Policies

Attendance Policy

1. Regular and on-time attendance is a critical factor in achieving academic success.  Please ensure that students are on time and ready to learn as per the school’s schedule (see the School Schedule section on the homepage of our school website for more information). 

2. Utah law requires children’s school attendance (see Utah code 53G-6-202).  Our priority is to work with families to ensure that their children regularly attend school.  Parents of a child with unexcused absences, excessive tardiness, or an attendance-related drop in academic achievement may be asked to participate in an attendance intervention meeting to come up with a plan to facilitate their child's attendance at school.  Our earnest and persistent efforts are intended to support a child's consistent school attendance.

3. We support the right of parents to excuse absences for reasons deemed necessary, though we ask our patrons to please be mindful about the length of frequency of time a child is away from school, as excessive time away can be disruptive to the education process.

4. Whenever a child is absent from school, we ask that parents:

   • Notify school personnel right away to excuse the child’s absence.  This allows us to properly excuse the child’s absence in Skyward, our school’s record-keeping system.

   • Promptly obtain schoolwork for your child to complete at home.

   • Work with your child to make up any assignments and other class work that is missed while absent.  Return completed work to your child’s teacher as soon as possible.

5. Any parent or legal guardian that senses a child is exhibiting some anxiety in coming to school should contact the school right away so that a plan can be formulated to best meet the child’s academic, social, and emotional needs.

Discipline Policy

1. In keeping with the terms outlined in Utah code 53G-6-803, we voice our support to the tenet that “a student's parent or guardian is the primary person responsible for the education of the student, and the state is in a secondary and supportive role to the parent or guardian.”  Our role is to uphold and reinforce parental efforts to train children in ways that will allow them to fully and appropriately participate in society.  In certain instances, our work in this supportive capacity requires correction and discipline to help students engage in more pro-social and pro-learning behaviors.

2. We care deeply about each student at Liberty Hills, and it is our goal to encourage each child's growth of character, good citizenship, and self-discipline.  We feel the best way to do this is by expecting appropriate behavior and enacting consequences that naturally and logically follow students’ actions. We understand that some students will choose to violate school rules and on occasion fail to uphold our expectations.  In such instances, we have a moral obligation to help our students understand that their actions have consequences and to help them repair any harm that resulted from their choices. 

3. Teachers have the primary responsibility to address the misbehaviors in their classrooms.  As a preventative measure, teachers will regularly review the procedures and discipline policies of their classroom with their students.  When infractions do occur, teachers will ensure that the expected behavior is communicated clearly and that the student understands the natural consequence that will follow his/her continued misbehavior.

4. Occasionally, students show they are unwilling to make necessary changes to their attitudes or behaviors.  If infractions are not resolved through initial in-class behavior management efforts, teachers may choose to implement the formal consequences of our schoolwide management plan.  Our formal consequence structure is as follows:

   1. •  A formal warning is issued to the child.

      • The student completed a reflective Think Time outside of his/her classroom.  

      • The teacher informs the student’s parent/guardian of the misbehavior and actions taken.  

      • The incident is documented.

5. The school administration has the primary responsibility to address misbehaviors within the school that are significant, unabated, or of a serious nature.  If infractions cannot be resolved within the classroom or through collaborative efforts with other teachers, the situation will be referred to the administration.  School administrators will notify the parent/guardian of the child’s continued misbehavior, impose an administrative-level consequence, and make a formal record of the incident.  Administrative-level consequences may include but are not limited to structured recess, school service, and in-school or out-of-school suspension.

6. Parents are welcome to contact their child’s teacher at any time for information concerning his/her overall comportment.

Dress and Grooming Standards

Student dress and grooming should be appropriate for the activities and weather conditions a child will encounter during the school day.  We strongly recommend reviewing the weather forecast before your child leaves for school to ensure that he/she has appropriate clothing for whatever weather conditions may occur over the course of the day.  We also recommend becoming familiar with your child’s weekly schedule so that appropriate attire and footwear are worn during days of scheduled physical education activities.  

As community centers of learning, public schools face the unique challenge of joining together students with a myriad of household standards and values, including varied standards of dress and grooming.  While such standards may differ with individual tastes and family preferences, it is our responsibility to uphold a certain set of dress and grooming standards that allow students and staff members to work and learn together safely and comfortably.  We uphold the dress and grooming standards of Alpine School District.

Appropriate headgear (caps, beanies, small hats) is allowed inside the building. If headgear becomes a distraction to the learning environment, faculty and staff may ask students to remove it and place in backpacks until the end of the day. 

Adherence to these dress and grooming standards is the responsibility of the student and his/her parents or guardian; reasonable interpretation and enforcement of the standards is the responsibility of the school principal and staff.  Student well-being is our priority, so in the event we need to bring up a point of concern with respect to these dress and grooming standards, we will do so in a manner that avoids embarrassment.

Parent/Guardian Involvement Policy

We believe that parents/guardians are full partners in their child’s education and are to be included, to the maximum extent possible, in decision-making opportunities and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their children. In that spirit, parents and teachers at Liberty Hills have developed several ways to work together to enhance the education of our students: 

Liberty Hills provides parents with the following opportunities to share suggestions and participate in the education of their children:

• • Back-to-School Open House held prior to the start of the school year.

  • Monthly School Community Council (SCC) meetings.

  • Monthly PTA board meetings.

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences held twice a year.

  • Additional school programs and meetings as scheduled.

  • Scheduled appointments with school personnel as needed.

Parents may receive feedback about the academic progress and proficiency levels of their children by:

• • Checking grades and attendance through Skyward.

  • Reviewing report cards at the completion of each trimester.

  • Reviewing beginning, middle, and end-of-year testing results.

  • Attending parent-teacher conferences biannually.

  • Reading the annual school stakeholders’ report.

  • Meeting with teachers as needed. 

Parents can become active partners in the education of their children by:

• • Regularly checking Skyward for missing assignments and assessments.

  • Staying in regular contact with teachers.

  • Volunteering in the classroom.

  • Supporting school programs.

Liberty Hills seeks to reach out to parents and stakeholders by:

• Creating and reviewing a School LAND Trust and School Improvement Plan annually through the School Community Council.

• Posting relevant and timely information on the school website.

• Communication through the school's social media accounts.

• Administering surveys  to obtain valuable feedback from parents, teachers, students, and school staff on the progress and direction of our school.

Safe Schools Policy

Alpine School District maintains a Safe Schools Policy in accordance with Utah statute. This policy expressly prohibits acts of violence, aggressive behavior, intimidation, possession of weapons, criminal behavior, or gang activity on school property. and other prohibited acts as defined and described in these rules and regulations:

• Disruptive Acts: Acts that disrupt the daily operation of the school include but are not limited to physical or sexual assault, intimidation, aggression, possessing or displaying a dangerous weapon.

• Dangerous Weapon: Any item capable of causing death or serious bodily injury, or a facsimile or representation of the item. Dangerous weapons as defined by these rules shall include but not be limited to firearms, knives, metal knuckles, straight razors, explosives, poisons, drugs, and noxious, irritating or poisonous gases.

• Hazing/Harassment: Intimidation of a student or staff member or any act that injures, degrades or disgraces a student or staff member.

• Abetting: The act of supporting, encouraging, and/or assisting activities which violate the safe schools policy.

• Gang/Secret Societies/Hate Groups:  A group of two or more people who form an allegiance and engage in a range of disruptive behaviors that may include violent or unlawful activity or which advocate hatred or discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin or disability. 

Bullying

Bullying is defined as aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, exists in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power or strength, and is repeated over time, meaning there is a threat of further aggression.  As outlined in Policy 5181, Alpine School District prohibits bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, hazing, and retaliation of students or employees by other students or employees at school/work or at school/work related functions (Ref: Utah Code Rule R277-613).  All victims of such incidences and all persons with knowledge of such incidences should report them immediately.

Victim Support

Students that are victims of or witnesses to bullying or another Safe Schools Policy violation should contact an adult in the school immediately.  Your safety is our greatest concern.  We can help address and rectify such situations only to the extent that we are aware of them.  Students are always welcome to have a parent present if they would feel more comfortable disclosing information.

Student Conduct Policy

1. All students are expected to adhere to the school rules—the Husky High Five: (1) Be Safe, (2) Be Respectful, (3) Be Kind, (4) Work Hard, (5) Keep Trying.

2. Faithful adherence to these rules calls for certain behavioral expectations and procedures.  Students are expected to abide by all expectations and procedures put forth by teachers and other school staff members for each setting throughout the school facilities and grounds.

3.  A student that feels bothered or uncomfortable as a result of the actions or words of another student should follow the 3-Step Student Response:

   1. • STOP: Kindly tell the student to stop.

      • WALK: Walk away from the situation.

      • TALK: Tell a trusted adult.

4. A student that sees another student being bulling or feeling uncomfortable as a result of another person’s actions should follow the 3-Step Bystander Response:

   1. • STAND UP: Have courage when others need your help.  Be the kind of person that will always take a stand against bullying.  Don’t let bullying happen on your watch—always stand up for what’s right.

      • STEP IN: Don’t just stand by the sidelines when someone else is being bullied or put down—step in and help!  Many problems are solved when good people choose to help out.

      • SPEAK OUT: Let your voice be heard in situations when others are afraid to share their own.  Respectfully and confidently speak out against unkindness.  Be a voice for goodness and decency.