Handbook
MIssion, Belief, Vision
Mission Statement
“We believe that every student can and will learn.”
Belief Statement
- Our children are our future.
- Positive relationships with all stakeholders are essential.
- The mastery and application of basic learning skills are the building blocks of learning.
- The best interests of students should be foremost when decisions are being made.
- Learning is an active and lifelong process enhanced by a safe and orderly environment.
- Career education should be provided to all students at all levels as an ongoing process.
- Students, family community, and schools share the responsibility for education.
- As society changes educational strategies must be reinvented to meet the changing needs of students.
- All people have dignity, worth, and value and must be treated with respect.
- Accountability should include all stakeholders.
Vision Statement
The vision of Viper Elementary is to provide a caring atmosphere where children can strive to reach their fullest potential, so that they can make their best contribution to society.
School Safety
School Safety Mission Statement
- We will not tolerate behavior that diminishes the dignity or self-worth if any individual.
- We will always treat students, families, and community members as partners in the educational process.
- We will make all decisions based on the best interest of our students.
- We will focus our resources, programs, and practices on accomplishing our mission.
- We will provide a safe learning environment throughout the district.
- We will hold each individual responsible for his or her actions.
- We will not tolerate ineffective performance by students or employees.
- Decisions will be made giving full consideration of the authority of the site-based council and the building principal.
Arrival and Dismissal
Due to safety concerns we have installed security doors that stayed locked throughout the day. The only way to gain access into the building is to push the button on the wall of the entrance to the school and have the front desk buzz you in.
When students arrive at school in the morning they go to the GYM prior to 8:00a.m. After 7:50a.m.teachers are in the classroom and students report to their homeroom class. The building is supervised by teachers before school and dismissal time. Students should not arrive at school before 7:30a.m. The school office is open at 7:30 a.m. for student services.
Students riding with parents are dismissed at 3:00p.m.
1st Bus run students are dismissed at 3:05p.m.
2nd Bus run students are released to bus duty teachers.
Duty teachers supervise students until all buses have departed.
When students arrive at school in the morning they go to the GYM prior to 8:00a.m. After 7:50a.m.teachers are in the classroom and students report to their homeroom class. The building is supervised by teachers before school and dismissal time. Students should not arrive at school before 7:30a.m. The school office is open at 7:30 a.m. for student services.
Students riding with parents are dismissed at 3:00p.m.
1st Bus run students are dismissed at 3:05p.m.
2nd Bus run students are released to bus duty teachers.
Duty teachers supervise students until all buses have departed.
Attendance
Absences and Excuses
Pupils are required to attend regularly and punctually the school in which they are enrolled. Recording of absences and tardies shall be made in compliance with the requirements of 702 KAR 007:125.1
Truancy Defined
Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant.
Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his/her twenty-first (21st) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant.
A student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is a habitual truant.
For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student’s attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year. When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that school year.
Excused Absences
An excused absence or tardiness is one for which work may be made up, such as:
Death or severe illness in the pupil's immediate family,
Illness of the pupil,
Religious holidays and practices,
One (1) day for attendance at the Kentucky State Fair,
Documented military leave,
One (1) day prior to departure of parent/guardian called to active military duty,
One (1) day upon the return of parent/guardian from active military duty,
Visitation for up to ten (10) days with the student’s parent, de facto custodian, or person with legal custody who, while on active military duty stationed outside of the country, is granted rest and recuperation leave,
Ten (10) days for students attending basic training required by a branch of the United States Armed Forces, or
Other valid reasons as determined by the Principal, including trips qualifying as educational enhancement opportunities.
Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity ( EHO) determined by the Principal to be of significant educational value. This opportunity may include, but not be limited to, participation in an educational foreign exchange program or an intensive instructional, experiential, or performance program in one (1) of the core curriculum subjects of English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language, and the arts.
STUDENTS 09.123
(Continued)
Absences and Excuses
Excused Absences (continued)
Unless the Principal determines that extenuating circumstances exist, requests for date(s) falling within State or District testing periods shall not be granted.
The Principal’s determination may be appealed to the Superintendent/designee whose decision may then be appealed to the Board under its grievance policy and procedures.
Students receiving an excused absence under this section shall have the opportunity to make up school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.
Students may have 1 parent note per semester for a tardy or absence. After a student has used the parent note for the semester, they must have a doctor’s excuse for the remainder of the semester. Two (2) parent notes are permitted per year.
Illness- if it is expected that a student will be absent for 5 or more consecutive days, he/she may qualify for homebound services. Homebound services are based on doctor’s recommendations.
Driver’s License- Driver’s permit test will be excused for only one attempt and for only one half day. Driver’s license tests will only be excused for a maximum of two half days and only upon presentation of a failing grade on the first attempt. No student will be allowed to take a driver’s permit or license test during state test dates.
Up to ten (10) days per school year may be excused with a health care providers note. Any school absence due to medical reasons in excess of ten (10) health care provider notes will require the presentation of the Medical Excuse form before the absence will be excused. After ten (10) days of absence/tardiness in a school year for medical reasons, the Medical Excuse form shall be completed in order for the student to receive additional medical excuses. The Medical Excuse form is available at each school, the office of the Director of Pupil Personnel, and on the official District website. Medical reasons after ten (10) absent days will be excused ONLY if the Medical Excuse form is presented. A form must be presented for each recurring absence after the ten (10) days.
Students with eight (8) or more unexcused days shall be ineligible for extracurricular activities
(i.e. athletics, field trips, academic competitions, dances, prom (high school and grade school), band, drama, biddy league, etc.). All participants in extracurricular activities must be in attendance the entire day of the scheduled school event in order to participate in that event.
Reassignment of Students 18 and Older
Students eighteen (18) or older who miss __eight (8) _ or more unexcused days in a semester may be reassigned to an alternative program. Students subject to reassignment will be notified in writing after the _fifth (5)_ unexcused absence in a semester.
Time for Time
High School
The following will apply for students who have more than one (1) unexcused tardy per 6 weeks grading period:
Late students who miss an entire class with an unexcused tardy absence will receive a score of zero (0) on any missed assignment for that missed class period. Students must have an excused doctor’s statement in order to make up any missed work.
Student drivers and student pick ups will be required to make up their time missed at the end of the day of each occurrence
Students who are not drivers or pickups, will make their time up at a scheduled time either after school or during Saturday school.
Students’ course credit will be withheld until seat time has been completed. Depending on the amount of time that needs to be made up by the student, Summer school may also be used.
Elementary
For students who have more than one (1) unexcused tardy in the 6 weeks grading period, students will be required to make up the time missed in the following ways:
During students scheduled break time
Isolation from peers at lunch
In school detention/after school detention/Saturday detention
Second Chance Option
In order to earn back participation in extra-curricular activities (prom, sports, driving privileges, band, drama, biddy league, etc.) students must maintain an attendance rate of 100% for the next 20 school days. Athletes who lose their privilege must be penalized for the loss of the privilege prior to receiving the second chance option. A student’s ability to participate in extra- curricular activities referenced above will be monitored weekly. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case by case basis. The student’s prior school years attendance may be taken into consideration. The Principal/designee will monitor and make the final decision.
Exit Criteria
Being in school daily is the most crucial aspect of a student’s education. Exit Criteria also reinforces this concept. A student excels if present daily for school. However, with high abseentism, a student does not get the opportunity for the instruction or the content. Thus, the student does not perform at grade level. For every grade K-8, exit criteria points for promotion have increased. More emphasis will be placed on attending school. Please refer to the student exit criteria form for more information.
References:
1702 KAR 007:125
KRS 36.396, KRS 38.470, KRS 40.366
KRS 158.070, KRS 158.183, KRS 158.293, KRS 158.294
KRS 159.035, KRS 159.140, KRS 159.150, KRS 159.180
OAG 76‑566, OAG 79‑68, OAG 79‑539, OAG 91‑79, OAG 96-28
Related Policies:
09.111, 09.122, 09.4281
09.126 (re requirements/exceptions for students from military families)
Adopted/Amended: 4/18/2017
Order #: 1
Exit Criteria Points for Elementary Attendance
98% attendance and above…Student can earn up to 16 points for the school year (3 days or less)
94% - 97.99%......Student can earn up to 12 points for the school year (miss between 3.5 days -10 days)
93.99% or below ….students will be deducted up to 5 points for the school year (miss 11 days or more)
8th grade students wishing to apply for Dual Credit courses when they are freshman must have 92% attendance or higher ( miss no more than 13.5 days)
Pupils are required to attend regularly and punctually the school in which they are enrolled. Recording of absences and tardies shall be made in compliance with the requirements of 702 KAR 007:125.1
Truancy Defined
Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant.
Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his/her twenty-first (21st) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant.
A student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is a habitual truant.
For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student’s attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year. When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that school year.
Excused Absences
An excused absence or tardiness is one for which work may be made up, such as:
Death or severe illness in the pupil's immediate family,
Illness of the pupil,
Religious holidays and practices,
One (1) day for attendance at the Kentucky State Fair,
Documented military leave,
One (1) day prior to departure of parent/guardian called to active military duty,
One (1) day upon the return of parent/guardian from active military duty,
Visitation for up to ten (10) days with the student’s parent, de facto custodian, or person with legal custody who, while on active military duty stationed outside of the country, is granted rest and recuperation leave,
Ten (10) days for students attending basic training required by a branch of the United States Armed Forces, or
Other valid reasons as determined by the Principal, including trips qualifying as educational enhancement opportunities.
Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity ( EHO) determined by the Principal to be of significant educational value. This opportunity may include, but not be limited to, participation in an educational foreign exchange program or an intensive instructional, experiential, or performance program in one (1) of the core curriculum subjects of English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language, and the arts.
STUDENTS 09.123
(Continued)
Absences and Excuses
Excused Absences (continued)
Unless the Principal determines that extenuating circumstances exist, requests for date(s) falling within State or District testing periods shall not be granted.
The Principal’s determination may be appealed to the Superintendent/designee whose decision may then be appealed to the Board under its grievance policy and procedures.
Students receiving an excused absence under this section shall have the opportunity to make up school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.
Students may have 1 parent note per semester for a tardy or absence. After a student has used the parent note for the semester, they must have a doctor’s excuse for the remainder of the semester. Two (2) parent notes are permitted per year.
Illness- if it is expected that a student will be absent for 5 or more consecutive days, he/she may qualify for homebound services. Homebound services are based on doctor’s recommendations.
Driver’s License- Driver’s permit test will be excused for only one attempt and for only one half day. Driver’s license tests will only be excused for a maximum of two half days and only upon presentation of a failing grade on the first attempt. No student will be allowed to take a driver’s permit or license test during state test dates.
Up to ten (10) days per school year may be excused with a health care providers note. Any school absence due to medical reasons in excess of ten (10) health care provider notes will require the presentation of the Medical Excuse form before the absence will be excused. After ten (10) days of absence/tardiness in a school year for medical reasons, the Medical Excuse form shall be completed in order for the student to receive additional medical excuses. The Medical Excuse form is available at each school, the office of the Director of Pupil Personnel, and on the official District website. Medical reasons after ten (10) absent days will be excused ONLY if the Medical Excuse form is presented. A form must be presented for each recurring absence after the ten (10) days.
Students with eight (8) or more unexcused days shall be ineligible for extracurricular activities
(i.e. athletics, field trips, academic competitions, dances, prom (high school and grade school), band, drama, biddy league, etc.). All participants in extracurricular activities must be in attendance the entire day of the scheduled school event in order to participate in that event.
Reassignment of Students 18 and Older
Students eighteen (18) or older who miss __eight (8) _ or more unexcused days in a semester may be reassigned to an alternative program. Students subject to reassignment will be notified in writing after the _fifth (5)_ unexcused absence in a semester.
Time for Time
High School
The following will apply for students who have more than one (1) unexcused tardy per 6 weeks grading period:
Late students who miss an entire class with an unexcused tardy absence will receive a score of zero (0) on any missed assignment for that missed class period. Students must have an excused doctor’s statement in order to make up any missed work.
Student drivers and student pick ups will be required to make up their time missed at the end of the day of each occurrence
Students who are not drivers or pickups, will make their time up at a scheduled time either after school or during Saturday school.
Students’ course credit will be withheld until seat time has been completed. Depending on the amount of time that needs to be made up by the student, Summer school may also be used.
Elementary
For students who have more than one (1) unexcused tardy in the 6 weeks grading period, students will be required to make up the time missed in the following ways:
During students scheduled break time
Isolation from peers at lunch
In school detention/after school detention/Saturday detention
Second Chance Option
In order to earn back participation in extra-curricular activities (prom, sports, driving privileges, band, drama, biddy league, etc.) students must maintain an attendance rate of 100% for the next 20 school days. Athletes who lose their privilege must be penalized for the loss of the privilege prior to receiving the second chance option. A student’s ability to participate in extra- curricular activities referenced above will be monitored weekly. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case by case basis. The student’s prior school years attendance may be taken into consideration. The Principal/designee will monitor and make the final decision.
Exit Criteria
Being in school daily is the most crucial aspect of a student’s education. Exit Criteria also reinforces this concept. A student excels if present daily for school. However, with high abseentism, a student does not get the opportunity for the instruction or the content. Thus, the student does not perform at grade level. For every grade K-8, exit criteria points for promotion have increased. More emphasis will be placed on attending school. Please refer to the student exit criteria form for more information.
References:
1702 KAR 007:125
KRS 36.396, KRS 38.470, KRS 40.366
KRS 158.070, KRS 158.183, KRS 158.293, KRS 158.294
KRS 159.035, KRS 159.140, KRS 159.150, KRS 159.180
OAG 76‑566, OAG 79‑68, OAG 79‑539, OAG 91‑79, OAG 96-28
Related Policies:
09.111, 09.122, 09.4281
09.126 (re requirements/exceptions for students from military families)
Adopted/Amended: 4/18/2017
Order #: 1
Exit Criteria Points for Elementary Attendance
98% attendance and above…Student can earn up to 16 points for the school year (3 days or less)
94% - 97.99%......Student can earn up to 12 points for the school year (miss between 3.5 days -10 days)
93.99% or below ….students will be deducted up to 5 points for the school year (miss 11 days or more)
8th grade students wishing to apply for Dual Credit courses when they are freshman must have 92% attendance or higher ( miss no more than 13.5 days)
Cell Phones
All electronics must be turned off and put away upon entering the school building. Students will only be allowed to use their cell phone if they have specific permission from an adult in the building. When such permission is given the students will be required to use the phone in the presence of the adult. If a student uses their phone without permission or doesn’t turn it off and it rings during the day it will be taken from the student. Phones will only be returned on Fridays and then to the parent or someone the parent has authorized to pick up the phone, NOT the student. If it is taken on Thursday it will, they will get it on Friday. If a phone is taken on Friday it will be returned the following Friday.
Visitors
All visitors must use the main front entrance and report to the office to sign in. You must return to the office after the visit as you leave to sign out.
Dress Code
Students who are attired in an unacceptable manner will be asked to change to acceptable dress or the parent will be called. The principal shall interpret the board policy concerning the dress code. NO VULGAR OR PROFANE DISPLAYS OR MESSEGES WHICH GLORIFY DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. Bare midriffs are not permitted. This will include tube tops, etc. which expose the stomach. Mid-thigh shorts are permitted for all students. NO SHORT SHORTS ARE PERMITTED. The principal will be consulted if a judgment is required.
Report Cards
Report cards are issued every six weeks throughout the year. In addition, teachers will report on the progress of students and problems that the student may be having by sending the parent other types of notification during the school year. We urge parents to contact the school and make an appointment for conferences.