Approved Robert Redfern, President Kim Sullivan, vice President

BOTH SEMESTER TEST EXEMPTIONS:

This applies at the high school level per class.

Students who are exempt from tests will have their grade figured without semester test grades. Exemption or Non-exemption is based on the following:

Exemptions:

1. 
   Excused Abseneces
   
   1. 
      4 Absences with an A in the class
      
   2. 
      3 Absences with a B in the class
      
   3. 
      2 Absences with a C in the class
      

*Refer to ABSENCES 4.7 in handbook.

Non-Exemption:

1. One (1) or more unexcused absence

2. Three (3) tardies in the same class

3. In School Suspenion

4. Out of school Suspension
Students shall not be absent, as defined in this policy more than 10 days in a semester. When a student has 5 absences, his/her parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis shall be notified that the student has missed half the allowable days/class periods for the semester. Notification shall be by mail with a return address sent no later than the following school day.
Whenever a student exceeds 10 total absences in a semester, the District shall notify the prosecuting authority and the parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis shall be subject to a civil penalty as prescribed by law. This applies at the high school level per class
It is the Arkansas General Assembly’s intention that students having excessive absences due to illness, accident, or other unavoidable reasons be given assistance in obtaining credit for their courses. Therefore, at any time prior to when a student exceeds the number of allowable absences (unless unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances), the student, or his/ her parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis may petition the school or district’s administration for special arrangements to address the student’s absences. If formal arrangements are granted, they shall be formalized into a written agreement which will include the conditions of the agreement and the consequences for failing to fulfill the agreement’s requirements. The agreement shall be signed by the student, the student’s parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis, and the school or district administrator or designee.
The responsibility for arranging for and completing make-up work lies with the student. Handbook Policy 4.8 School personnel will cooperate with the student to arrange permitted make-up work so that the student will not be unduly penalized for necessary and/or unavoidable absences. However, students will be responsible for arranging make-up work prior to school-sponsored trips. Students must present documentation for absences immediately upon returning to school.
ADDITIONAL ABSENCES

Days missed due to in-school or out-of-school suspension shall not count toward the allowable number of days absent.

Additional absences that are not charged against the allowable number of absences are those where the student was on official school business or when the absence was due to one of the following reasons and the student brings a written statement upon his/her return to school from the parent, guardian, and person in loco parentis, or appropriate government

agency stating such reason:

• 
  To participate in an FFA, FCCLA, or 4-H sanctioned activity,
  
• 
  To participate in the election poll workers program for high school students,
  
• 
  To serve as a page for a member of the General Assembly,
  
• 
  To visit his/her parent or legal guardian who is a member of the military and been called to active duty, is on leave from active duty, or has returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, and
  
• 
  For purposes pre-approved by the school administration such as visiting prospective colleges, to obey a subpoena, or to attend an appointment with a government agency.
  

The district shall notify the Department of Finance and Administration whenever a student fourteen (14) years of age or older is no longer in school. The Department of Finance and Administration is required to suspend the former student’s operator’s license unless he/she meets certain requirements specified in the code.

Applicants for an instruction permit or for a driver’s license by persons less than eighteen (18) years old on October 1 of any year are required to provide proof of a high school diploma or enrollment and regular attendance in an adult education program or a public, private, or parochial school prior to receiving an instruction permit. To be issued a driver’s license, a student enrolled in school shall present proof of a “C” average for the previous semester or similar equivalent grading period for which grades are reported as part of the student’s permanent record.
Middle School – High School
Legal References: A.C.A. § 6-18-209 A.C.A. § 6-18-220; A.C.A. § 6-18-229;

A.C.A. § 6-27-113 A.C.A. § 7-4-116; A.C.A. § 27-16-701

Date Adopted: 9-15-14 Last Revised: 6/14/16
CHECK OUT/CHECK IN 4.7.1
Students will check in and out of school through each school’s office when arriving late or leaving early during the day. Students who check out during the day and leave school and then return to school must check back in to the office. This is mandatory to check back in to the office, no exceptions. Only parent(s), legal guardian(s), or person(s) legally responsible for the student may check the student out.
Date Adopted: Last Revised: 5/30/15

MAKE-UP WORK 4.8
ELEMENTARY
After an absence, students will be allowed two school days to make up missed assignments. The teacher and principal may grant additional time for extenuating circumstances.
SECONDARY

1. 
   Secondary students are responsible for asking the teachers of the classes they missed what assignments they need to make up.
   
2. 
   Teachers are responsible for providing the missed assignments when asked by a returning student.
   
3. 
   Students are required to ask for their assignments on their first day back at school or their first class day after their return.
   
4. 
   Make-up tests are to be rescheduled at the discretion of the teacher, but must be aligned with the schedule of the missed work to be made up.
   
5. 
   Students shall have one class day to make up their work for each class day they are absent.
   
6. 
   Make-up work which is not turned in within the make-up schedule for that assignment shall receive a zero.
   
7. 
   Students are responsible for turning in their make-up work without the teacher having to ask for it.
   
8. 
   Students who are absent on the day their make-up work is due must turn in their work the day they return to school whether or not the class for which the work is due meets the day of their return.
   
9. 
   Students that are absent the day of any pre-assigned test or due date of an assignment/project must take the test and/or turn in assignment/project the day of their return.
   
10. 
    * See All suspension work under Group IV Displinary Actions.
    

Date Adopted: Last Revised: 6/14/16

TARDIES 4.9
Promptness is an important character trait that Danville School District staff is encouraged to model and help develop in our schools’ students. At the same time, promptness is the responsibility of each student. Students who are late to class show a disregard for both the teacher and their classmates which compromises potential student achievement.
At the elementary level (K-6), excessive tardies will be turned into the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Secondary students (7-12) are expected to be in class prepared to work at the prescribed time unless they are given a note from the teacher who kept them from being on time.

Secondary – Each 9 Week Period:

1. 
   Three (3) unexcused tardies in one class will result in one (1) day of In-School Suspenion.
   
2. 
   Four (4) unexcused tardies in one class will result in 2 days In-School Suspenion.
   
3. 
   Five (5) unexcused tardies in one class will result in 3 days of In-School Suspenion.
   
4. 
   Six (6) and above will in one class period will result in OSS (out of school suspenion) without makeup work.
   

* Parental contact or email sent to parent when student has 3 unexcused tardies.

Date Adopted: 09-11-06; Last Revised: 6/14/16
CLOSED CAMPUS 4.10
Students are not to leave the school campus during the day without first receiving permission from the principal’s office. Leaving school without permission and not checking out through the office will be considered an act of truancy and may result in the student being referred to the department of juvenile services. This does not include student’s grades 9-12 walking to town for lunch. Students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades may not leave the campus, unless they are picked up by their parent/guardian. If the student returns to school, it is mandatory to check back in to the office before returning to class.
Date Adopted: 09-11-06; Last Revised:


EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY 4.11
No student in the Danville School District shall, on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity sponsored by the district.
SECTION 504
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that the Danville Public School District not discriminate on the basis of handicap in any district program or activity. The district will identify, evaluate, and provide an appropriate public education to students who are handicapped under Section 504.
Date Adopted: 09-11-06; Last Revised:

 

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS/EQUAL ACCESS 4.12

Non-curriculum related secondary school student organizations wishing to conduct meetings on school premises during non-instructional time shall not be denied equal access on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings. Such meetings must meet the following criteria:

1. 
   The meeting is to be voluntary and student initiated,
   
2. 
   There is no sponsorship of the meeting by the school, the government, or its agents or employees,
   
3. 
   The meeting must occur during non-instructional time,
   
4. 
   Employees or agents of the school are present at religious meetings only in a non-participatory capacity.
   
5. 
   The meeting does not materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities with the school, and
   
6. 
   Non-school persons may not direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups.
   

All meetings held on school premises must be scheduled and approved by the principal. All school sponsored clubs and organizations must have a faculty sponsor and must be on file in the principal’s office. The school, its agents, and employees retain the authority to maintain order and discipline, to protect the well being of students and faculty, and to assure that attendance of students at meetings is voluntary.

Fraternities, sororities, and secret societies are forbidden in the district’s schools. Membership to student organizations shall not be by a vote of the organization’s members, nor be restricted by the student’s race, religion, sex, national origin, or other arbitrary criteria. Hazing, as defined by law, is forbidden in connection with initiation into, or affiliation with, any student organization, extracurricular activity or sport program.
Legal References: A.C.A. § 6-5-201 et seq.;

A.C.A. § 6-21-201 et seq.; 20 U.S.C. 4071 Equal Access Act Board of Education of

the Westside Community Schools v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (1990)

A.C.A. § 6-18-601 et seq.

Date Adopted: Last Revised:
PRIVACY OF STUDENTS’ RECORDS/DIRECTORY INFORMATION 4.13
Except when a court order regarding a student has been presented to the district to the contrary, all students’ education records are available for inspection and copying by the parent of his/her student who is under the age of eighteen (18). At the age of eighteen (18), the right to inspect and copy a student’s records transfers to the student. A student’s parent or the student, if over the age of eighteen (18), requesting to review the student’s education records will be allowed to do so within no more than forty-five (45) days of the request. The district forwards education records, including disciplinary records, to schools that have requested them and in which the student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.

 

The district shall receive written permission before releasing education records to any agency or individual not authorized by law to receive and/or view the education records without prior parental permission. The district shall maintain a record of requests by such agencies or individuals for access to, and each disclosure of, personally identifiable information (hereinafter “PII”) from the education records of each student. Disclose of education records is authorized by law to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A personal record kept by a school staff member is not considered an education record if it meets the following tests:

1. 
   It is in the sole possession of the individual who made it,
   
2. 
   It is used only as a personal memory aid, and
   
3. 
   Information contained in it has never been revealed or made available to any other person, except the maker’s temporary substitute.
   

Written permission is not required in the following nine instances:

1. 
   Other school officials within the same school,
   
2. 
   Officials of other schools or school systems in which the student has enrolled,
   
3. 
   Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes,
   
4. 
   Appropriate parties in connection to financial aid to a student,
   
5. 
   Organizations conducting certain students for or on behalf of the school,
   
6. 
   Accrediting organizations,
   
7. 
   To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
   
8. 
   Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies, and
   
9. 
   State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific state law.
   

For the purposes of this policy a school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the school has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, or medical consultant or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

For the purposes of this policy a school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility, contracted duty, or duty of elected office.
The district discloses PII from an education record to appropriate parties, including parents, in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. The superintendent or designee shall determine who will have access to and the responsibility for disclosing information in emergency situations.
When deciding whether to release PII in a health or safety emergency, the district may take into account the totality of the circumstances pertaining to a threat to the health or safety of a student or other individuals. If the district determines that there is an articulable and significant threat to the health or safety of a student or other individuals, it may disclose information from education records to any person whose knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

 

For purposes of this policy, the Danville School District does not distinguish between a custodial and noncustodial parent, or a non-parent such as a person acting in loco parentis or a foster parent with respect to gaining access to a student’s records. Unless a court order restricting such access has been presented to the district to the contrary, the fact of a person’s status as parent or guardian, alone, enables that parent or guardian to review and copy his child’s records.

If there exists a court order which directs that a parent not have access to a student or his records, the parent, guardian, person acting in loco parentis, or an agent of the Department of Human Services must present a file-marked copy of such order to the building principal and the superintendent. The school will make good-faith efforts to act in accordance with such court order, but the failure to do so does not impose legal liability upon the school. The actual responsibility for enforcement of such court orders rests with the parents or guardian, their attorneys and the court which issued the order.

A parent or guardian does not have the right to remove any material from a student’s records, but such parent or guardian may challenge the accuracy of a record. The right to challenge the accuracy of a record does not include the right to dispute a grade, which must be done only through the appropriate teacher and/or administrator, the decision of whom is final. A challenge to the accuracy of material contained in a student’s file must be initiated with the building principal, with an appeal available to the superintendent or his designee. The challenge shall clearly identify the part of the student’s record the parent wants changed and specify why he/she believes it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school determines not to amend the record as requested, the school will notify the requesting parent or student of the decision and inform them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amending the record. The parent or eligible student will be provided information regarding the hearing procedure when notified of the right to a hearing.

Unless the parent or guardian of a student (or student, if above the age of eighteen (18) objects, directory information about a student may be made available to the public, military recruiters, post secondary educational institutions, prospective employees of those students, as well as school publications such as annual yearbooks and graduation announcements. “Directory information” includes, but is not limited to, a student’s name, address, telephone number, electronic mail address, photograph, date and place of birth, dates of attendance, his/her placement on the honor role (or the receipt of other types of honors), as well as his/her participation in school clubs and extracurricular activities, among others. If the student participates in inherently public activities (for example, basketball, football, or other interscholastic activities), the publication of such information will be beyond the control of the district. “Directory information” also includes a student identification (ID) number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used by a student for purposes of accessing or communicating in electronic systems and as student ID number or other unique personal identifier that is displayed on a student’s ID badge, provided the ID cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user’s identify, such as a personal identification number (PIN), password or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user.

 

A student’s name and photograph will only be displayed on the district or school’s web page(s) after receiving the written permission from the student’s parent or student if over the age of eighteen (18).

The form for objecting to making directory information available is located in the back of the student handbook and must be completed and signed by the parent or age-eligible student and filed with the building principal’s office no later than ten (10) school days after the beginning of each school year or the date the student is enrolled for school. Failure to file an objection by that time is considered a specific grant of permission. The district is required to continue to honor any signed opt-out forms for any student no longer in attendance at the district.

The right to opt out of the disclosure of directory information under FERPA does not prevent the district from disclosing or requiring a student to disclose the student’s name, identifier, or institutional email address in a class in which the student is enrolled.

Parents and students over the age of eighteen (18) who believe the district has failed to comply with the requirements for the lawful release of student records may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education at:
Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202
The district must annually notify parents or students if over the age of eighteen (18) of the provisions of this policy and “…shall effectively notify parents who have a primary or home language other than English.” (34 CFR 99.7(b)(2)

Districts may release directory information (DI) as presently defined by the district, of former students to the extent there is not a signed prohibition against such release. As the definition of DI changes over time (for example, the addition of email addresses to the definition of DI) districts may release DI according to the current definition. It also applies to the release of information that is now defined as DI for students who left the district prior to 1974, when there was no such thing as DI.

As stated in this policy, once a student turns eighteen (18), the rights to his/her educational records transfer to the student. The release of educational records to a parent becomes permissive and not a right. At that point, the school gets to decide if it wants to release educational records to parents. The student, however, doesn’t have the right to object one way or the other. If the parents don’t establish dependency, once the student turns eighteen (18), the parents don’t have an absolute right to see their student’s educational records. “Dependency” in this regard is defined according to the IRS; if the student is claimed by either of their parents (regardless of custody issues, or filing jointly or separately) as a dependent, then the rights of the parent once the student turns eighteen (18) is as described. Without dependency, the parents have no right to see their student’s educational records once the student turns eighteen (18).
Legal References: A.C.A. 9-29-113(b) (6) 20 U.S.C. 1232g 20 U.S.C. 7908 (NCLB Section 9528) 34 CFR 99.3, 99.7, 99.21, 99.22, 99.30-99.37, 99.63, 99.64
Cross References: Policy 4.34-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND PARASITES

Policy 5.20- DISTRICT WEB SITE

Policy 5.20.1-WEB SITE PRIVACY POLICY

Policy 5.20F1-PERMISSION TO DISPLAY PHOTO OF STUDENT ON WEB SITE

Date Adopted: 08-18-08; Last Revised:
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF LITERATURE 4.14
All publications that are supported financially by the school or by use of school facilities, or are produced in conjunction with a class shall be considered school-sponsored publications. School publications do not provide a forum for public expression. Such publications, as well as the content of student expression in school-sponsored activities, shall be subject to the editorial control of the district’s administration whose actions shall be reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns and adhere to the following limitations:

1. 
   Advertising may be accepted for publications that does not condone or promote products that are inappropriate for the age and maturity of the audience or that endorses such things as tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.
   
2. 
   Publications may be regulated to prohibit writings which are, in the opinion of the appropriate teacher and/or administrator, ungrammatical, poorly written, inadequately researched, biased or prejudiced, vulgar or profane, or unsuitable for immature audiences.
   
3. 
   Publications may be regulated to refuse to publish material which might reasonably be perceived to advocate drug or alcohol use, irresponsible sex, or conduct otherwise inconsistent with the shared values of a civilized social order, or to associate the school with any position other than neutrality on matters of political controversy.
   
4. 
   Prohibited publications include:
   

1. 
   Those that are obscene as to minors,
   
2. 
   Those that are libelous or slanderous, including material containing defamatory falsehoods about public figures or governmental officials, which are made with knowledge of their falsity or reckless disregard of the truth,
   
3. 
   Those that constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy As defined by state law,
   
4. 
   Publications that suggest or urge the commission of unlawful acts on the school premises,
   
5. 
   Publications which suggest or urge the violation of lawful school regulations,
   
6. 
   Hate literature that scurrilously attacks ethnic, religious, or racial groups.
   

YEARBOOK
The annual staff is responsible for publishing the school annual, “The Little John.” The staff is selected each year by sponsor approval, prior to students being placed in the yearbook class. Students must be in the 11^th or 12^th grade to be on the yearbook staff.

 

SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

“D.H.S. Times” is the official publication and creation of the students. The paper provides the students with an account of campus events with columns, features, editorials, campus views and humor. It is published by the Journalism Class.
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS ON SCHOOL WEB PAGES
Student publications that are displayed on school web pages shall follow the same guidelines as listed above plus they shall:

1. 
   Not contain any non-educational advertisements.
   
2. 
   Not contain any personally identifying information, as defined by “Directory Information” in Policy 4.13-PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS, without the written permission of the parent of the student or the student if over eighteen (18),
   
3. 
   State that the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Danville School Board or the employees of the district.
   

NON-SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS
School authorities shall review non-school publications prior to their distribution and will bar from distribution those materials that are obscene, libelous, pervasively indecent, or advertise unlawful products or services. Material may also be barred from distribution if there is evidence that reasonably supports a forecast that disruption will likely result from the distribution.
Distribution of Literature:

The school principal or designee shall establish reasonable regulations governing the time, place, and manner of student distribution of literature. The regulations shall:

1. 
   Be narrowly drawn to promote orderly administration of school activities by preventing disruption and may not be designed to stifle expression,
   
2. 
   Be uniformly applied to all forms of literature,
   
3. 
   Allow no interference with classes or school activities,
   
4. 
   Specify times and places where distribution may and may not occur, and
   
5. 
   Not inhibit a person’s right to accept or reject any literature distributed in accordance with the regulations.
   

The superintendent, along with the student publications advisors, shall develop administrative regulations for the implementation of this policy. The regulations shall include definition of terms and timelines for the review of materials.

Legal References: A.C.A. § 6-18-1202, 1203, & 1204

Tinker v Des Moines ISD, 393 U.S. 503 (1969)

Bethel School District No. 403 v Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986)

Hazelwood School District v Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988)

Date Adopted: 09-11-06; Last Revised: