Since the influence of students participating in extracurricular activities extends beyond the school campus, these students assume additional responsibility for proper behavior and leadership. This responsibility requires that student participants observe the Student Discipline Policy (please refer to the school Student Handbook) off campus, during non-school hours, as well as during the school day, at school functions, and traveling to and from school or school functions.
Participation in interscholastic athletics in Southwest Allen County Schools (SACS) is a privilege open to students who maintain the requirements of the SACS Athletic policies, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), and specific policies of their sport. Student-athletes in violation of any of these requirements are no longer considered in “good standing” and may not be eligible for athletic participation according to the specified sanctions (please refer to the school Student Handbook). Since extracurricular participation is an honor and a privilege, participating shall require a review of the student code of conduct by parents and students including certification of understanding through parent and student signatures. It is the intent of this policy for students to assume personal responsibility for visible leadership in upholding the standards and expectations of representatives of our school.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
ATTENDANCE
Southwest Allen County Schools considers the development of good attendance habits as a vital and desirable undertaking for two essential reasons. First, it is difficult for young people to learn if they are not in class: the teaching-learning process builds upon itself. Secondly, research shows that educational achievement is directly related to attendance. Students who miss a day of school miss a day of education that cannot be retrieved in its entirety.
A. Parents’ responsibility
Parents are responsible for having their children in school. Indiana law prescribes that parents must have their children in public or private school from the age of seven (7) until the date on which the young person:
1. Graduates.
2. Reaches at least sixteen (16) years of age but less than eighteen (18) years of age and:
a) The student, and the student’s parents or guardians, and the principal agree to the withdrawal; and
b) At the exit interview the student provides written acknowledgement of the withdrawal and the student’s parent or guardian and the school principal each provide written consent for the student to withdraw from school.
3. Reaches the age of eighteen (18) years.
B. What to do about absences:
Each middle school has an attendance recording phone line, which requires a parent to call whenever their son/daughter is absent from school. The procedure is the following:
- Parents are required to phone the school attendance office by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. The attendance line is available 24 hours.
USING THE ATTENDANCE LINE
a. Give name, phone number, and relationship (to student) of person making the call.
b. Give name and grade level of student(s).
c. Give date(s) and reason for absence or time of early dismissal/late arrival.
**It is recommended that if a student knows he/she will miss school for an extended time period, the student should notify his/her teachers and office to determine the school work he/she will miss.
C. Absences from school
Absences from school shall fall into one of the four following categories:
1. Absences which are counted as present:
a) Serving as a page in the Indiana General Assembly;
b) For students in grades 7-12, serving at the polls on Election Day with prior approval of the Attendance Officer, written parental consent after full disclosure of expected activities at the polls, and written verification from poll official or candidate upon completion of the work.
c) Court appearances which are documented by a probation officer or officer of the court;
d) Placement in a short term inpatient treatment program which provides an instructional program;
e) Homebound instruction; and/or
f) Religious observances.
2. Excused absences
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to monitor their student’s attendance on PowerSchool.
a) Parent/guardian may excuse up to ten (10) absences per school year (e.g. illness, medical and legal appointment, family vacations, college visits).
b) Illnesses that are excused by a written note from a physician will not be counted as part of the ten (10) parent/guardian excused absences. Absences beyond the ten (10) parent/guardian excused absences in a school year that are not accompanied by a written note from a physician will be considered truancies. A note must be provided to the school upon the student’s return to school.
c) Exceptions to the ten parent/guardian excused absences will be made only in the following situations:
1. Funerals:
a. death in the immediate family
b. death of a person outside the immediate family with parental permission
2. The building principal may excuse an absence in an emergency situation.
3. Truancy
a) A student is truant when he/she is absent from school or class without the permission of his/her parent or guardian.
b) Absences beyond the ten parent/guardian excused absences in a school year will be truancies unless excused by written note from a physician. Such absences are subject to disciplinary action as established in each school’s handbook. Each policy should give consideration to steps that involve the school social worker and the juvenile court in assisting to enforce appropriate attendance.
c) A student will be considered a habitual truant when that student has been expelled for truancy.
D. Early dismissals or late arrivals
Parents are strongly urged to make doctor and dentist appointments outside of school hours. If students must miss school, all school work missed during such absences will be made up under the guidelines established by the individual classroom teacher.
If students are leaving school early for an appointment, please call the attendance line before the start of school. HANDWRITTEN NOTES FROM A PARENT/GUARDIAN WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR EARLY DISMISSALS. When parents or guardians call, please include the following in your message:
- Your name
- Student name
- Student grade level
- Date and TIME of the early dismissal
- Who will be picking up your child
- Reason
For student safety reasons, parents will need to park and come into the office to sign students out for early dismissals. Students will only be released to the parent or guardian name from the voicemail. STUDENTS ARE NOT TO LEAVE THE BUILDING WITHOUT PARENTAL PERMISSION AND ATTENDANCE CLERK NOTIFICATION. Students who fail to follow this procedure will be considered truant under the single class truancy policy.
NOTE: Students who are ill for the full school day should not be at school functions that day or evening. Students must be in attendance from 10:55 until the conclusion of the school day to participate in extracurricular activities and/or athletic events.
NOTE: A student who has been designated as a Habitual Truant will not be allowed to participate or continue to participate in extracurricular activities and/or co-curricular activities.
DRUG TESTING FOR STUDENTS
- Voluntary Drug Testing: Because tobacco use, involvement in fights, truancy, and continuous negative behaviors often indicate potential drug use, a student who commits any of the following acts will be requested, subject to parental consent if the student is under the age of 18 years, to submit to a drug test administered under school supervision: violates the school's tobacco, alcohol, or other drug policies; is suspended (in-school or out of school) for fighting; has a third truancy during any one semester; violates any other school rule which results in the student being suspended out of school for three (3) or more consecutive days. Submission to a drug test is voluntary under section (1).
The results of the drug test will be provided to the school social worker who will always share the results with the parent(s) or guardian(s). The school social worker will provide the results of the test to the parent(s) or guardian(s) and work with them to provide community referral sources for evaluation and/or treatment as indicated.
- Mandatory Drug Testing: In addition, the school may require a student to submit to a test for alcohol or other drugs, if a student exhibits behaviors which lead school authorities to suspect the student is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Further, the school may subject items in such student's possession to test to determine if those items contain alcohol or other drugs. Any student found to be under the influence or in possession of alcohol or other drugs will be dealt with according to the student discipline policy.
Refusal to submit to a drug or alcohol test under section (2) will be considered willful disobedience and will result in disciplinary action, up to and including a recommendation for expulsion from school.
- Random Drug Testing: Students who drive to and/or from school or who participate in extracurricular or co-curricular activities while using drugs or alcohol pose a threat to the health and safety of themselves and other students. To address these problems, SACS will conduct random drug and alcohol testing of all extracurricular and co-curricular participants, as well as all student drivers to provide all students an incentive to avoid drug and alcohol use. All SACS students in grades 6 through 12 who wish to participate in any extracurricular or co-curricular activities, or who wish to drive to and from school must agree to participate in the random drug testing program. SACS shall regularly test students randomly drawn from the pool of participants for drug and alcohol use.
Students who test positive in this program will be suspended from participation in any extracurricular or co-curricular activity and from driving to and/or from school in accordance with the student discipline policy. No student shall be expelled or suspended from school as a result of any positive test under this random testing program. Upon a student’s first positive test under this program, a school administrator may offer the student the opportunity to participate in the Student Assistance Program. Participation in this program shall reduce the disciplinary consequences of the positive test in accordance with the student discipline policy.
Any student who has agreed to participate in this random drug testing program who later refuses to submit to a test when randomly selected shall be considered to have tested positive and will be subject to the appropriate consequences.
- The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee is responsible for developing procedures to implement SACS drug testing policy. These procedures will be approved by the board prior to implementation.
DISCIPLINE POLICY - Athletic/Extracurricular
Since the influence of students participating in extracurricular activities extends beyond the school campus, these students assume additional responsibility for proper behavior and leadership. This responsibility requires that student participants observe the Student Discipline Policy off campus, during non-school hours, as well as during the school day, at school functions, and traveling to and from school or school functions. This leadership responsibility includes participants in athletics, student organizations, teams and elected offices.
Since extracurricular participation is an honor and a privilege, participating shall require a review of the student code of conduct by parents and students. It is the intent of this policy for students to assume personal responsibility for visible leadership in upholding the standards and expectations of representatives of our school.
I. Academic
Students involved in athletics are expected to maintain passing grades (D- and better) in 6 classes. Grades will be checked by the Athletic Director at the intervals listed below. Students who do not have 6 passing grades at that checkpoint shall be on probationary status. As a result, a study plan designed to raise failing grades to a passing level will be developed in conjunction with the Athletic Director. The student may continue to practice and compete during this study plan period. If the student fails to satisfactorily meet the expectations of the study plan, practice and/or game participation may be limited.
Grade Checkpoints
Football, Cheerleading, Cross Country & Volleyball - First Monday following Labor Day
Basketball & Cheerleading - First Monday of December
Swimming & Wrestling - First Monday of February
Track & Soccer - Last Monday of April
Sponsors of other extracurricular activities may determine their checkpoints as needed and will communicate that information with students and families. Those sponsors will be responsible for checking grades and working with students to ensure success in the classroom.
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