Rights and Responsibilities of Students and Staff

RIGHTS

1. Each student and staff member has the right to work and learn in an environment that is caring, supportive, and respectful.

2. Each student and staff member has the right to be physically safe and free from insulting, disrespectful, or hurtful treatment from others.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Everyone needs to be thoughtful about and responsible for his/her own actions.

2. Everyone needs to show respect for all individuals, including members of our school community, through speech, actions, behavior, and clothing.

3. Everyone needs to be responsible for their own work, books, and materials.

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Why We Have Rules

1. Each student and staff member in the school have specific rights and responsibilities. Our rules are designed to protect those rights and emphasize those responsibilities.

2. Our rules are also created to protect school property and materials for present and future students and staff.

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Marlow School Board

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SAU #29 Administration

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School Staff Assignments

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Daily School Schedule

School will be open to children at 8:40 when the bus arrives. If you drop your children off at school before 8:40, they will remain outside unsupervised until the bus arrives. Students are admitted to the building when the bus arrives. Exceptions will be made during dangerous weather or by special arrangement. Students report to class at 9:00 when dismissed from the lunchroom. Students are dismissed to the bus at 3:00 if the bus has arrived. If the bus has not arrived, only those students who have rides waiting will be dismissed. Please be advised that the bus driver will not drop off any student at a bus stop other than his/her own bus stop without prior authorization from a parent/guardian. It is unsafe for children to walk or ride a bike to school down a state highway such as Route 10.

Early Dismissal Procedures

In the event a student needs to leave school before his or her dismissal time, the following procedure should be adhered to:

1. The student's parent or guardian will send a note or call the school to inform the staff that their child will be leaving school early.

2. A student will be released to someone other than the child's parent or guardian, only under the following circumstances.

1. the person has been designated in a note or a phone call concerning the early dismissal, or

2. the person has been listed on the back of the registration card at the school authorizing them to do so.

3. The parent, guardian, or designated person must inform the staff before departing with the child.

4. Children being released due to illness may be asked to sit in a chair outside the office, in which case the person picking up the child will first report to the staff.

5. In the event of a situation involving legalities that prevent a child from coming in contact with any person or persons, written notice is to be given to the teacher and principal by the legal guardian concerning legal custody and restrictions, along with whatever legal documents are available.                                                      

Weather Emergencies

When inclement weather is expected, you should listen to a local radio station, such as WKNE 1290AM/104 FM, WKBK 1220 AM, or channel 9 TV for school cancellations. We will attempt to notify parents if, for some reason, school is to be closed early. Kindergarten will be canceled when the rest of the school is under a two-hour delay.

Recess

Parents should assure that children are prepared to participate in outside recess. Winter dress should include hat, mittens or gloves. Snow pants and boots must be worn when children expect to play in the snow. Winter boots should be for outside use only. Other appropriate footwear should be provided for indoor use. Articles of clothing should be marked for easy identification

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Registration Cards

Please make sure you fill out the registration card stapled on the front of this manual and return it promptly. This information will be largely used for emergency situations. Without this information, in an emergency, decisions may not be made because family permission is not available. You should be sure to have the staff at the school update information on your card if you have a change of employment or residence during the year. Make sure you designate on the back of the registration card all persons who are allowed to pick up your child.

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Phone Calls To The School

All instructions and materials should be given to your child before he/she leaves for school.  Normally, teachers are available to speak with parents from 8:30 to 9:00 in the morning and 3:00 to 3:30 after school. Phone messages received during the day will be conveyed at a appropriate time. The regular school phone number is 446-3307. The school Special Education office phone is 446-2384. Our fax line is 446-7323.  

Attendance and Absences

We encourage good attendance and punctual arrival at the John D. Perkins, Sr. School. When your child must be absent, please make every effort to call the school to assure your child's safety. If your child is not in school and we have not been notified, we will attempt to call you. However, such calls require staff time and detract from our educational goals. Children arriving after 9:15 will be reported as tardy. Children being dismissed before 2:30 will be reported as dismissed early.

School Lunch

The John D. Perkins, Sr. Elementary School serves a nutritious breakfast and lunch every school day. Students may purchase breakfast for $1.00, a lunch for $1.55 per day, and lunch milk, snack milk, and juice for $.35 per day. Adults may purchase lunch for $2.40. Exact payment is due at the beginning of the week. We order lunches on a daily basis for the following day. We will not make change; a credit will be issued instead. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure that a child is able to purchase school lunch or that their child brings a nutritious lunch to school. Please see the lunch program attachment for information pertaining to free and reduced lunches.  

Progress Reports

Report cards will be sent home three times a year. Notification of consideration of possible retention will be given by April 1st if necessary. We encourage you to be in regular contact with us so that you are aware of your child's progress. Parent conferences are held in the fall for all grades. Other conferences are scheduled as needed at a mutually convenient time.

School Materials

Children are responsible for textbooks and other materials issued to them. Parents are expected to pay for lost textbooks or workbooks.

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Student Insurance

Student accident insurance is available. If you are interested, please check the attachment for an application form.

Publication of Student Names and Pictures

Periodically N.H. School Administrative Unit 29 publishes printed material, prepares power point presentations and updates websites that may use photographs of students in a classroom or school setting. Names of students are not used except to celebrate achievement. If you do not want your child's photo used, please notify the principal of your child(ren)'s school(s)'s.

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School Programs

KINDERGARTEN:

The Kindergarten program runs from 9:00 until 12:00. When you are picking up kindergarten children, we respectfully request that you wait outside. Please notify the school if an unexpected emergency will cause you to be delayed.

GUIDANCE:

The guidance program includes many components. Classroom units are an integral part of the program, focusing on topics such as social skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, decision making and personal safety. Another component of the program includes both individual and small group counseling. The counselor is available to consult with parents and teachers about educational and/or emotional concerns of the students. When issues arise which go beyond the scope of the school, the guidance counselor will discuss with parents available community resources which may be helpful. The guidance counselor is at school every Tuesday.

SPECIAL EDUCATION:

In order to provide success for all students, it may be necessary to provide additional help to some children. Classroom teachers, parents and specialists may decide to meet, as needed, to help learners who are having difficulty. Sometimes additional information is needed to help plan for successful learning. The teachers, parents and specialists plan what information is required and provide additional support for a student. This can include a wide variety of materials, activities, programs and interventions. It is the policy of the John D. Perkins, Sr. School to work together with parents to plan for children in need of extra help and to provide programming appropriate to their needs.

TITLE II-a:

Title II-a is federally funded program which provides teacher training and class size reductions. The instruction is always in small groups or one on one. The Title II-a teacher works closely with the regular classroom teacher, providing extra support in areas as needed. In some situations this is in the classroom, and at other times it is in other locations in the school, depending on need and what is best for all involved.

HEALTH SERVICES:

The John D. Perkins School employs a School Nurse. She is available as a resource person for health counseling and parent and teacher conferences. She is also responsible for personal hygiene reinforcement, health education, referrals, maintenance of student health records and annual health appraisals including vision/hearing, height/weight measurements, Scoliosis screening, 4th grade physicals and lice checks (which are done at the beginning of each school year and periodically during the year). She also insures that NH State Health regulations (laws) and John D. Perkins health policies are enforced.

PRESCRIBED MEDICATION - Any student who is required to take any medication prescribed by a physician during the school day shall be assisted by the School Nurse or another member of the school staff so designated by the principal. Parents are required to provide the school with: 1.) The prescription, or a signed statement from the physician detailing the medication and 2.) Written authorization from the parent for the staff to administer the medication. For those instances when parents wish their child to take other medication, such as cough drops or vitamins, written authorization from the parent is required.

LICE CONTROL - In order to protect the children and school from contracting lice from other students or adults, we will be requiring that children who have nits or live lice stay home until they are nit/lice free. We are also requiring that parents/guardians must bring their children back to school to be readmitted, i.e., students would not be able to ride the bus after being sent home because of lice infection. Those students will then be screened directly upon entry to the building with their parents or guardians present. Please contact the school if you suspect your child has come into contact with lice from any source. The school conducts periodic checks, but your help with regular checks at home will assure minimal problems at school.

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Dress Code

Students are expected to dress appropriately.

1. Pants must be secured at the waist. Display of undergarments will not be tolerated.

2. Excessive midriff exposure is not permitted.

3. Short shorts are inappropriate.

4. Flip-flops are not permitted.

5. Clothing displaying controlled substances or inappropriate language or subjects is not permitted.

6. Every effort will be made to contact you if your child's clothing is deemed unacceptable.

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School Rules

1. Behavior that disrupts any educational process at school is not allowed.

2. Behavior that threatens the safety or well-being of any individual, including oneself is not allowed. Running in the school building is considered to be a dangerous activity.

3. Destruction of property is prohibited.

4. Children will be held accountable for their own property. Their desks and immediate floor areas will be left in a clean and neat condition at the end of the day. Coats, hats, lunches and other personal property will be stored in the appropriate areas in an appropriate manner during the school day.

5. Foul or abusive language or behavior is prohibited.

6. Gum is prohibited at school.

7. Weapons on school premises or in connection with school activities may lead to dangerous and violent behavior and will not be tolerated. Marlow School District Policy #2110, #2071, and various state and federal laws provide for substantial sanctions for the possession of weapons, including mandatory suspension or expulsion from school and the filling of a report to applicable police authorities. A copy of policy #2110, #2071, and/or related laws pertaining to weapons and violence on school premises is available from the Superintendent's Office.

8. Sexual harassment of employees or students is illegal under both state and federal law and is expressly prohibited by Marlow School Board policy #2065/#5052. A copy of that policy is available from the Superintendent's Office.

9. As per RSA 193-B, school property is a drug-free zone. Persons bringing controlled substances on the property are subject to the penalties outlined in RSA 318-B:26.V . Smoking is not permitted on school property at any time.

10. Headsets, earphones, and stereos are not permitted to be used at school. Headsets and earphones are allowed on the bus, and on fieldtrips only with prior permission of the supervising teacher.

11. Students may not sell items or services at school without the permission of the staff and the knowledge of their parents or guardians. Students may not receive money from other students for any reason without the permission of the staff and the knowledge of their parents or guardians.

12. Substances that are considered to be unsafe by the staff will be confiscated.

13. The school is committed to providing a safe school environment in which the members of the school community are treated with respect. "Bullying" interferes with this proper school environment. Accordingly, the school follows a procedure intended to minimize and prevent bullying by dealing with such acts of verbal or physical abuse. See Marlow School District Policy and Procedure #2064/5051. A copy of that policy is available from the Superintendent's Office.

Specific playground rules:

1. Obey boundaries and engage in safe play.

2. Swings:

1. Sitting only, no flip overs.

2. No twisting, sideways swinging, or jumping off or running through.

3. Objects of any kind should not be thrown at anyone on the swings or from the swings.

3. Slides

1. One person at a time on the ladders and slide.

2. When using slides, sit forward with legs extended.

3. Use the ladders only to climb.

4. The only things that can be thrown on the playground are sports equipment designed to be thrown.

5. No kicking balls on the tar without the expressed permission of the teacher on duty.

6. Foul or abusive language or behavior is prohibited.

7. No more than five students on the rainbow climber. No hanging upside down on the climber.

8. No child is allowed to leave the playground without permission from the duty teacher.

1. Students may not enter the building for any reason from the playground without permission.

2. Students may not go in front of the school for any reason without permission.

9. Special Castle Rules 

1. Nothing is to be taken into the castle and throwing anything from the castle is prohibited.

2. Jumping from the castle is prohibited.

3. Climbing on the outside of the castle is prohibited.

10. Special Structure Rules

1. Running is not permitted on the structure.

2. Benches are for sitting only.

3. No objects are to be dropped or thrown over the side from above or below.

4. Duty teacher may limit a student's access to the climbing wall, climbing rope, and/or the firepole.

11. The observation tower is not part of the regular school playground

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Bus Regulations

Students living outside the walking limits to school are granted the privilege of riding the school buses to and from school. In order to maintain an efficient, orderly and safe means of transportation, students must display acceptable behavior. If good behavior should NOT PREVAIL, offending pupils may LOSE THEIR BUS PRIVILEGE.

1. The school bus driver is in complete charge of the bus and the pupils. The bus driver shall have the same authority in maintaining discipline as a teacher in the classroom.

2. Pupils must be at their designated bus stops five (5) minutes prior to the pickup time. Schedules will not allow waiting for late students.

3. Permission to get off at a stop that is not the student’s regular stop shall follow individual school policy.

4. All pupils must remain properly seated until the bus comes to a complete stop and the eight way lights are activated.

5. While classroom voice between students is permitted, loud, vulgar, obscene, and improper language or gestures will not be tolerated on the bus.

6. Emergency exits are to be used for emergency drills twice a calendar year and emergency situations only.

7. Pupils will refrain from throwing things in the windows, out the windows, or around the inside of the bus. Waste paper and other items are not to be thrown on the floor.

8. Pupils shall keep head, hands, feet, and any other items inside the bus, not out the windows or in the aisle.

9. Pupils shall hold onto the rail when loading and unloading.

10. Eating and drinking are not allowed on the bus.

11. Smoking and smokeless tobacco or alcohol is not allowed on the bus.

12. Student may bring acceptable items on the bus only if the item can be held in the student’s lap.

13. Skateboards, skis, rollerblades, animals, glass containers, nuisance items, and other objects of injurious or objectionable nature are prohibited on the school bus. Articles not allowed in the school are also prohibited.

14. Student(s) who are confronted by the bus driver for unacceptable behavior shall provide the driver with their name. Failure to do so may result in suspension from riding the bus for up to three (3) days.

15. The bus driver is authorized to assign seats whenever he/she deems necessary.

16. Fighting, pushing, tripping, harassing, and bullying on a school bus is not acceptable.

17. Students shall not light matches or lighters on the bus.

18. Students shall not be destructive of the school bus seats, sidewalls, floors, and/or windows, nor shall they tamper with any other bus equipment. The cost of any intentional damage will be the responsibility of the student/parent.

19. Spitting is not acceptable on the bus.

20. Any other behavior relating to the safety, well being, and respect for others in a harmful, destructive, or degrading manner is not acceptable.

21. No spraying of perfumes, deodorants, hairspray, air fresheners, etc. is allowed on the school bus.

Parents please note! There may be circumstances which could result in immediate suspension from the bus. If this should happen parent/guardian shall responsible for providing transportation.

Laidlaw Education Services 05/05/04

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Disciplinary Consequences 

Playground safety infractions will normally be corrected by restricting the student on the playground for the balance of the recess. Repeat offenders will be restricted for longer periods of time. The playground duty teacher will use discretion in determining the seriousness of the infraction and will decide the duration of the restriction.

Students involved in fights will be referred to the principal immediately. People involved in fights will be disciplined without warning, which may include suspension from school. The nature of the punishment will vary depending upon the seriousness of the situation at the principal's discretion.

Consequences for violation of rules that lead to a disruption of learning or teaching will be at the discretion of the teacher: Students will follow the rules of their classroom.

1. Students could be suspended immediately from school for the following reasons:

1. Uncontrollable aggression or violent behavior.

2. Refusal to obey the reasonable requests of a teacher.

3. Serious vandalism.

4. Continuing refusal to comply with the rules after misbehavior requiring a parent conference.

5. Gross misconduct.

2. Safety violations will be handled at the discretion of the supervising staff member.

3. There may be circumstances that could result in immediate suspension from the bus - such disciplinary action to be at the discretion of the appropriate school administrator or bus company coordinator. Generally, the following procedure will be used: The first refusal to comply with the bus regulations will result in a written warning. A copy of the letter will be mailed to the parents as well as one sent home with the student and a copy for the bus company. The second offense will result in a five/day (5) suspension from riding the bus. The third offense will result in a twenty/day (20) suspension from riding the bus. A fourth offense will result in an indefinite suspension from riding the bus. When a student has been suspended, the district will not be responsible for providing transportation. Rights of students and parents regarding bus transportation can be found in Marlow School District Policy #2085, which is available at the Superintendent's office.

Evacuation/Crisis Plan

Students in the Title I, office, and teachers' room area will move to the teachers' parking lot via the front door. Students in Kindergarten will move to the teachers' parking lot via the front door. Students in grades 3 and 4 will move to the teachers' parking lot via the outside exit door in the classroom. Students in grades 1 and 2 will move to the tar area of the playground via the classroom door to grades 5 and 6 and the exit door in grades 5 and 6. Students in grades 5 and 6 will move to the tar area of the playground via the classroom exit door. Students in SPED, the lunchroom, the bathrooms, and any other area not cited will move to the tar area on the playground via the exit doors in the multipurpose room.

The school secretary will stay behind and check the girls' bathroom on the way out of the building. The principal will remain behind and check the boys' bathroom and the rest of the building. All teachers will take attendance once outside the building. The school secretary will take attendance of Grades 5 and 6. During warm weather, or when conditions permit, teachers will take their students from the initial designated areas to areas beyond the crest of the hill on the playground.

Types of emergencies where students have to be removed from the property:

1. Bomb threat.

2. Building failure.

3. Hostage/assault by intruders, etc.

Response - procedure to be posted at all phones.

1. Call 911 - Principal responsible, if not principal, then Secretary, Title I teacher, then classroom teachers on the order of the number of aides in the room. Person calling tells the 911 where we are taking students.

2. Fire alarm is pulled - Principal or Secretary.

3. An enrollment sheet with emergency numbers will be produced for all staff and posted in their classrooms and throughout the school along with basic first aid kits. The emergency numbers and first aid kit is taken during drills and in emergencies.

4. All students meet at ballfield dugouts - a role is taken, then teachers take students to the Post Office via trail and Route 10. An alternate plan may be executed as needed.

5. Person in charge designates someone to call parents. Students can be released to only parents or guardians in a crisis. The signature of a parent or guardian will be required at time of release.

1. First person to hear of the tragedy contacts the principal.

2. If a tragedy happens before school, the principal will call an emergency meeting of the staff as soon as practical.

3. After the event, the principal will arrange for the services of the SAU 29 Crisis Response Team.

4. The SAU 29 Crisis Response Team will advise the principal and staff how to proceed.

5. In the event that a tragedy happens in the community during school and there is a likelihood that our students will be informed of the tragedy on the bus by older students, parents will be notified and will have the option of picking their children up from school.

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