but able to work or be away from
the home in the evening
·
Appointments
other than doctor, dentist, college
visitation, or family vacation
·
Car
trouble
Students who are absent from school may not
participate in after school activities unless
approval is granted by an administrator.
THE FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND
PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)
Statue: 20
FERPA provides that an LEA that receives
Department funds may not have a policy or
practice of denying parents the right to:
- Inspect and review education records
(34 CFR section 99.10)
- Seek to amend education records
(34 CFR section 99.20, 99.21, and 99.22).
- Consent to the disclosure of personally
identifiable information from education
records. (34 CFR section 99.30 and 99.31).
These rights transfer to the student when he or she
turns 18 years of age or enters a postsecondary
educational institution at any age (“eligible student”).
THE PROTECTION OF
PUPIL RIGHTS
The Protections of Pupil Rights Amendment
(PPRA), 20 U. S. C. – 1232h, requires Hancock
consent or allow you to opt your child out of
participating in certain school activities. These
activities include a student survey, analysis,
or evaluation that concerns one or more of the
following eight areas
(“protected
information surveys”):
- Political affiliations or beliefs of the student
or student’s parent;
- Mental or psychological problems of the
student or student’s family;
- Sex behavior or attitudes;
- Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or
demeaning behavior.
- Critical appraisals of others with whom
respondents have close family relationships;
- Legally recognized privileged relationships,
such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers;
- Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of
students or parents; or
- Income, other than as required by law to
determine program eligibility.
This requirement also applies to the collection,
disclosure or use of student information for
marketing purposes (“marketing surveys”), and
certain physical exams and screening.
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT
OF
EDUCATION CONTACT
INFORMATION
Child Advocacy Group
Contact Information
Answers to many questions and much helpful
information may be obtained from the State
Department of Education by calling 1-888-212-3162
or visiting
http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/index.htm.
Legal Services Division
Division of Special Education,
Tennessee Department of Education
Phone: 615-741-2851
Fax: 615-253-5567 or 615-532-9412
Phone: 865-594-5691
Fax: 865-594-8909