PoliciesUCHS Academic Honesty PolicyThe teachers, counselors and administrators at University City High School agree that honesty and integrity are the core of the educational process. In order for educational institutions to accomplish the task of providing a meaningful and challenging opportunity for students, honesty of performance must be a dominant and consistent attitude among all those involved. Since cheating undermines the academic process, destroys student integrity, and interferes with the trust necessary for effective student-teacher relationships, the Instructional Council of University City High School has requested that this policy concerning academic honesty be initiated and communicated to all members of our educational community. The acts of academic dishonesty listed below are of major concern to the Council. These acts will be dealt with as follows: parents will be notified at all instances and the incident will be documented. 1. Cheating on Tests and Assignments A student guilty of dishonesty such as requesting, giving or receiving information on an examination, quiz or assignment, will receive a zero on that work. That zero will be averaged into the student’s academic grade and the semester citizenship grade will be lowered. 2. Plagiarism A student guilty of plagiarism, i.e. copying any part of another’s notebook, computer disc, homework assignment or any published material, will receive a zero grade on that assignment. That zero grade will be averaged with the other course grades for that grading period and the semester citizenship will be lowered. Staff members observing an act of plagiarism will take the work and notify appropriate teachers. 3. Theft or Alteration of Materials A student guilty of stealing or using stolen materials or of altering test or class materials may face suspension, a failure grade of F/U at the semester, removal from class with a failure grade, removal from UCHS or all of the above. 4. Test Avoidance When it has been determined that a student has missed 50% of the announced test/quiz days within a grading period, the teacher will notify the parent of the potential test avoidance problem. At the teacher’s discretion, any further test day absence may result in forfeiting the opportunity to make up the test (resulting in a 0 grade). Note: Any two incidents in violation of items 1 through 3 above within the same course may result in a grade of F/U for that semester. Misuse of any form of technology will not be permitted. Teachers must refer documentation to the office and contact parents. Academic HonestyAttendanceCitizenshipDiscipline CodeDress CodeElectronic DevicesTardy & Truancy Policies Attendance Policy The staff members of UCHS are committed to the belief that attendance plays a major role in the overall development of each student. Daily attendance is identified as possibly the most essential requirement for every student. Success in school and in future academic goals can be achieved only by daily participation in class. Attendance is the student’s responsibility. If a student is to be absent from school, his/her parent or guardian is to CALL the ATTENDANCE OFFICE (858-457-3040 #2) each day of the absence. Any absence, which has not been cleared within five days, will be recorded as truancy. If a student arrives after the school day has begun, he/she must report to the ATTENDANCE OFFICE for a pass to class. Missed bus, oversleeping, etc., with or without parent notification, will not be an excused tardy. If a student is to be excused for a medical or personal appointment, his/her parent/guardian must call and verify the time the student is to be released. If a note is written, it must include the reason for leaving, the date and time, the parent signature and a PHONE NUMBER where the parent can be reached for verification. STUDENTS MUST COME TO THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE FOR A BLUE SLIP BEFORE LEAVING CAMPUS. STUDENTS LEAVING CAMPUS WITHOUT FIRST RECEIVING A BLUE SLIP WILL BE MARKED TRUANT AND PARENTS CAN NOT EXCUSE THESE ABSENCES AFTER THE FACT. Blue Slips will not be delivered to class! In order to establish uniform procedures in all secondary schools, the following classifications for absences will be used at UCHS: Excused-Medical
Unexcused- Absences which are NOT excusable are:
Suspension: An absence for disciplinary reasons. Citizenship When a spirit of cooperation exists on a school campus, a positive learning atmosphere also exists. Good citizens demonstrate attitudes of caring, concern and respect for others. The semester citizenship grade will be the cumulative average of the three six-week grading periods. E = Excellent – Outstanding student G = Good – Above average student S = Satisfactory – Meets citizenship standards N = Needs to improve – Needs help in meeting defined standards U = Unsatisfactory – Fails to meet school citizenship standards A site review committee will review any and all appeals for eligibility due to citizenship grading and this committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the principal for implementation. In addition to behavior in class, the following tardy and truancy policies determine citizenship grades. Discipline Code The chart available below indicates the disciplinary actions that apply to each problem area. In each instance a minimum and maximum action is suggested. There are also alternate actions that can be used at the discretion of the administrator. The list covers suggested actions for first occurrences and for repeated occurrences. If a student has demonstrated excellent behavior and then becomes involved in a problem, school officials may consider the record of that student’s good behavior before any action is taken. Such factors as the length of time since a student’s last problem, his/her attitude, etc., will be taken into account for a student who is continually involved in problems. Dress Code The intent of any code of conduct is to ensure a positive teaching and learning environment for all students and staff. The code should provide enough flexibility to accommodate personal taste but minimize campus and classroom disruptions (intentional or unintentional) in order that teaching and learning continues to be the focus of the classrooms. Modesty and good taste should govern all school clothing selections.
Electronic Devices Electronic devices include mp3 players, CD players, cell phones, pagers, cameras, voice sticks, headphones and any other device powered by a battery. All audio/music devices must be used in conjunction with headphones. Students are NOT permitted to use electronic devices during class time (in or out of the classroom) or while out of class on a pass. Any electronic device that is visible, audible or otherwise in use during prohibited times will be confiscated. Students who walk into a classroom with an electronic device visible may have that device confiscated by the teacher (at the discretion of the teacher). Confiscated devices will only be returned to parents after 2:18 p.m. For the purposes of UCHS, laser pointers are not included in the above definition and are not to be on campus at any time in the possession of students. Tardy & Truancy Policies Tardy 1 tardy: Teacher counsels student 2 tardies: Teacher counsels student. Teacher contacts parent. 3 tardies: Teacher telephones parent, assigns and supervises classroom detention. Citizenship can be no higher than an “N.” 4 tardies: Teacher refers student to counselor. Counselor telephones/contacts home and requests parent involvement or assistance. Student is assigned 1-hour detention. Citizenship grade is lowered to a “U.” 5 tardies: Teacher refers student to counselor who calls home and assigns 2 hours of detention. 6 tardies: Student referred to counselor. Parent contacted and conference may be held. Saturday school is assigned. 7 tardies: Referral to V.P. for disciplinary action. School staff make it a point to be “out and about” during passing periods and students who are late to class will be stopped and required to surrender their ID card. Late students with poor attendance/tardy records must serve after-school detention on the same day as their tardy; students with good attendance/tardy records will have their ID card returned to them. Consequently, all tardy students who have had their ID card taken must report to the attendance office during lunch or immediately after school to either retrieve their ID card or to receive notification that they have been assigned after-school detention. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE A VALID ID CARD (FOR THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR) IN THEIR POSSESSION ARE AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED DETENTION. NOTE: 12 or more accumulated tardies during the semester will result in a “U” semester grade. A student not complying with the above procedures may be suspended from school for defiance. University City High School considers any tardy of more than 3O minutes to be a truancy. The review of the number of tardies starts over at each 6 week grading period. Truancy Truancy is defined as “absence form class without parental or school permission.” Any student late to class by more than 30 minutes will be considered truant. One (1) truancy during a six- week period will result in an “N.” More than one truancy from class during a six-week period will result in a “U.” This policy renews itself every six weeks and should affect students in the following manner:
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