Hitchcock Independent School District STUDENT HANDBOOK 2018-2019 Table of Contents Hitchcock Independent School District .......................................................................................... 1 STUDENT HANDBOOK .......................................................................................................... 1 REQUIRED FORMS ....................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgment Form ............................................................................................................... i Acknowledgment of Electronic Distribution of Student Handbook ........................................... ii Administrative Procedures: Student Discipline Corporal Punishment………………………...iii Corporal Punishment Report…………………………………………………………………..iv Notice Regarding Directory Information and Parent’s Response Regarding Release of Student Information……………………………………………………………………………………..v Parent’s Objection to the Release of Student Information to Military Recruiters and Institutions of Higher Education…………………………………………………………..…viii PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 SECTION 1: PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................... 3 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.................................................................................................. 3 Working Together ................................................................................................................... 3 Parent Involvement Coordinator ............................................................................................. 4 PARENTAL RIGHTS ................................................................................................................ 4 Obtaining Information and Protecting Student Rights............................................................ 4 “Opting Out” of Surveys and Activities ................................................................................. 5 Inspecting Surveys .................................................................................................................. 5 Requesting Professional Qualifications of Teachers and Staff ............................................... 5 Reviewing Instructional Materials .......................................................................................... 5 Displaying a Student’s Artwork, Projects, Photos, and Other Original Work ....................... 5 Accessing Student Records ..................................................................................................... 6 Granting Permission to Video or Audio Record a Student ..................................................... 6 Removing a Student Temporarily from the Classroom .......................................................... 6 Excusing a Student from Reciting the Pledges to the U.S. and Texas Flags .......................... 6 Excusing a Student from Reciting a Portion of the Declaration of Independence ................. 7 Requesting Limited or No Contact with a Student through Electronic Media ....................... 7 Requesting Notices of Certain Student Misconduct ............................................................... 7 School Safety Transfers .......................................................................................................... 8 Requesting Classroom Assignment for Multiple Birth Siblings............................................. 8 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ...................................................... 9 Parents of Students with Disabilities with Other School-Aged Children in the Home .......... 9 Request for the Use of a Service Animal ................................................................................ 9 Options and Requirements for Providing Assistance to Students Who Have Learning Difficulties or Who Need or May Need Special Education Services .. 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Parents of Students who speak a Primary Language Other than English ............................. 10 Accommodations for Children of Military Families ............................................................ 11 Student Records .................................................................................................................... 11 Directory Information ........................................................................................................... 13 Release of Student Information to Military Recruiters and Institutions of Higher Education ............................................................................................................................................... 14 SECTION II: OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS.. 15 ABSENCES/ATTENDANCE .................................................................................................. 15 Compulsory Attendance........................................................................................................ 15 Exemption to Compulsory Attendance ................................................................................. 15 Failure to Comply with Compulsory Attendance ................................................................. 16 Attendance for Credit ............................................................................................................ 16 Documentation After An Absence ........................................................................................ 18 Doctor’s Note After An Absence for Illness......................................................................... 18 Driver License Attendance Verification ............................................................................... 18 AWARDS AND HONORS ...................................................................................................... 18 BULLYING .............................................................................................................................. 19 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) PROGRAMS ....................................... 20 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND OTHER MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN .................. 20 CLASS RANK / HIGHEST RANKING STUDENT ............................................................... 21 CLASS SCHEDULES .............................................................................................................. 24 COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS .................................................................... 24 COLLEGE CREDIT COURSES .............................................................................................. 25 COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS ......................................................................................... 26 CONDUCT ............................................................................................................................... 26 Applicability of School Rules ............................................................................................... 26 Corporal Punishment ............................................................................................................ 26 Disruptions of School Operations ......................................................................................... 27 Social Events ......................................................................................................................... 27 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES / CONDITIONS ......................................................................... 27 COUNSELING ......................................................................................................................... 27 Academic Counseling ........................................................................................................... 27 Personal Counseling.............................................................................................................. 28 Psychological Exams, Tests, or Treatment ........................................................................... 28 COURSE CREDIT ................................................................................................................... 28 CREDIT BY EXAM—If a Student Has Taken the Course ...................................................... 28 CREDIT BY EXAM—If a Student Has Not Taken the Course ............................................... 29 DATING VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND RETALIATION ....... 30 Dating Violence .................................................................................................................... 30 Discrimination....................................................................................................................... 30 Harassment ............................................................................................................................ 30 Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Harassment ............................................................. 31 Retaliation ............................................................................................................................. 31 Reporting Procedures ............................................................................................................ 32 Investigation of Report ......................................................................................................... 32 DISCRIMINATION ................................................................................................................