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District Policy Manual The information on the following pages is a summary ofDistrict policies, procedures and practice. These policies andprocedures are revised periodically. If you have questionsregarding the District’s official policies or regulations or wouldlike a copy of a policy or regulation, the complete policy manualis available online at www.wesdschools.org. Welcome to the WashingtonElementary School DistrictThe Washington Elementary School District (WESD) is proudto serve a diverse population of 20,000 students in north centralPhoenix and east Glendale. The largest elementary schooldistrict in Arizona, WESD comprises 33schools (19 K-6schools, one K-5 school, seven K-8 schools, five middle/juniorhigh schools and one online school).We are proud of our rich heritage and we are committed tochallenging students to soar to new heights of academic andpersonal achievement in a variety of settings. The WashingtonElementary School District has a proven record as parents’ besteducational choice to ensure the success of their children!School Site CouncilsThe District encourages parent and community involvement inthe schools and offers various opportunities for participation inthe educational process including school site councils.Membership on site councils is strictly voluntary and mustminimally include the following representation: parents orguardians of pupils enrolled at the school who are not employedat the school (equal to the number of teachers), teachers (equalto the number of parents or guardians), noncertified employees,community members, students when feasible and the principalof the school. The responsibilities of the site council are /emotional data regarding agreed-upon school goals ,short-term problem solving regarding school-level issues, andstaff selection. The councils also promote communicationamong stakeholders and decision-making groups and areresponsible for team growth. Members are elected through ademocratic process to serve for one- or two-year terms. If youare interested in serving on your school's site council, contactyour school office. School site councils are formed inaccordance with A.R.S. (Arizona Revised Statutes) 15-351 –15-352.CommunicationCommunication among parents, students, communitymembers, and school and District staff is key to studentachievement. The Washington Elementary School District iscommitted to communicating with families and the communityon a consistent and timely basis. By doing this, the District isable to share its vision, mission, values, progress, and needs inan accurate manner. The following communication tools areutilized: District, school and community newsletters Individual teacher/classroom newsletters School site councils, PTA/PTOs District councils and committees Special District publicationsMediaSchool marqueesSchool advisoriesInformational outdials, e-mails and/or texts usingBlackboard Mass Notifications, an automatednotification system, in the event of a crisis or tocommunicate school or District informationGoverning Board regular and special meetingsDistrict Web site at www.wesdschools.orgSchool Web sitesSocial Media – WESDSchools on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and LinkedIn.Peachjar – Digital flyer channelFor further information regarding communication, contact theCommunications and Public Engagement Department at 602347-2694.TranslationsTranslation Services’ mission is to help students succeed byfacilitating and broadening the home-school connection.District information is translated into Spanish for the largestnon-English speaking population in WESD, and Districtinterpreters are provided for 12 additional languages. Forfurther information on translation services, contact TranslationServices at 602-896-6290.VolunteersThe WESD values the service and contributions of school andDistrict volunteers. The varied talents and expertise of parentand community volunteers greatly enhance the educationalprocess. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the schooloffice.Crisis and Emergency ManagementEach of the 33 schools in the Washington Elementary SchoolDistrict and the Administrative Center have crisis managementguidelines and comprehensive plans designed to inform staffand students of what to do in the event of a crisis or anemergency. The plans are based on the District’s Crisis Manualand contain vital information necessary to assist in anyemergency situation. In addition, each school and the DistrictOffice have Crisis Response Teams that are mobilized in theevent of an emergency to assist in providing information tostudents, staff, families and community. Fire and lockdowndrills are practiced regularly at each site to ensure that safetyprocedures are well established and familiar to all.Parents/guardians can expect effective and efficientinformation communicated in a timely manner regardingschool-related situations that may occur. In the event of a schoolor District emergency, you may be notified by your schooladministrator or a member of the District Crisis Team to do thefollowing: Pick up your child(ren) at an alternative site that will becommunicated to you via the school newsletter throughoutthe school year. Receive phone, and e-mail and/or text notificationsand updates using our Blackboard Mass Notificationsystem – it is important that we have a workingpersonal phone number to call/text or a working emailWashington Elementary School District #622022-2023

address. All changes to contact information arecommunicated to the school.Check our WESD Web site for current updates atwww.wesdschools.org. In the event of an emergency,information regarding the emergency may be added to thehomepage.Health ServicesSchool Nurse/Health TechnicianNurses and health technicians provide health services in theWashington Elementary School District. Services includehearing and vision screening, medication administration, firstaid, health assessments to determine illness or injury and healtheducation. If you have questions or concerns, contact yourschool health office.ImmunizationsAs stated in Arizona Administrative Code, R9-6-702,immunization against each of the following diseases is requiredfor attendance of a child in any school: Diphtheria; Tetanus; Pertussis; Hepatitis B; Poliomyelitis; Measles (rubeola); Mumps; Rubella (German measles); Varicella; Meningococcal; Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) for a child 2-59months of age in a day care program; and Hepatitis A, for a child one (1) through five (5) years of agein a day care program.A child is in compliance with the requirements if he or she hasmet the criteria of the appropriate immunization schedule asrecommended by the Department of Health Services or isactively in the process of meeting criteria as evidenced byhaving one (1) dose of each of the required immunizations andhas established a schedule for completion the requiredimmunizations. If the schedule is not adhered to, a student maybe suspended.A child shall not be allowed to attend school without submittingdocumentary proof to the school administrator unless the childis exempted from immunization pursuant to A.R.S. 15-873.Upon enrollment, schools shall forbid attendance or (suspend)a student not meeting the requirements for immunization orexemption from immunization. Homeless/highly mobilestudents will be referred to the liaison for homeless students andshall not be required to comply with the immunizationrequirementsVision and Hearing ScreeningStudents are screened for vision and hearing in accordance withthe Department of Health Services guidelines. The goal is toremove health-related barriers to learning. Parents or guardiansare informed of the results if follow-up care is recommended.School-based screenings are not intended to replace routinewellness examinations by your primary health care provider. Ifyou do not want your child to participate in screenings, pleasenotify the school health office in writing.Head Lice (Pediculosis) ProcedurePediculosis is a common problem among school-aged students.Lice are tiny insects that live on the human scalp. They lay eggscalled nits that attach firmly to the hair shaft. Lice aretransmitted directly from one person to another, or by contactwith articles that have come into contact with an infected person(combs, brushes, hats, bedding, and upholstery). Students withlice will be excluded from school until treatment with apediculocide shampoo has been initiated and the vast majorityof nits have been removed. Students must be checked by thenurse or health technician prior to returning to class.Emergency First Aid/IllnessThe nurse, health technician, teacher, or a member of the staffmay give first aid. If the student is seriously injured and needsmedical attention, every attempt will be made to contact theparent or guardian. If the parent or guardian cannot be reached,the school will exercise its legal option to act in the place of theparent or guardian and secure emergency treatment.When a student becomes ill at school, he or she should reportto the health office. If it is determined that the student needs togo home, the parent or guardian will be contacted. Students maynot leave campus without an adult.Parents and guardians are urged to keep students at home if theysuspect that they are ill. Early treatment may shorten the courseof the illness, and the health of the other students and staff isprotected.Returning to School Following Serious orProlonged Illness, Injury, Surgery orHospitalizationA student returning to school following a serious or prolongedillness, injury, surgery, or other hospitalization (includingpsychiatric and drug or alcohol inpatient treatment), shouldprovide written permission by a licensed medical provider toattend school, including any recommendations regardingphysical activity/restrictions or limitations related to the schoolsetting.Emergency InformationIt is important to keep the student emergency informationupdated. The following information is required: Current home address and phone number Cell phone numbers Place of employment and phone number Name and phone number of person(s) responsible for thestudent in the event parents or guardian(s) cannot bereached in an emergency situationConditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, cardiac disease, asthmaand allergies should be noted on the health record and bebrought to the attention of the nurse or health technician.Accident InsuranceAccident insurance plans are available from an independentcompany to parents of all students. Information is available inWashington Elementary School District #632022-2023

the school office. You are encouraged to review the benefits andpricing.Other District ServicesSpecial Education ServicesThe Washington Elementary School District has specificresponsibilities under the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act, Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15, Sections761-772 and under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973 to identify, evaluate and provide free, appropriate publiceducation for qualified children with disabilities. These lawsdefine a child with a disability as any child who: Has a mental, emotional or physical disability; and Because of the disability, needs special education andrelated services.In order to fulfill its obligation under Section 504, theWashington Elementary School District recognizes aresponsibility to avoid discrimination in policies and practicesregarding its personnel and students. Discrimination againstany person with a disability will not knowingly be permitted inany of the programs and practices in the school system.WESD has a responsibility under the Individuals withDisabilities Act, Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15, Section761-772 and under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973 to identify, evaluate, and provide Free Appropriate PublicEducation (FAPE) for qualified children with disabilities. FreeAppropriate Public Education refers to special education andrelated services described in an Individualized EducationProgram (IEP) and provided to the child in the least restrictiveenvironment (LRE). Children with disabilities, and theirparents, are guaranteed certain educational rights, known asprocedural safeguards, from birth to age 22. The law and itsimplementing regulations also provide methods to help assurethat their input is considered. For a copy of the proceduralsafeguards call the District’s Special Education Department at602-347-2632.FERPA(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligiblestudents") certain rights with respect to the student's educationrecords. The Governing Board has established written policiesregarding the collection, storage, retrieval, release, use andtransfer of student educational information collected andmaintained pertinent to the education of all students to ensurethe confidentiality of the information and to guarantee parents'and students' rights to privacy. These policies and proceduresare in compliance with: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; Title 20,United States Code, Sections 1232g and 1232h; and theFederal Regulations (34 C.F.R., Part 99) issued pursuant tosuch act. Uniting and Strengthening America by ProvidingAppropriate Tools Required to Intercept and ObstructTerrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT ACT). No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act; 20U.S.C. Chapter 33; and the Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R.Part 300); and Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 15, sections141 and 142.Student education records are collected and maintained to helpin the instruction, guidance and educational progress of thestudent, to provide information to parents and staff members, toprovide a basis for the evaluation and improvement of schoolprograms and for legitimate educational research. The students'records maintained by the District may include, but are notnecessarily limited to, identifying data, report cards andtranscripts of academic work completed, standardizedachievement test scores, attendance data, reports ofpsychological testing, health data, teacher or counselorobservations and verified reports of serious or recurrentbehavior patterns.The records are maintained under the supervision of the schooladministrator and are available only to teachers and staffmembers working with the student. Upon request, the schooldiscloses education records without consent to officials ofanother school district in which a student seeks or intends toenroll. Otherwise, records are not released to most agencies,persons or organizations without prior written consent of theparent [34 C.F.R. 99.7].You shall be informed when personally identifiable informationcollected, maintained, or used is no longer needed to provideeducational services to your child. The information must bemaintained for two years after the date your child was lastenrolled in the District.You have the right to inspect and review any and all recordsrelated to your child within 45 days of the day the Districtreceives a request for access, including a listing of persons ororganizations that have reviewed or have received copies of theinformation [34 C.F.R. 99.7]. Parents who wish to review theirchildren's records should contact the principal for anappointment or submit to the principal a written request thatidentifies the record(s) you wish to inspect. School personnelwill make arrangements for access and notify you of the timeand place where the records may be inspected. Schoolpersonnel will be available to explain the contents of the recordsto you. Copies of student education records will be madeavailable to parents when it is not practical for you to inspectand review the records at the school. Charges for the copies ofrecords will be the cost of copying unless the fee prevents theparent from exercising rights to inspect and review thoserecords.You have the right to request that an amendment be made to thestudent's education records and to add comments of your ownif you believe information in the record file is inaccurate ormisleading [34 C.F.R. 99.7(a)(1)]. You should write theprincipal, clearly identify the part of the record you wantchanged and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If theschool decides not to amend the record as requested by you, theschool will notify you of the decision and advise you of the rightto a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additionalinformation regarding the hearing procedures will be providedwhen you are notified of the right to a hearing.You have the right to consent to disclosures of personallyidentifiable information contained in the student's educationrecords, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosurewithout consent.Washington Elementary School District #642022-2023

Student RecordsDesignation of Directory InformationThe District may disclose “directory information” withoutwritten consent unless you have advised the District to thecontrary in accordance with District procedures. Directoryinformation is information that is generally not consideredharmful or an invasion of privacy if released. Its primarypurpose is to allow the District to include this type ofinformation in certain school publications, such as a yearbook,newsletter, class pictures, programs (dramatic and athletic),Web pages or honor roll. Directory information includes thefollowing: student’s name, address, telephone listing and dateand place of birth; names of parents/guardians; student’selectronic mail address, photograph, grade level, major field ofstudy, dates of attendance, enrollment dates, extracurricularparticipation, weight and height if a member of an athletic team,and awards received.Unless you opt out, the District will disclose directoryinformation under limited circumstances. The District will notdisclose directory information unless the District or school willuse the information in a publication or a third party hasrequested the information for a reason that, in the judgment ofthe District, serves the student’s best interest. For example, theDistrict will comply with directory information requests fromanother school in which a student seeks to enroll, persons ororganizations who inform students of educational oroccupational opportunities, including official militaryrecruiting representatives, law enforcement and ChildProtective Services. The District will not provide directoryinformation for commercial purposes, other than to companiesdesignated to sell yearbooks, student and class photographs,and such items.Opt Out FormYou may choose to opt out of directory information releases bycompleting an Opt Out form and submitting it to the schooloffice within two (2) weeks of receiving this handbook. Theform is available in the “Forms” section of this handbook oronline at www.wesdschools.org/ or in the school office. A newOpt Out form must be submitted each year. Please also shareyour wishes with your child’s teacher.Copies of District student education records and recordconfidentiality policies and procedures may be reviewed in theassigned office in each school [34 C.F.R. 99.7(a)(5) and99.7(b)]. You have the right to file a complaint with the FamilyEducational Rights and Privacy Act Office in Washington,D.C., concerning alleged failures by the school to comply

Crisis and Emergency Management . Each of the 33 schools in the Washington Elementary School District and the Administrative Center have crisis management guidelines and comprehensive plans designed to inform staff and students of what to do in the event of a crisis or an emergency. The plans are based on the District's Crisis Ma nual