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Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 6thPlease share this information with your immediate family. Planning ahead will help alleviate concernduring emergencies.SNOW DAY/DELAYED STARTIn the event of inclement weather, a decision to cancel or delay the start of school will be posted on theschool’s website by 6am and an automated message will be sent to all homes via the school’sautomated calling system. Please ensure that your contact information is updated and current with theadministrative office so that you receive these important announcements. The school’s website will beupdated with the most current information as it becomes available. www.prescottvalleyschools.comIn the rare instance that severe weather develops during the school day, administration may decide todismiss students early based on the developing situation. In this instance parents will be contacted viathe school’s automated calling system. Parents can also visit the school’s website for updatedinformation.CELL PHONE AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT USAGE POLICYUse is defined as the cell being turned on to receive calls or messages, the ring tone being herd duringclass regardless of the phones location, ear phones/buds being connected to or visible, the phone isvisible and not stored in the students backpack or purse.The use or possession of cellular phones, smart phones, IPODS, MP3 players, radios, personal gamingdevices, or other electronic devices is prohibited during regular school hours, or upon student’s arrivalto campus.High school students in grades 9-12 are allowed to use the personal electronic devices listed aboveONLY during lunch period. Use of electronic devices except during lunch is a violation of school policyand will be addressed as outlined below.The following guidelines will be used when a violation of the school’s cell phone policy occurs.1st Offense:2nd Offense:3rd Offense:4th Offense:Verbal warning.Device is confiscated, sent to the office, and released to student at end of schoolday.Device is confiscated, sent to the office, and will only be released to a parent.Device is confiscated, sent to the office, and will only be released to a parent.Student will serve one day of out of school suspension for each subsequentviolation.PERSONAL PROPERTYStudents should only bring items necessary for learning to school. The school is NOT responsible forstolen, lost, or damaged personal property. Personal items that are disruptive and not related to thelearning environment will be confiscated, sent to the office, and released only to the parent. Staffmembers reserve the right to deem an item disruptive.

Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 7thSEARCH AND SEIZURE POLICYStudents possess the right of privacy of person as well as freedom from unreasonable search andseizure of property guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. This individual right ishowever, balanced by the school’s responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all of itsstudents.School officials have the right to search and seize property when there is reasonable suspicion of asituation existing that could be detrimental to health, safety, and welfare of the student(s) .School officials may question students regarding matters incident to school without limitation. Theparent will be contacted IF a student interviewed is then subject to discipline for a serious offense. Anyschool employee making a search or seizure will follow these guidelines:a.b.c.d.General searches of school property (including personal items found on schoolproperty) may be conducted at any time by school administration when there isreasonable cause without the student being present.A student’s person or motor vehicle may be searched by administration when thereis reasonable suspicion to believe that the student has on his/her person illegal itemsor other items that may interfere with the school’s purpose.Illegal items (firearms, explosive devices, drugs) and other possession reasonablydetermined to be a threat to the safety or security of others, or that might possiblyinterfere with school purposes, shall be seized by school administration and reportedto the proper authorities.Items that are used to disrupt or interfere with the educational process may beremoved from a student’s person.PHYSICAL RESTRAINING POLICYAny person employed by Prescott Valley School may use and apply such amounts of force as arereasonable and necessary for the following purposes: To restrain a student from an act of wrongdoingTo quell a disturbance threatening physical injury to othersTo obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects on a student’s person orwithin the control of a studentFor the purpose of self-defenseFor the protection of persons or propertyFor the preservation of orderFIELD TRIP POLICYParents will be notified of class field trips in advance via teacher correspondence. Field trips will requirea signed permission slip and in some cases a fee. Parents will be notified of field trip schedule changes,but will not be required to sign a new permission slip when changes occur. If you choose to not haveyour student participate in a field trip, alternate educational activities will be provided. Students, siblings,and other family members from other classes are not permitted to attend field trips. Verbal field tripapproval will not be accepted.

Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 8thINSTRUCTIONAL HOURS8:00 am to 3:00 pm (Monday-Thursday)8:00am to 1:00 pm (Early Release Friday)Students may NOT arrive on campus earlier than 7:30 am. The school will NOT provide or beresponsible for the supervision of students dropped off before 7:30am. Therefore, it is notrecommended that students be dropped off before 7:30am. When students arrive on campusthey are required to go to their designated assembly areas and remain there until the first bellrings.ATTENDANCE POLICYArizona Statutes establish that the parent/guardian is responsible for the child’s daily attendance and toinform the school of absences in a timely manner. It is impossible to gain the full benefit of any classexperience through make-up work. High School Students (9-12) are allowed nine (9) absences per class,per semester prior to losing credit for that class. Middle School students (6-8) will be subject to disciplineup to and including expulsion for excessive absences (anything over 9 days absent per semester). Pleasecontact the school to assist you with any attendance concerns.STUDENT RIGHTSStudents have the right to:1. Know how school policy defines and handles absences and tardies.2. Make-up work missed during an excused absence.3. Appeal loss of credit once each semester.RESPONSIBILITIESStudents have the responsibility to:1. Attend classes and be on time.2. Ask parents/guardians to notify the school when absent3. Ask teachers for make-up assignments.ABSENCESExcused: An absence caused by illness, death in the family, medical or dental appointment, religiousholiday or court appearance are examples of excused absences. Written documentation of any of theseevents should be provided to the front office. A parent/guardian must call within 48 hours and state thereason for the absence. The building administration determines whether the classification is excused orunexcused in questionable circumstances. Absences become unexcused if there has been no contact by3pm two days following the absence.Emancipated students are also required to call to excuse absences. Absences that are foreseeable andpreapproved by an administrator may also be excused. For excused absences, students are allowed tomake up the work missed.All excused absences count towards the 9 absences allowed in each class per semester.

Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 9thUnexcused (Truancy): An absence that is unnecessary and avoidable is considered unexcused. Thistype of absence includes but is not limited to absences not verified by a parent/guardian within 48 hours,over sleeping, car problems, missing the bus, leaving campus without following proper procedures, andgoing to work. On days of special schedules, work conflicts will not be accepted as excused absences. Allunexcused absences count toward the 9 absences allowed in each class per semester. Unexcusedabsences will result in discipline for each offense.Pre-Arranged Absences: PVS allows students and parents to make arrangements with an administratorfor pre-approved absences due to an unavoidable family vacation, wedding, university educational visits,or other. These absences may be excused at the discretion of the administration, allowing the student tomake up work, and will count toward the 9 absences allowed in each class per semester.School Sponsored: Absences supervised by the school such as a field trip, athletic event, or othernecessary activity do not count toward the 9 absences allowed each semester.In-School Suspension (ISS): Students who are suspended on campus will be allowed to take tests andturn in any make up work that they have missed. In-School Suspension does NOT count toward the 9absences allowed each semester.Out-of-School Suspension (OSS): Students who are suspended are allowed to turn in work and makeup tests when they return to class. Getting the work missed is up to the student. Students suspended forlonger than 3 days may request homework from the main office or from individual teachers through ourinternet Family Link program.These absences DO count toward the 9 absences allowed each semester.MAKE-UP WORKFor each excused absence, students will be allowed one day plus the number of days absent to make upwork. Students will be required to meet all due dates of work upon the day he/she returns to school if thedue date was announced prior to the absence.Students who anticipate an absence due to a school sponsored activity shall obtain the assignments priorto the day of the absence. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with his/her teachers formake-up tests and any other missed assignments upon returning to classes. Typically students receivemake-up work after he/she returns to school, however if an absence is longer than three consecutive days,parents may call to request homework. At any time, a parent can email teachers to obtain homework foran absence.ATTENDANCE PROCEDURESThe sign-in/sign-out is used for late arrival and early departure. Our closed campus requires studentsremain on campus from their arrival in the morning until after their scheduled school day. Parents mustcall and give permission for a student to leave campus prior to the dismissal or sign them out in the mainoffice. Students are not allowed to sign out for lunch. If a student leaves during the school day withoutsigning out, he/she will be subject to discipline.

Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 10thABSENCES (Absences are for individual classes during a semester)Attendance calls are made daily for any unexcused absence. If you are marked absent by mistake, contactthe office the next school day and have the absence corrected. Attendance information is available 24hours a day on our internet Family Link program. After five (5) absences, excused or unexcused, a letter will be mailed to the parents/guardians.After ten (10) absences, a second letter will be mailed noting loss of credit for the student.Absences of more than ten (10), excused or unexcused, will result in the loss of credit for that classfor the current semester. A student or parent/guardian may appeal. Students who are under 16years of age may be referred to the Yavapai County Stop Program, referred to the CountyAttorney’s office, or cited. Students are still required to attend class after losing credit or facedisciplinary consequences. Exceptions to the attendance procedures are at the discretion of theadministration.APPEALS PROCEDUREAny decision to withhold credit is subject to appeal. A written request for an appeal, including writtenrationale justifying the absences and supporting documentation, must be filed with the office no later thanten (10) school days after credit is lost.Step 1 – The Principal will review all documents, grades, attendance and behavior of the student. After aninitial review a decision will be made as to grant credit or have the student present his/her case to theSchool Attendance Committee.Step 2 – If the Principal deems it necessary, a hearing will be scheduled with the School AttendanceCommittee. The student and/or parent(s) will be heard by the committee composed of two teachers, anda health office representative.Step 3 – If the student and/or parent(s) is not satisfied with the decision of the School AttendanceCommittee, they may appeal to the principal. The principal must receive this appeal within five (5) schooldays after the School Attendance Committee hearing. An appointment will be scheduled with the principalno later than five school days after the principal receives the appeal. The decision of the principal is final.LATE ARRIVAL OR EARLY DISMISSALStudents who do not have a first and/or last period class are not to loiter on campus during their free time.This does not preclude students working on assignments under the supervision of a teacher.Note: During state tests, students are not allowed to leave early.TARDY POLICYA student is considered to be tardy to a class when the bell has rung and the student is not in the classroom.The sequential consequences for tardies are:1ST thru 3RD: Warning4TH: Student will be subject to discipline*Consequences for subsequent tardies could result in Off-Campus Suspension. Every 3 unexcusedtardies counts toward a full day of unexcused absence.

Prescott Valley School6 -12th Student HandbookPage 11thTardies will ONLY be excused with documentation from a doctor, dentist/orthodontist or court appointment.Handwritten notes will not be accepted. A variety of situations which may occur that will NOT be excusedinclude but are not limited to: car trouble, alarm not going off, power outage, ride was late, no ride,overslept, etc.If a student demonstrates a chronic tardy history, this behavior may be considered habitual and theAdministration of PVS will refer to the Arizona Revised Statutes for appropriate action.HEALTH SERVICESHealth records will be kept in the front office for each student. It is a requirement for your student tohave current information on file in the school office. This is for your student’s protection in the event ofan illness or accident that may occur during the school day.ACCIDENTS & ILLNESSStudents involved in minor accidents involving small cuts or scratches will be administered first aidby school staff.If it is necessary for a student to be sent home because of a serious accident or illness, if theparent/guardian cannot be reached then the person designated as the emergency contact willbe notified. If neither the parent nor the emergency contact person(s) can be reached, administrationwill decide what steps to take, up to and including notifying emergency services based on extent of theinjury/illness. In some cases, school administration will bypass contacting the parent or guardian firstto seek immediate care for an injury or illness.In all cases, EVERY EFFORT will be made to reach and notify the parent of a student healthemergency. The school must be made aware of any residence or emergency phone number changesin the event of an emergency. Please make sure your contact information is up to date.Please do not send your student to school if any of the following are present: Fever with temperature of 100 degrees or more, within the last 24 hoursSevere cough, even without a feverSore throat, if white spots can be seen in the back of the throatVomiting or diarrhea during the evening or the nightDo not allow your student to return to school until he/she has been symptom and fever free for 24hours. Reasonable requests for the stud

Prescott Valley School does not limit admission based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level, disabling condition, and proficiency in the English language and/or athletic ability. . High school students in grades 9-12 are allowed to use the personal electronic devices listed above ONLY during lunch period. Use of electronic .