POLICIES AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO STUDENTS

Health and Safety Policies

A primary responsibility of the Mingus Union High school District and its professional staff shall be the development of an understanding and appreciation of a representative form of government, the rights and responsibilities of the individual, and the legal processes whereby changes are instigated.

The school is a community and the rules and regulations of the school are a reflection of the laws of that community.

All those enjoying the rights of citizenship in the school community must also accept the responsibility of citizenship. A basic responsibility of those who enjoy the rights of citizenship is to respect the laws of the community.

Recent court decisions have indicated clearly that young people in the United States have the right to receive a free public education, and the deprivation of that right may occur only for just cause and in accordance with due process of law.

Administrators and teachers also have rights and duties. The teacher is required by law to maintain a suitable environment for learning and administrators have the responsibility for maintaining and facilitating the educational process.

The Administration is authorized to suspend students for cause.

The following rules, regulations and due process procedures are designed to protect all members of the educational community.

Due Process

The purpose of this statement is to assure due process rights for students involved in a disciplinary action: Every student will be informed of the reason for referral.

Due Process Policy

Any student whose behavior while on campus is alleged to be in violation of school’s rules may be referred to an administrator. In every incident, a written report of the alleged violation will be prepared including: Place observed behavior, names or description of violation, etc.

A. Suspension

The administrator shall conduct an investigation to determine the nature of the offense and the applicable consequence. After the preliminary investigation, a determination will be made as to whether the consequences will be one to ten days suspension or greater.
If the offense is one which will result in a suspension of ten days or less, the administrator shall hold an informal hearing before suspending the student. Every student will receive, in writing, a statement of charges and description of the disciplinary action.
The student will be allowed to remain in school until after the informal hearing unless he/she poses a danger to himself/herself, others, or school property. The hearing will consist of interviews with appropriate witnesses, interviews with student and parents if they are available or if they so request, and an investigation into the facts. After the hearing, the administrator will either suspend the student for up to ten days or exonerate the student. A record of the hearing will be kept.
If a student poses a danger to himself/herself, others, or to school property, he/she may be suspended summarily and the informal hearing conducted at a later time, not more than ten days after the suspension.
If the offense is one which will result in a suspension of over ten days, the administrator must set up a formal hearing before the Board of Governors. If a clear and present danger to himself/herself, others, or school property is present, then the student may be suspended for more than ten days pending the formal hearing.
A formal hearing consists of the following minimum requirements:

The student is entitled to a statement of charges.
The student may be represented by counsel of his/her choice.
The student may present witnesses.
The student may cross-examine witnesses presented by the school district.
The school district has the burden of providing the offense.
The hearing must be recorded on tape and a record kept.
After the hearing, the hearing officer will render a decision within one school day.
The decision must be written and be sent to the parents of the student and the Superintendent.
The suspension must be reported to the Board of Governors within five days.
A. Appeals Procedure

In the event if an appeal of a decision rendered by an administrative position subordinate to the school principal, first appeal should be written to the Principal of the school within 24 hours after receipt of the initial decision, and his decision is final.

A. Expulsion

All conduct which will result in expulsion or long-term suspension requires a formal hearing before the Board of Governors. Such a hearing will be held with the student allowed all rights in a formal suspension hearing as outlined in the Due Process Policy.

Alcohol, Drug, and Substance Abuse*

Any student found selling, using, or in possession of ALCOHOL, DRUGS, OR DRUG PARAPHERNALIA will be suspended "off campus" for ten days with the following procedures implemented. The school will:

Call the police
Call the parent(s) to take the student home.
Students must appear before the School Board on every violation of the Drug Free Zone rules.
Warning: A second offense of alcohol/drug/substance abuse will result in a recommendation to the Board of Governors for expulsion.
*Depending on the severity of the violations, students may be taken to the Board of Governors for expulsion.

NOTE: Extra Curricular Activities: All students involved in any club, organization, or athletic team, will be removed from participation for possession, use, or sale of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substances.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Due to the academic intensity of the block scheduling model, it is crucial for students to have regular attendance to be successful. The ultimate responsibility for school attendance rests with students and parents, with the school assisting to fulfill that responsibility. The school expects parents/guardians to call the attendance office at 639-0744 or send a note to verify each absence. Reasonable attempts will be made by the school through phone calls or the mail to inform parents/guardians of student absenteeism. You may call the attendance office anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify your student’s current attendance record.

Major Attendance Policy revisions:

Credit will be denied upon the eighth absence in any class during a semester, regardless of the grade being earned. An appeal process is available (see reverse side for details).

The only absences not counted in the seven absence limit are:

School excused activities
Verified religious absences (pre-planned and identified prior to the start of the school year by an official religious organization).
Truancy is the deliberant missing of one or more class periods without permission of parent or guardian. Absences that are verified truancies will result in disciplinary action. An appeal for credit eligibility may be denied if any absences are verified truancies.

Letters will be sent to parents/guardians upon the student’s fourth and seventh absences in a class. Only one fourth absence and one seventh absence letter will be sent. You may call the attendance office for a complete attendance report (639-0744).

Students who violate the attendance policy may submit a written appeal. Appeals shall include student and parent letters stating reasons as to why the appeal should be granted. If the hearing officer approves the appeal and grants any additional absence(s), any subsequent absence will result in loss of credit. In case of lengthy illness during a granted extension, the student and parent may request additional absences. These absences must be verified by a medical professional.

The hearing officers will be appointed by the Superintendent. Although appeals will be heard at a time other than regular school hours, special arrangements can be made to accommodate parent/guardian’s schedules.

If credit is denied at the hearing, an appeal may be made to the Governing Board. The Superintendent should be contacted for such appeal procedures.

Tardy Policy (as stated in student handbook)

MUHS believes in the professionalism of its staff and the responsibility of its students. This policy was constructed to give teachers autonomy in dealing with tardies and to help students understand the importance of punctuality.

Tardy Definition: ANY student who is not inside the classroom when the bell rings is tardy. Students will be given an unexcused absence if they are more than 45 minutes late to class.