Handbook Section 2
Suspension and Expulsion
Suspension is defined as a temporary exclusion of a student from his classes and school activities for disciplinary reasons. Suspension of a student from CHS is the decision of the principal. Some behaviors call for an automatic suspension, i.e. smoking on campus, and although most suspensions are for a day or two, a student may be suspended for up to 10 days. Suspension is serious business because: You serve double the hours you missed of school in detention hall. You must complete your missed class work by the day it is due, but only get 70% on your assignment. If you miss a test, you receive a 0 (zero) on that test. You don't get the day off; it is in-school suspension and you are assigned manual labor or social isolation, depending upon the principal's decision. You and your parent(s) must meet with the principal before you get back into the class. The principal will designate the time and place of the meeting. Expulsion is the permanent dismissal of a student from CHS by the principal.
Don't Go
You can't leave the grounds without permission. Once you're here, you're here. To promote a good neighbor policy, you must not loiter in the areas of office buildings, apartments, or homes around the school. Speaking of going, don't go too fast! Driving in our parking areas requires caution. Anything over 10 M.P.H. is asking for a fender bender - or worse.
How can we ever make it up to you?
When you miss school, you will have make-up work to do for the classes you missed. Missing school does not excuse you from your assignments. Most teachers will expect you to have all homework assignments completed and that you will be prepared for any test they will give on the day of your return if you have missed only one day of class. Do you see why you should take all your books home each night? You should know one or more of you fellow students' telephone numbers so you can find out what assignments have been made for each class. In the case of a lengthy illness, you'll need to make arrangements with another student (who has the same schedule as you) to keep you up-to-date on your work. The school office does not get a student's assignments for him. You must consider that absence from school puts you behind in your work and thus should be avoided except for serious reasons. When you return from an absence, it is up to you to approach your teachers about the matter of missed work and tests. If you don't do this, serious academic problems could result from your failure to make sure that all missed work and exams have been made up.
I Don't Feel So Hot
If you become ill during the day and desire to go home, you must come to the office and obtain permission to phone a parent, who will indicate to a school official by telephone either that you have his/her permission to go home or that you should remain in school until day's end or until a parent can pick you up. As with all absences, you must bring a note from a parent explaining your absence when you return.
Missing You
In case of either an excused or unexcused absence, your parent or guardian is expected to phone the attendance office between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning to report the absence. On the day of your return you are to report to the attendance office between 7:15 and 7:45 with a note signed by a parent or guardian which explains the reason for the absence and noting the date(s) absent. You will then be given an Admission Slip which you are to have signed by each teacher whose class you have missed. The slip must be presented to the teacher prior to the beginning of the class. You should give the Admission Slip to whatever teacher or study hall monitor you have at the last period of the day. Another way we might miss you is if you move or change your phone number without notifying us. Stay in touch.
Nice Try But…
Unexcused absences are those which have parental consent but are for any reason other than those listed above as excused. These unexcused absences include trips, hunting expeditions, etc. If your absence is unexcused, you will receive a zero in all tests, projects, long-term assignments and homework due the day of the unexcused absence. You must also make up the absence by attending Saturday make-up time; the number of hours will be based on your latest report card grades. This make-up time is not punishment, as if it were detention hall time. It is a simple matter of justice to make up for time missed. You may not expect an excused absence from school simply as a matter of convenience to you or your family; e.g. banking business, car repair, errands, etc.
Bona Fide
So we expect you here at school every day, except when legitimately excused for serious personal illness, death in the immediate family, participation in school activities requiring absence, or because of an emergency situation reported by parent prior to the absence.
Woody's Words
Think of it! The school year is slightly less than half as long as the year itself. You're out of school more than 50% of the time, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect you to show up when you have classes and exams. When college admissions officers and prospective employers ask for your number of days absent and tardy, they have a reason. The numbers reveal something of your dependability and responsibility. Remember Woody Allen's observation: "Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Fight Fair
Cheating affects every student because each student's class rank suffers or improves due to cheating. Cheating is actually stealing - the 7th Commandment is not called the 7th suggestion, so we basically have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY regarding cheating. We take it seriously, regardless of whether it's on a quiz, test, or homework assignment. Don' be surprised if you are suspended for a first offense or expelled for a second. In addition to requiring that students not cheat on exams or homework, C.H.S. expects students to understand plagiarism, which is using words and ideas of others without properly identifying their source, is prohibited here as it is at all schools. Students working on research papers, speeches, or any type of schoolwork, which involves using sources other than the student himself, should be sure to check with the teacher to be certain that plagiarism does not occur. Speaking of forgery, for that is what plagiarism amounts to, you should know that forging any type of document, be it a note relating to absence or an early dismissal, a report card, or any other type of document, is considered grounds for suspension. Don't do it! Premise: "You can't be taught if you aren't present. Others can't be taught if you arrive late and interrupt the lesson."
