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PHS handbook changed

BY JOHN MILLER
Published Wednesday, August 3, 2005 in the Nevada County Picayune

There will be several changes in the student handbook for Prescott High School this year.

The Prescott School Board, at its July meeting, approved the changes.

A big one simply states any student not eligible for graduation will not be eligible to participate in any end of the year senior activities. This includes class day, the senior breakfast and awards day, among others. It will also include participation in Project Graduation.

The district is instituting a Saturday school. This is an attempt to make up lost instructional time due to excessive tardiness, truancy or other reasons. Saturday school will be assigned by the principals office from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturdays during the school year. If a student is late or absent from Saturday school, they may not attend on that particular day, and another day will be added.

If a student then is late or misses a second day of Saturday school, a Family In Need of Service (FINS) petition will be filed with the proper authorities.

The Board also approved a rule by the handbook committee to reject any exemptions for semester or final exams for any student.

It will be harder for students to check out of school as well. A parent or guardian must check out the student in person. Students will no longer be able to leave with a phone call and/or note.

However, students who have their own transportation may bring a note stating the reason for them checking out. Their parent/guardian will be called for the time of the check out.

The cell phone issue was also addressed in the changes. Cell phones are not allowed on campus during the school day, but are encouraged for extracurricular activities or field trips, as long as they are not a distraction for the educational purposes intended.

The first offense will see the cell phone taken away and the student given three days of In School Suspension (ISS). The next time will be Saturday school and a parent conference. Further offenses could result in expulsion or attendance in an Alternative Learning Environment (ALE).

ISS attendance is mandatory, and students will no longer be able to choose Out of School Suspension (OSS) instead. Those assigned to ISS can ride the bus to and from school and must check into ISS before the first bell of the day.

Another addition to the ISS policy states students in ISS will not be allowed to attend or participate in any school function until they have returned to their assigned classrooms for at least half-a-day. This includes all athletes. So, under this rule, any athlete in ISS on a Friday will not be allowed to play in a game until they have been in class a half-day the next Monday.

The Board also modified the dress code. Now, all shirts must have sleeves at least two inches from the seam. Sagging pants will not be allowed or tolerated. One rule was specifically for female students  no cleavage. Female students can no longer wear shirts, dresses or tops showing cleavage.

When questioned about who would enforce this rule, PHS Principal Carroll Purtle said he will be relying on lady teachers to handle it. It will be done quietly, with the young lady in question being brought to the principals office with a female present.

We want to get the message across to parents before they buy clothes, said David Maxwell, assistant principal. There are punitive punishments on this.

The first offense will see the student given the chance of altering or changing their clothes. The second time will be ISS and a parent conference.

One rule was changed to meet state law. It states the requirements for Smart Core/Common Core for graduation.

All references to block scheduling will be removed from the handbook. Prescott requires 25 credits for a student to graduate; the state requires 22. Districts can require more credits for graduation than the state, but not less.


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