Expected Results of a Properly Executed and Enforced Code of Conduct

1. Teacher and student morale should be high because of a positive teaching and learning environment.

2. Increased public support for the schools should be better because of a positive learning environment which is provided and maintained.

3. An overall school environment and atmosphere which is conducive to learning will be ever present.

Rules of the Home, Student, School, and School Personnel

In order for effective instruction to occur, there must be a cooperative relationship among student, parent and educator. This relationship may be described as follows:
 

Parents or Guardians should

• maintain regular communications with the school authorities concerning their child’s progress and conduct
• ensure that their child is in daily attendance and promptly report and explain any absence or tardiness to the school
• provide their child with the resources needed to complete classwork
• bring to the attention of the school authorities any problem or condition which affects their child or other children of the school
• discuss report cards and work assignments with their child
• maintain up-to-date home, work and emergency telephone numbers at the school, including doctor, hospital preferences, and emergency health care information form
   

Students should

• attend all classes daily and be punctual in attendance
• come to class with appropriate working materials
• be respectful to all individuals and property
• refrain from profane or inflammatory statements
• conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner
• be clean and neat
• be responsible for their own work
• abide by the rules and regulations of the school and each classroom teacher seek changes in an orderly and recognized manner

 

Schools should

• encourage the use of good guidance procedures
• maintain an atmosphere conducive to good behavior
• exhibit an attitude of respect for students
• plan a flexible curriculum to meet the needs of all students
• promote effective training or discipline based upon fair and impartial treatment of all students develop a good working relationship among staff and with students
• encourage the school staff, parents or guardians, and students to use the services of community agencies
• promote regular parental communication with the school
• seek to involve students in the development of policy when applicable
• endeavor to involve the entire community in the improvement of the quality of life
   

School Personnel should

• be in regular attendance and on time
• perform their duties with appropriate materials
• respect other individuals and their property
• refrain from profane or inflammatory statements
• conduct themselves in a reasonable and responsible manner
• be clean and neat
• adhere to the rules and regulations established by the school
• pursue improvements in an orderly and recognized manner
• utilize a variety of informal disciplinary and guidance methods, in addition to formal disciplinary action including: student program adjustment referral to appropriate personnel for group or individual counseling with guidance counselors, peer counseling,psychological  evaluations, and such  other services deemed appropriate
• conferences and/or contacts between administrators, parents or guardians, teachers and students
• referral to appropriate agencies for specific problems

Registration Requirements

In accordance with state law, anyone registering for school must present the following documents before entry: birth certificate (original or certified copy for age verification), social security card (voluntary), updated immunization record, proof of residency, and custody papers (if applicable).
 

Admission Policy for Homeless, Foster, Migratory, Immigrant, and LEP Students

It is the policy of the Fort Payne City Board of Education to provide all students, including language minority students, migrant students, immigrant students, homeless students and students in foster care, with meaningful and appropriate educational programs allowing all students the same benefits and rights of participation regardless of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, or age. The enrollment of homeless, migrant, immigrant, and limited English proficient children youth and students in foster care shall not be denied or delayed due to any of the following barriers:

·         Lack of social security number

·         Lack of driver’s license

·         Lack of birth certificate

·         Lack of school records or transcripts

·         Lack of immunization or health records

·         Lack of proof of residency

·         Lack of transportation

·         Guardianship or custody requirements

 

Social Security Number/Temporary Number

Disclosure of your child’s Social Security Number (SSN) is voluntary. For each person who is entitled to admittance but does not have a social security number, the local superintendent or agency shall assign a temporary number in accordance with the directions as specified by the State Department of Education.

Open Enrollment for Out-of-District Students

The Fort Payne City School Board policy requires that all out of district students apply annually for enrollment in the school system. This includes out of district students who attended Fort Payne City Schools during the previous school year. Only full-time district employees’ children are waived from this requirement.
  

Open enrollment applications will be accepted at all Fort Payne City Schools from May 1 until June 15, each school year. The applications may be picked up, at the school that the student would like to enroll, or they may be downloaded from the district website, www.ftpayk12.org under public information. The application must be personally returned to the school. The form cannot be mailed, faxed or emailed.
 
Students, who attended a Fort Payne City School last year, will not have to provide supporting documentation to include attendance, discipline reports and report cards.
 
All students, who attended a school other than Fort Payne City Schools, must have all required supporting documentation. The review process will not be delayed by failure to submit supporting documentation. The applications will be acted upon on a “first come first serve” basis. The applications will be processed based on the Fort Payne City School District’s projected enrollment figures and board approved staffing levels for the upcoming school year.
 

In situations in which space is limited, priority will be given to a student who:

 1.   has a sibling enrolled at the requested school, or
 2.   was enrolled in a Fort Payne City School the previous year.
 
Factors which cause an out of district enrollment to be denied include:

 1.  A school, grade or program(s) has a lack of available space, staff or support services, taking
      in-district enrollment projections into consideration.
 2.  The school requested does not offer appropriate programs, is not structured or equipped with
      the necessary facilities to meet the needs of the student or does not offer a particular program            requested.
 3.  The student does not meet the eligibility criteria for participation in a particular program
      including age requirements, course prerequisites, and required levels of academic performance.
 4.  The student has been suspended or expelled from school or is in the process of being expelled.
 5.  The student has withdrawn from a school to avoid possible suspension or expulsion.
 6.  The student has a history of documented disciplinary infractions within the past three (3) years.
 7.  The student has been adjudicated or convicted of a crime or is affiliated with a gang activity.
 8.  The student has a record of excessive absences or truancy from school.
 9.  The information on the enrollment application was misrepresented or incomplete.
10. The Fort Payne City School District shall not consent to any transfers where the cumulative effect        will reduce desegregation in the district.
 
All out of district students MUST reapply annually. At no time will an out of district student displace a FPCS resident student.
 

Withdrawals

Parents withdrawing students from school should notify the school office as soon as they find out they are moving. All indebtedness should be cleared. All books, including library books, should be returned to the teachers. The legal guardian must come to the school to officially withdraw a student. We will give you a withdrawal form to present to the transfer school. The transfer school will ask you to sign a waiver allowing them to request records from us.

Attendance

All students are expected to attend school on a regular basis and to develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline, and responsibility to obtain the greatest benefits from the instructional program. There is a direct relationship between poor attendance and class failure, and students who are regular in attendance generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.
 
The Fort Payne City Schools are governed in their attendance practices and policies by the Code of Alabama as amended and the Fort Payne City Board of Education. The Code specifies that all children between the ages of six (6) and seventeen (17) must attend school every year.
 
ATTENDANCE - ABSENCE CODES
EXCUSED ABSENCES
 
ID         Excused medical
IP         Excused parent
2X        Death in family
3X        Excused weather
4X        Excused quarantine
5X        Excused emergency determined by the principal
6X        Prior permission of principal and consent of parent or legal guardian
 

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
7X        Unexcused absence
 

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Determined based on the percent of students who missed 15 days or more days (both excused and unexcused).

 

 

Board Policy/Attendance – Academic Achievement
 

The policy of the Fort Payne City Board of Education concerning student absences shall be as follows:

1. No student shall be eligible to receive credit for a class if he/she is absent until the reasons for such absences have been determined, parent conferences held when necessary, in line with the due process and the problem settled to the satisfaction of the principal, in keeping with the policies.

2. If reasons for all absences have not been determined by the end of the nine weeks, an “I” or Incomplete shall be given by the teacher instead of a numerical grade and a report made to the principal concerning the student’s absences. The “I” shall not be removed except through the appeals process.

3. In regard to illness, students shall furnish either a physician’s statement or parent’s statement regarding absences upon returning to school. If the absence is for more than three days, a physician’s statement, or Health Department statement, should be required, unless the principal has knowledge of the facts. The parents shall be contacted whenever the principal feels that further verification is needed

4. Absences because of the following reasons are not to be counted against student:

     a.  Students representing their school, in school sponsored activities. For example, but not limited to, approved field trips, educational trips (having merit as determined by the principal), religious holidays (principal may investigate for authenticity), and athletic and band competitions, as long as they meet the requirements of the State Department and are approved by the principal.
 
     b.  Students on campus, but assigned to a special class during the day, for example, LD or gifted, instead of a regular class.
           
     c.  Excused absences: In addition to the above, the State Board considers absences caused by either illness of the student, death in the student’s immediate family, legal quarantine, weather, or poverty, as excused absences (must be documented and approved by the principal).
           
     d.  With principal’s approval, a student may be excused to attend the funeral of someone other than a member of the immediate family after review of the request. Example: including, but not limited to, a close friend, official, or parent of classmate, etc.

5. Teachers will provide students who have been absent for excused reasons an opportunity to make up missed assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to request makeup work within three (3) days following the determination by the principal that the absence was excused. The work must be completed within five (5) school days after returning to school.

6. Wills Valley and Williams Avenue students shall present their cause of absence to their teacher.  Ft. Payne Middle and High School students shall present their cause of absence to the principal upon returning to school. The principal shall notify the student’s teachers stating that the absence or absences are or are not excused. It is the responsibility of the students and parents to provide the principal and teachers with the satisfactory evidence relating to excused absences. Students and parents shall assume responsibility for their obligations regarding deadlines.

7. Students with unexcused absences are subject to both disciplinary and legal action.

8. Students excused for school-sponsored activities must make up class work missed. No makeup work is to be given for an unexcused absence. An out-of-school suspension is an unexcused absence.

9. The principal will notify the teacher when an incomplete grade is to be removed. When an “I” is removed, whereby makeup work is not allowed for unexcused absences, and/or a zero is given for a missed test, such could result in an “F” when other test grades and daily grades, when applicable, are averaged.

10. Truancy - Students between the ages of 6 and 17 must, by law, attend school. See “Truancy Policy”.

When a student is out for two days and the principal has not heard from the parent or guardian, the attendance supervisor shall be notified. Students over the age of 17 must attend school on a regular basis or be subject to disciplinary or legal action.

 

Returning to School after an Absence

FPHS and FPMS students who have been absent for all or part of the previous day must report to the Assistant Principal’s Office or his designee between 7:15 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. before reporting to class. WVES and WAS students must report to their homeroom teacher. The students must have a written note from a parent/guardian stating the SPECIFIC REASON for the absence. No more than (3) days per nine weeks will be excused by a parent note. Students who have made visits to dentists or medical doctors or who received treatment at a hospital are to bring excuses from that office to be filed in the school office. The student will then be coded in the computer as excused or unexcused. 
 
Failure to bring a written excuse within three (3) days will result in the student's absence being coded unexcused (Truant - 7X).
 

Students who have a medically diagnosed long-term illness will be required to furnish written updates from their doctor at the end of each grading period. 
 
The note should have parent/guardian signature and a phone number for school officials to call for verification.
 

Tardiness

Promptness to class and to school is very important. Each teacher will record tardy students in the homeroom and/or class attendance roll. Referrals to the Principal/Assistant Principal for possible disciplinary action will be made after three (3) tardies per grading period. In grades K-12, three (3) unexcused tardies to school will equal one (1) unexcused absence.
Excessive tardies will be judged according to the student code of conduct.
 

Students in grades 7-12 that are tardy to HOMEROOM or to SCHOOL unexcused will be assigned to morning detention for each tardy. Students who come to school after homeroom will have to meet with the Principal/Assistant Principal before they can be admitted to class. Excessive tardies to school can result in disciplinary action other than morning detention. Tardies to school will be excused only for documented doctor’s excuses, legal excuses, or as determined by the Principal/Assistant Principal.
 

Check-Outs

An early check-out not explained in writing by a parent, guardian or doctor’s note is considered unexcused. A check-out may be considered unexcused if it is not for one of the following reasons: sickness, death in the immediate family, weather, doctor’s appointment, medical quarantine or prior permission from the principal. In grades K-12, three (3) unexcused check-outs from school will equal one (1) unexcused absence.

Board Policy – Pregnant Students

The Fort Payne City Board of Education requires a pregnant student to notify the school principal and counselor as soon as possible after the pregnancy has been confirmed. The purpose of this policy is to protect the health of the student.

Board Policy/Truancy

The Policy of the Fort Payne City Board of Education concerning Truancy shall be as follows: (adopted July 17, 1989; revised July 13, 1992, April 25, 2005).
 

1. The parent or guardian is responsible for providing an explanation to the school as soon as practical concerning absence of a student. The State Department of Education has interpreted as soon as practical as a period of three days.

2. The State Department of Education recognizes absences for the following reasons as being excused:

a.     Pupil too ill to attend school
b.     Death in the immediate family
c.     Inclement weather which would be dangerous to the life or health of the child if he/she attended

        school
d.     Legal quarantine
e.     Emergency condition as determined by principal
f.      Prior permission of principal and consent of parent or legal guardian

3. Any absences not falling into one of the reasons listed above shall be recorded as an unexcused absence in the teacher’s register and will result in the student being considered a Truant.

4. The principal or his designee may require verification of any absence.
 

Truancy - The Alabama Compulsory Attendance Laws require that each child (K-12) who enrolls in a public school, whether or not the child is required by law to enroll, is subject to the school attendance and truancy laws of the state. (Act 94-782 & Amended Section 16-28-3)

The law also states that parents or guardians having control over school-age children are responsible for the children’s regular attendance and proper conduct. Parents and/or guardians must provide to the school principal a legal explanation of each absence within three (3) days after the child returns to school. If the parent or guardian fails to provide this information to the principal, each child’s absence will be recorded as unexcused or truant. The child shall also be deemed truant for any absence determined by the principal to be unexcused based upon the State Department of Education’s current School Attendance Manual.

Truancy Issues

The following procedures for handling truancies shall be uniformly administered throughout the schools of Fort Payne. These procedures are as follows:
 

First Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• The parent/guardian shall be notified by the principal that said student was truant and the date of the truancy.
• The parent/guardian shall be provided a copy of Alabama’s compulsory school attendance laws and be advised of the penalties which may be applied and the procedures which shall be followed in the event that other unexcused absences occur.
   

Second Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• The parent/guardian and child shall attend a conference with the principal.
• Attendance at the scheduled conference shall be mandatory except where prior arrangements have been made or an emergency exists.
   

Third and Fourth Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• Parent will be notified by letter.

Fifth Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• The parent/guardian and child shall participate in the early warning truancy prevention program provided by the juvenile court.
• Failure to appear at the early warning truancy prevention program shall result in the filing of a complaint/petition against the parent under Code of Alabama (1975), §16-28-12(c) (failure to cooperate), or a truancy against the child, whichever is appropriate.
   

Sixth Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• The Dekalb County Juvenile Probation Officer and the Fort Payne City Schools’ Attendance Officer will be notified that said student has accumulated a sixth unexcused absence after attending the early warning truancy prevention program.
   

Seventh Truancy (Unexcused Absence)

• A complaint/petition/warrant will be filed against the child and/or parent/guardian.