February 21, 2011

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your attendance Monday night at the PTA = Open House. I really feel as if we are off to a great start. As promised, I am writing to give you additional information about the revised discipline continuum.

The continuum has four major phases. Students may prog= ress, as needed, from after-school or teacher directed detention, to Saturday detention, to in-school suspension (ISS), to out-of-school suspension (OSS). Their progre= ssion may depend on the number of times they repeat an offense or by the severity= of the initial offense. Although teachers will write a description of most of = the offenses, administration will ultimately decide the appropriate level on the continuum.

For example, Student A may get ISS for leaving campus without permission on a 1^st offense, while student B may get ISS after several dress code violations. The chart below gives everyone an idea= of the consequences regarding most offenses.

Offenses leading to ISS:

Inf= raction	1st Offense	2nd Offense	3rd Offense
Tardy to class/school*	½ day or SD	1 day	2 days
Class disruption**	1 day	2 days	3 days
Skipping class/leavi= ng w/o permission	2 days	3 days	5 days
Improper location***=	1 day	2 days	3 days
Profanity=	½ day	1 day	2 days
Misuse of a parking = permit	½ day	1 day	2 days
Vandalism (minor)	1 day	3 days	5 days
Harrassment/Bullying	2 days	5 days	OSS
Horseplay=	1 days	2 days	3 days
Failure to serve tea= cher detention	SD=	1 day	2-3 days<= /span>

Offense leading to OSS:

Inf= raction	1st Offense	2nd Offense	3rd Offense
Fighting/Aggressive = Behavior	3-5 days =	5-10 days=	Recommendation for L= ong-Term Suspension
Profanity/Severe Dis= respect to staff	3-5 days<= /span>	5-10 days=	Recommendation for L= ong-Term Suspension
Severe misconduct to= another student*	1-2 days<= /span>	3 days	5 days
Misconduct in ISS	1 day	2 days	3 days

Tampering with safety equipment**	1 day	3 days	5 days
Possession of or und= er the influence of drugs or alcohol	10 days and recommen= dation for Long-Term Suspension	10 days and recommen= dation for Long-Term Suspension
Possession of a weap= on	Recommendation for L= ong-Term Suspension
Bullying another stu= dent	2-3 days<= /span>	3-5 days<= /span>	5-10 days=
Fail to serve SD	1 day

These charts do not include all of the infractions for= which we will assign ISS or OSS , but they cover the major offenses. Administrators will make necessary variations based on the specific offense but will use these charts as a guide.

Saturday detention is served at the school from 8 a.m.= to 11 a.m. on most Saturdays Students will complete academic work from 8 until 9:= 30, and, after a short break, they will do community service around the school until 11.

ISS is served on a day shortly following the offense a= nd is held in a classroom of the school supervised by a teacher. Students are giv= en class work by their teachers who may visit them during their planning perio= d or may request to have the student come to class, if the activity requires it.= A letter will be mailed to the home about each incident that results in ISS, = and a parent conference will be requested.

OSS is served off campus for one or more days following the incident. Students = may not be on campus for any reason during OSS. A letter will be mailed, and a parent conference is required before the stu= dent returns. Assignments may be requested.

In closing, the use of this discipline continuum is an effort to make the school safe and orderly and to keep students in school, = as much as possible. It is our desire that students avoid these offenses and remain in class. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

David P Coyne, Principal

Hick= ory High School

(828) 322-5860 ext. 1105

coyneda@= hickoryschools.net