GRADING SYSTEM

The grading system, as officially adopted by the Ouachita Parish School Board is as follows:

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS OUACHITA PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM

In accordance with attendance requirements set for students attending public schools by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education the Ouachita parish School Board adopted the following policy: 

1. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

Students from the seventh to the sixteenth birthday shall attend a public or private day school or participate in an approved home study program.

1. Schools shall administer attendance regulations in accordance with state and locally adopted policies.

2. State Law requires that students be in school every day that school is in session unless an absence is due to one of the justifiable reasons allowed by law and local school board policy.

3. No middle school student shall accumulate more than a total of twenty absences during a school year, EXCUSED AND/OR UNEXCUSED.  On ANY ABSENCE after reaching a total of twenty, the student and the parent will have to meet with a Child Welfare and Attendance Officer at the School Board office and provide a justifiable excuse for that absence.

2. TYPES OF ABSENCES

The days to be counted as part of the allowable absences for elementary and secondary school students shall include temporarily excused absences.

1. TEMPORARILY EXCUSED ABSENCES
   Students shall be considered temporarily excused from school for personal illness, serious illness in the family, death in the family (not to exceed one week), or for recognized religious holidays for the students' own faith and shall be given the opportunity for make-up work.

2. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
   Students shall not be excused for any absence other that those listed above. Students shall not be excused from school to work on any job including agricultural and domestic service, even in their own home or for their own parents or tutors.

3. ABSENCE DUE TO SUSPENSIONS
   Students missing school as a result of any suspension shall be counted as an unexcused absent and students shall be given a zero in all subjects.

4. PERMANENTLY EXCUSED ABSENCES

1. Students participating in school-approved activities that necessitate their being away from school shall be considered to be present and given the opportunity for make-up work.

2. Students missing five or more consecutive days will be permanently excused under the following circumstances and the days will not count toward the twenty previously allocated.

1. Personal physical or emotional illness s verified by a physician.

2. Hospital stay as verified by a physician.

3. Recuperation from an accident as verified by a physician.

4. Contagious diseases within a family, as verified by a physician.

5. Death in the family.

3. Each absence of a student after he/she has ten must be accompanied by a physician's statement if it is to be permanently excused and the student is to receive credit.

4. All physician statements must be presented to the principal or designee within two days of the absence.

3. EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

1. The only exception to the attendance regulation shall be the delineated extenuating circumstances that are verified by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.

1. Extended personal physical or emotional illness as verified by a physician.

2. Extended hospital stay as verified by a physician.

3. Extended recuperation from an accident as verified by a physician.

4. Extended contagious disease within a family as verified by a physician.

5. Prior school system approved travel for education.

6. Death in the family (not to exceed one week).

7. Natural catastrophe and/or disaster.

8. For any other extenuating circumstances parents must make a formal appeal in accordance with due process procedures established by the LEA.

2. Students who are verified as meeting extenuating circumstances, therefore eligible to receive grades shall not receive those grades if they are unable to complete make-up work or pass the course.

3. The Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance will not go back and excuse absences after the student has missed ten days.  All absences must be considered within two school days of their occurrence.

CAFETERIA

Every child will receive an Application for Free and Reduced Priced Meals which you may choose to complete and return or not.  Participation in the Free/Reduced Price meal program is strictly confidential.  Please submit ONE application for all of the children in your household.  Please read the instructions closely.

Student accounts – Because our cafeteria is computerized, each child is given his/her own “Cafeteria Account Number” which they will use as long as he/she is enrolled at our school.  This account is similar to a bank account.  Your child can “deposit” money into his/her account for meals to be eaten.  On leaving the serving line he/she will give his/her name and number to the cashier.  The meal is then deducted from his/her personal account.  If a student has any money left in his/her account at the end of the school year, the money is returned to the student.

Payments – Payments for meals may be made in cash, by money order, or by personal check.  Checks and money orders should be made out to the school cafeteria.  Please send cash payments in envelopes with the child’s name, cafeteria number, and the amount of money enclosed.  If sending a check or money order, please note your child’s name on the check.  If the check is for more than one child, each child’s name and amount to be credited to each child’s account should be noted.

NSF (Non-Sufficient Funds) Checks – If a NSF check is received, the person writing the check will be contacted and asked to pay, in cash, the amount of the check plus $2.00 for bank charges assessed the Child Nutrition Program.  No meals may be charged or purchased in the cafeteria until the outstanding check plus bank fee are paid in full.  A second NSF check by the same person/account will result in all meals being paid in cash or money order for the rest of the school year.

Charging of Meals – Secondary students will not be allowed to charge any meals.  No charging of breakfast or extras will be allowed.

End of the Year Balances – Students will not be allowed to charge meals beginning May 1^st of the school year.  No checks will be accepted after May 1^st.  Students who owe balances May 1^st must have balances cleared/paid in full or they will not be allowed to purchase meals during the last two weeks of school until the bill is paid in full.

Students’ behavior in the cafeteria should be based on courtesy and cleanliness.  This means leaving the cafeteria in the condition in which you would like to eat.  Students are to remain in the cafeteria in the condition in which you would like to eat.  Students are to remain in the cafeteria until they have finished eating.  Because of strict federal and state regulations of the school lunch program, students must pay daily for their lunch.  Students cannot charge their lunch.  The correct amount of money will make your service through the line faster and more efficient.  The cost of breakfast and lunch are listed below.  Food (lunch) is not to be delivered to school unless the principal has given special permission.  Students being too noisy in the cafeteria may be asked to leave.  Any inappropriate conduct in the cafeteria may result in the student being removed.

LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PRICES

FEES

All students will be required to pay a $30.00 school fee.  This fee does not include student supplies for individual classes or fees charged to defray the cost of supplies in specific classes. Example: Home Living, Art.  This $30.00 fee will cover the following items:

• Student Handbook

• Lock Rental (Hall & Gym)

• Copy Paper

• Teaching aids not supplied by the School Board

• Repair and insurance for copiers

• Awards for Awards Program and certificates

• Postage to mail records, correspondence to parents

• Miscellaneous supplies

All fees need to be paid by October 31, 2003.  Any students that owes for school fees, lost books or any school related activity may not attend field trips or end of the year functions.  Please know that we are here to serve you as parents and that we need your support as we bring the best quality education to you child.