Policies

Absences

When a student is absent, parents should contact Mrs. Fontana before 10:00 AM to report the absence.

If she is unavailable, students should bring a note when they return to school that states the date and reason for their absence.

Students whose parents have successfully called in need not provide a note.

Homework requests for students absent for three or more days should be directed to Mrs. Fontana.

Lorna Fontana

650-877-8848

[email protected]

Attendance and Discipline

The assistant principal oversees school attendance, discipline, and safety issues. Parents who wish to speak to the assistant principal may schedule an appointment.

Parents meeting with the assistant principal or picking up their child following a disciplinary meeting should do so at the main office.

The campus supervisor who patrols the school to ensure student safety can also be reached through the main office.

Behavior

Our school is dedicated to providing a healthy, happy, safe, and nurturing learning environment for all students. The student/parent handbook contains policies and expectations for the safe and orderly operation of the school. This handbook is contained in the student planner/agenda and is given out to each student at the beginning of the year.

Some teachers have additional specific rules/procedures for their classrooms. Students are expected to follow them. Most student infractions are minor and are resolved with a teacher-student or administrator/counselor-student conference. We understand that part of being a child is making mistakes and learning from them.

At our school, we try to teach students to be accountable for their actions and to resolve conflicts in a professional manner. When students struggle to make appropriate decisions or respond appropriately to peers and staff, we support and redirect students with the help of their families. Such interventions can including a parent-teacher conference and community service.

Should negative patterns of behavior continue, other measures will be used to deter students. These can include detention, withdrawal of student privileges, restitution, suspension, and expulsion (for illegal behaviors as set by state law).

Bikes, Skateboards, Rollerblades, and Scooters

Cell Phones and Electronic Devices

Cell phones are allowed on campus, but students may use them only before or after school. They are not to be used in classes, hallways, or at lunch.

In the event of an emergency, a student may always come to the main office to use our phones or call home on their cell phone under the supervision of a staff member. This is to ensure student safety and to limit classroom disruptions.

Other electronic devices are not allowed and should not be brought to school with the exception of district-issued Chromebooks.

The school assumes no responsibility for cell phones brought to school.

Closed Campus

Our school maintains a closed campus. Students are not permitted to leave campus after arriving at school in the morning without a note presented to the attendance secretary.

All visitors must check in at the main office, sign in, and receive a visitor’s badge. Individuals arriving to pick up a child should be prepared to present identification and must also be listed on the child’s emergency form.

Students who leave campus without permission will be considered truant.

Early Departure

Search and Seizure

In order to maintain a safe school environment for all students and staff, the SSFUSD school board authorizes school officials to conduct searches of student lockers or other school or district or student property, if there is reasonable suspicion or grounds that the search will uncover evidence that a student is violating the law or the rules of the district or school.

All searches will be conducted in the presence of an SSFUSD employee, and no school employee shall conduct body cavity searches or searches that involve removing or rearranging clothing to permit visual inspection of underclothing, breasts, buttocks, or the genital area.

Parents shall be notified by SSFUSD as soon as possible after the search.

Reasonable Cause

School officials shall consider the following in determining a reasonable cause for a search:

Student’s age and previous behavior patterns
Prevalence and seriousness of the problem at the school to which the search was directed
Urgency requiring search without delay
Substantive value and reliability of the information used as justification for the search
Location of the student at the time of the incident which gave rise to reasonable suspicion

Student Lockers

Student lockers are under the joint control of the student, SSFUSD, and school officials. School officials have the right and ability to open and inspect any school locker without student permission when there is reasonable suspicion that the search will disclose evidence of illegal possessions or activity or when odors, smoke, fire, or other threats to student health, welfare, and safety emanate from the locker.

For health and safety reasons, a general inspection of school properties such as lockers and desks may be conducted on a regular, announced basis with students standing by their lockers or desks.

Any items in a locker shall be considered the property of the student to whom the locker is assigned. Notice of this policy shall be given to all students.

Legal references: Education Code 49050-49501 and Penal Code 626.9

Student Pick-Up and Drop-Off

Students waiting for parents after 3:30 PM should wait on the blacktop or up by the main office flagpole and marquee.

When it is raining, students may wait under the awning in front of the P.E. locker rooms and NOT by the gates near the street.

Students should NOT loiter on campus after 3:30 PM, unless they are engaged in school-related, supervised activities.

Parents picking up their children by car must abide by the following procedures and guidelines to help maintain the safety of all students and keep traffic moving:

Respect the traffic patrol and follow their directions. Traffic cones are placed to assist in traffic flow.
Do NOT park in the red zone along Westborough Boulevard. The police may ticket cars parked there, as it is a “No Stopping Anytime” zone set by the city.
The upper parking lot near the office and the back road are only for the use of school employees and school buses. Please Do NOT park there, or you will be asked to move.
Drop off your children in the morning by moving as far up the hill as possible. This allows more cars to enter the blacktop and keeps traffic moving. Stopping down by the basketball hoops backs up traffic.
The blacktop opens no earlier than 2:55 PM. The blacktop also functions as a P.E. classroom. Students may NOT come down to the blacktop until after the dismissal bell rings.
Do NOT run over traffic cones or stop at the blacktop entrance or on the street to pick up your child. It backs up the traffic.
Move your car as far onto the blacktop as possible in the afternoon. This allows more cars inside and keeps the traffic moving on Westborough Boulevard.
Stay behind the yellow dotted line when leaving in the afternoon. Park your car and have your children come to you. Do NOT pull up to the overhang, as it is unsafe for the children.

Please drive defensively and watch for other cars and students/staff. We do our best to help, but everyone needs to pay attention.

To avoid traffic on the blacktop in the morning or after school:

Arrive at 8:00 AM instead of 8:20 AM.
Arrive at 3:15 PM instead of 3:00 PM.
Drop off or meet your child up the hill at the 7/11 or bus stop OR drop off or meet your child down the hill on Galway near Westborough Park

Suspension and Expulsion

Tardiness

Students who are more than 10 minutes late to school should report to the attendance office to obtain an ADMIT slip to their class.

The first bell rings at 8:20 AM, and the tardy bell rings at 8:25 AM. Students arriving up to 30 minutes late to school are considered tardy.

After 30 minutes the student is considered truant and should report to the attendance and discipline office.

Students are considered tardy if they are still in the boys or girls locker room when the second (tardy) bell rings, or if they are not at their seat in the classroom when the second (tardy) bell rings.

Students who are habitually tardy and who fail to complete the teacher’s consequences may be considered to be exhibiting defiant behavior.

Such students will be referred to the assistant principal and assigned a consequence such as detention or Saturday school. The student's parents or guardian will also be contacted

Students begin with a blank slate every new quarter.

Progressive Discipline

First tardy.
- Students warned, and tardy is recorded
Second tardy
- Students assigned 10-minute detention by teacher
Third tardy
- Students assigned 10-minute detention by teacher
- Parents contacted
Fourth tardy
- Referral to assistant principal
Fifth tardy
- Referral to assistant principal
Five or more tardies
- Referral to assistant principal
- Additional detention and/or community service assigned

Truancy

First Notification Letter

To be classified as a truant, a student must have had three (3) unexcused absences or three (3) tardies of 30 minutes or more. Education Code Section 48260.5 requires that the parent/guardian be notified by a letter informing them of what can occur if their child fails to attend school.

Second Notification Letter and Truancy Meeting

In the event of continued attendance issues, the school will generate a second letter that includes a time and date for a meeting with the school principal.

Students who have been identified as truant (5 or more unexcused absences and/or 10 tardies) will be presented with an attendance contract or attendance improvement plan.

Regular truancy meetings will be held with students and their parents/guardians to improve the student's attendance rate. Our schoolwide average daily attendance (ADA) goal is 98%.

Third Notification Letter and School Attendance and Review Board (SARB)

In the event of continued attendance issues, the student child will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

Uniform and Dress Code

Clothing must completely cover skin from the top of the chest, back, and shoulders. Straps must cover at least two inches of each shoulder to the lower-thigh.

Leggings may be worn to cover skin if there are holes in pants above the knee.

Pants must be worn at the waist.

Appropriate undergarments should be worn but not seen.

Closed toed shoes must be worn in lab-based classes; appropriate athletic shoes in P.E.

Hats, hoods, sweatbands, other types of head coverings and sunglasses may only be worn outside, unless a religious practice or a doctor’s note dictates the necessity of such items inside.