Washington High School

Policies and Regulations

Attendance Regulations

1. All student absences must be excused within 48 hours of the absence via a telephone call (notes not accepted) from a parent or guardian.

2. Absences will be excused for the following reasons:
     -  illness
     -  professional appointments
     -  bereavement
     -  religious observance
     -  court summons
     -  pre-arranged family activity

3. Any absence from school for reasons other than those listed above will be designated as an unexcused absence.

4. Through a telephone call or a mailed notice, the attendance office personnel will attempt to notify parents or guardians of an unexcused absence.

5. The third unexcused absence in a class may result in the student being dropped from the missed class or the student's assignment to after-school detention.

6. A total of ten absences in a class for any combination of excused and unexcused reasons may also result in the student being dropped fron the missed class or the student's assignment to after-school detention. Hospitalization or extended illness under a doctor's care will be considered as exceptions to the "ten absence rule." An appeal of this decision may be made to the attendance counselor.

7. A reinstatement policy exists for students who have been dropped from a class for unexcused absences. The student needs to see the attendance counselor for guidelines.

Tardies

1. Students must be through the door of the classroom when the tone sounds. Students who are not in their assigned classrooms will be counted as tardy. Students who arrive at the classroom after the first five minutes of class will be counted absent.

2. Generally, teachers handle tardiness according to their individual classroom rules. The administration supports those classrom rules.

24 Hour Surveillance

Interior and exterior surveillance devices monitor the WHS campus 24 hours a day. Damage and vandalism to vehicles has been reduced since their installation a year ago. Also, loiterers and non-students can be targeted on campus.

Parking Regulations

All vehicles driven to WHS must be registered. Only one permit will be issued to each driver. The permit should be displayed in the car that is driven to school on any given day. Students may register vehicles and receive a parking permit without charge. A lost permit may be replaced for $4. The registration process is to protect vehicle owners when it becomes necessary to locate the owner in the event of an emergency. It will also help maintain an orderly procedure for parking.

The following rules will be enforced:

Improperly, illegally parked vehicles (including cars parked in restricted areas) may be ticketed or towed at the owners expense.
All vehicles must display the permit issued for that vehicle.
The permit should be hung from the rear-view mirror.
Vehicles without registration will also be ticketed.
Vehicles parked in handicapped parking areas will be fined and/or towed.
Reckless driving will result in immediate revocation of the parking permit. Examples of reckless driving include driving too fast for conditions, passing school buses, smoke shows, and squealing tires.

Each violation/infraction carries a $10 fine. Parents will be notified on the third infraction.

Sexual Harassment Policy

Educating staff and students in regard to sexual harassment issues has been an on-going activity at Washington for the past several years. The staff at Washington High School is committed to providing a safe and positive learning environment for all students, and sexual harassment on the basis of gender or sexual orientation is not tolerated.

Sexual harassment is a violation of both state and federal laws. Any unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that interferes with an individuals school performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment can be reported to a teacher or administrator. Students may also fill out a complaint form found in the Main Office, Student Center, Health Clinic, Counseling Office, or IMC.

Staff and student committees are actively working on this issue. If you have any suggestions or concerns, please contact Vicki Solursh, staff committee chair, at 398-2161, ext. 42.

Open Enrollment

Parents/guardians of open enrolled students whose income falls below 160% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for transportation assistance. This may be in the form of actual transportation or in the form of a cash stipend.

Parents should be aware that open enrollment may result in the lost of athletic eligibility.

Anyone considering the use of the open enrollment option to enroll their children in another public school district in the State of Iowa should be aware that because of the State and District Integration/Desegregation Guidelines, open enrollment may not be an option for the following attendance areas: Grant Wood Elementary, Polk Elementary, Johnson Elementary, Monroe Elementary and McKinley Middle School.

For further details, contact Nelson Evans, District Equity Coordinator, at 398-2401.

Search and Seizure

We are required to notify students and parents each year that we intend to inspect lockers, desks, and any other areas belonging to the school and used for storage by the students without additional notice or any type of suspicion.

Security Regulation

The Cedar Rapids School Board passed regulation 1002.3, September 12, 1994, which restricts non-school representatives from contacting students during the school day. Individuals and representatives of non-school organizations and programs may not meet with student(s) on school property during the school day (between 7 AM and 4:30 PM) without permission from the students parents or guardians, the school principal, and the appropriate executive director. Officers and representatives of authorized school groups (PTA, booster clubs, etc.) may conduct activities on school property during the school day with the approval of the school administration.

Student Information Policy

The student information displayed on this site is the same as shown in The List unless they, the student or parent, provided us with information to display it on the site. This information can only be viewed by Washington students or teachers who have logged into the site.

Site Password Policies

We strongly suggest that the user uses different passwords for the site log-in and the CRSCD log-in. The password used on this site must be at least 5 characters long.

Campus Restrictions

Freshmen and sophomores have closed lunch. Closed Lunch means that students may not leave the campus during their lunch period and, further, must remain in the approved areas of the campus during that time. Approved areas include the cafeteria, open hallways, and the courtyard. Other areas, such as parking lots or athletic fields, are unauthorized. Students may not be in those areas during the lunch period.

Seniors have open lunch. Open Lunch means that students may leave the campus during their assigned lunch period. If students with open lunch choose to remain on campus, however, they must remain in the approved areas. No student, regardless of grade level or lunch designation, may loiter in unauthorized areas of the campus.

Juniors have closed lunch although there is an exception. The policy outlined below is designed to reward junior students who demonstrate that they can make good decisions about attendance and behavior at school, and who are achieving successfully in the classroom.

Open Lunch For Qualifying Juniors

Students classified as juniors may earn open lunch privileges on a term-by-term basis by:

Earning a 2.0 term grade point average (GPA) while making satisfactory progress toward graduation;
Combined unexcused absences and tardies may not exceed a total of six, but no more than three may be unexcused absences.
Maintaining a record of excellent school behavior and character.

Juniors who meet these criteria, and who receive parental permission to participate, will qualify for Open Lunch for the term immediately following the term during which they meet the criteria. All students who earn the Open Lunch privilege must re-qualify each term by meeting the same criteria. Students not eligible at the beginning of the year may qualify for later trimesters. The chart below should clarify this process:

Meet Criteria During	To Earn Open Lunch For
Spring 03-04	Fall 04-05
Fall 04-05	Winter 04-05
Winter 04-05	Spring 04-05

Definitions

2.0 GPA - This refers to the term GPA as opposed to cumulative GPA. The 2.0 mark must be achieved during the term immediately prior to qualifying trimester.
Satisfactory Progress - Junior students must earn 67.5 credits, an average of 22.5 per term, in order to progress satisfactorily towards graduation. In no case will a student earning fewer than 17.5 credits in a term be considered for Open Lunch eligibility.
Unexcused Absences - The official attendance office records will be used to determine whether absences are excused. The "yellow card" mailed to all students each summer (and available in the attendance office) contains all pertinent attendance information.
Excellent School Behavior - Serious breaches of school policy which result in suspension from school must be avoided. Also, several less serious office referrals for unacceptable behavior could lead to disqualification.

Procedures

Each term, a list of junior students with a 2.0 or higher GPA, a record of no more than three unexcused absences to classes or study halls, and six or fewer combined unexcused absences or tardies to classes, will be compiled.
Names on the list will be checked for school behavior records and parent permission. The process will result in a list of "Qualifying Juniors."
Special identification stickers will be issued to all qualifying juniors. They must produce this sticker and their WHS picture ID whenever they wish to leave campus for lunch. Without both forms of identification, students MAY NOT BE PERMITTED TO LEAVE CAMPUS. They must then comply with the same closed lunch procedures followed by other non-qualifying students.
Qualifying juniors retain their open lunch eligibility throughout the term and until a new qualifiers' list is developed for the following term. The issuance of new stickers (of a different color) will render old identification stickers obsolete.

Non-qualifying juniors must comply with the same closed lunch policy expected of freshmen and sophomores. Failure to coop erate may lead to consequences such as detention, school service, or suspension from school.

PART: Parent Approved Released Time Program For Seniors

One of the purposes of the senior PART program is to allow students a greater amount of independence, responsibility, and flexibility during the school day

Eligibility
1. The program may include senior students who have completed a minimum of 200 hours of high school credits.
2. The completed Parent Approval Card must be submitted. Students will be assigned a study hall until the Parent Approval Card is presented.
Duration
1. The parental request will be considered active each term unless withdrawn by the parents or by the school.
2. f a student is withdrawn from PART he/she will be assigned to a study hall.
Privileges
1. A student enrolled in the PART program will have the privilege of leaving the campus during a study hall period. If the student chooses not to leave the campus on a particular day, he/she must report to study hall.
2. Any disturbances of classes caused by PART students while they are leaving or returning to the school building may constitute grounds for dropping those students from the PART program.
Regulations
1. Students must attend all scheduled homeroom periods or may lose PART privileges.
2. All faculty appointments must be honored even if they occur during PART.
3. Regular study hall procedures will be expected when the PART student chooses to remain in the building.
4. Students should return to the building when they are scheduled to do so. Habitual lateness will cause the PART privilege to be revoked.
5. Students are expected to leave and to return to the campus by the most direct route. There must be no loitering in the parking areas or corridors. Arrival in the building should be no earlier than five minutes before passing time.
6. Students returning to the building must wait at the entrances until the passing time.
7. Academic failure and/or poor attendance practices will cause the withdrawal of a student's PART privileges.
8. Students involved in difficulties with the Washington neighborhood, with staff members, or at another school campus are subject to dismissal from the PART program. Additional disciplinary action may be pursued based on the nature of the difficulty.
9. Parent Approved Released Time privileges