PROCEDURES OR POLICIES
1. Closed Campus: The Middle School operates under a closed campus policy. This means that once students arrive, they are not to leave the school grounds without permission from the office.
2. School arrival and Departures: (a) Students who live in town should not arrive at school before 8:00 am. No student will be allowed to enter the building before this time unless given special permission by a teacher or the principal. (b) Students arriving by bus are expected to depart at the Middle School and report directly to the school grounds.
3. Lunch: Students may eat in the cafeteria or bring their lunch. All students are encouraged to eat in the cafeteria. Lunch in the cafeteria cost $1.10 per meal. Students are encouraged to pay weekly or monthyly and reports will be sent home when the Accu-Scan shows a balance of $1.80 or less. Students are expected to walk to the cafeteria in an orderly manner. Unnecessary noise, loud talking and rowdy behavior will not bew permitted in the lunchroom. Tables and eating areas should be left clean and all trash disposed of properly. Weather permitting, all students are expected to remain outside the building before school and during the lunch hour. In case of bad weather, 7th and 8th grade students may spend the lunch period in the commons area. Students will not be permitted to leave the gym or commons area without permission from the teachers on duty. Students are to remain a safe distance away from the creak and streets bordering the playground.
4. Bringing Items from Home: Students are not to bring radios, tape players, video games, cameras, other such devices or stamp and ball card collections to school. There is no safe place to keep these items and they tend to cause a disturbance in the halls and classrooms.
5. Sale of Items: Students will NOT be permitted to sell items on campus for non-school sponsored activities.
6. Visitor: Students of school age from other schools are not allowed to visit without prior approval from the principal. Permission will not be granted unless they are former Seneca students.
7. Changing Classes: While changing classes, students will not be allowed to congregate in the halls for visiting purposes. This and other unnecessary nonsense will not be permitted as students are expected to go to their classes rapidly and with as little confusion as possible. When possible, students should carry books for two or three classes helping to cut down the congestion in the halls.
8. Attendance and Truancy: Everyone should realize the necessity of attending school regularly. Of the many reasons for failure in school, irregular attendance is one of the most frequent causes. When a student is absent, they need to get an admission slip by bringing to the office a note from home, which states the reason for the absence. If a note is not brought, the absence will be marked un-excused. The student must carry the admit slip to every class that day. If they lose the admit slip, the next one may be un-excused.
9. Make-Up Work: When you have an excused absence, you will be required to make up work missed in each class. It is your responsibility to obtain all make-up work from your teachers immediately upon returning to school. Failure to obtain make-up work is no excuse for not doing the work one misses. Any student missing more that ten days in any semester should have a doctor’s excuse on file in the office. In case of excused absences, assignments may be requested through the office. Please allow one day for this material to be compiled. The office should be notified before 9:00 am and assignments can be picked up after 2:30 p.m.
10. Skipping School: (a) No make-up work will be allowed. (b) Parents will be notified and punishment administered.
11. Tardies: Students should not be tardy to class. If detained by another teacher or the office, they should be given a note to excuse the tardy. The classroom teacher will discipline the student for the first two unexcused tardies. On the third unexcused tardy the student’s will be sent to the office for further discipline.
12. Damage to School Property: School Board regulations provide that a pupil be required to pay for all damage which has been done to school property as a result of the pupil’s negligence.
13. Retention Policy: Students who have received two or more semester (F’s) will be considered for retention. The student’s age, maturity and attendance will be considered by the principal before the student is retained. Students who miss more than 10 days per semester will be carefully evaluated. The student’s parents will also be consulted before the final decision is made.
14. After-School Detention: Students who violate school rules of a serious nature or those that are repeat offenders will be assigned after-school detention. This will be used as an alternative corporal punishment in some cases and will be a step before suspension in most cases.
15. Saturday School: Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension.
16. Out of School Suspension: Student is suspended from school and is not allowed to make-up work or attend any after school activity.
17. In-School Suspension: Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension. Students not allowed to attend any after school activity.
18. Lockers: Students are expected to keep their lockers clean and orderly at all times. They should be free of markings and inappropriate posters. Students are not allowed to change lockers without permission from the office. Students will be issued locks and are to keep their lockers locked at all times.
19. Game Day Absentee: Any student missing over ½ day is ineligible to participate (1/2 day is equal to 4 class periods) in extra-curricular events that day.
20. Telephone Usage: The office telephone is for emergency use only. Students should not ask to use the phone unless it is an emergency. Emergencies are very rare. Students will not be called to the phone unless it is urgent. Generally the office will take a message.
21. Candy and Gum: Candy eating is not permitted at the Middle School except in the cafeteria during lunch. Gum chewing is permitted as long as it is chewed properly and gum and wrappers are disposed of appropriately. Proper chewing means no snapping, popping or bubbles. Individual teachers may prohibit the privilege of chewing gum in their classes.
22. Student Withdrawal: Any student withdrawing from school should have their parents or guardians notify the office in advance. The student should come to the office to pick up all of the withdrawal forms.
23. Annual vision screening will be done by the district nurse and hearing screening by the speech therapist for the 7th grade. Vision and hearing screening will be done on any student at parent or teachers request.
Annual Scoliosis screening is provided for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.
Since the district nurse will not be available in most instances for giving medications needed during school hours, certain rules will be adhered to in order to promote a safe school environment. The rules are as follows:
A. Send only the daily dose with the student. Notify the principal or send a note to the principal stating the name of the medication, the reason for taking it and how long he/she will be on it. Otherwise, the student will be questioned if seen taking the medication on school premises.
B. If the student is on a daily dose of medication to be taken during school hours for longer than ten days, a quantity may be kept in the principal’s office as long as it is in the prescription container bearing the student’s name, doctor and directions for administration. A written permission from the doctor, parent or guardian must accompany it specifying the time it is to be taken.
C. Asthmatics will be able to keep their prescription inhalers with them, but please notify the principal at the beginning of the school year.
D. The Middle School personnel will provide non-prescription medication, such as Aspirin or Tylenol with a note from the students’ parents.