Student Conduct

The City Schools of Decatur Dress Code helps students develop cultural skills and values consistent with our vision- We will build the foundation for all children to be their best, achieve their dreams, and make the world a better place. These skills and values guide students to make thoughtful choices to dress appropriately for school activities and to embody empathy when perceiving how others dress. The guiding principles help us pursue these goals. Families and faculty are partners in the educational process. The Dos and Don’ts provide specific guidance for parents, guardians, students, and staff to support students in dressing appropriately for safety, learning, and social-emotional development and understanding compliance and consequences.

Guiding Principles Curricular

How we dress is a form of social communication and part of becoming college and career ready. By learning this form of communication, students develop personal identity and responsibility, as well as awareness of their impact on, and interdependence with, the larger community. While CSD acknowledges the right of students to express themselves through their fashion style, the need to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment necessitates placing certain parameters around this expression. Dress Code missteps are treated as teachable moments rather than disciplinary offenses (see ** in the chart for exceptions and also the consequences section for information dealing with students making repeated dress code missteps).

Developmentally Appropriate

Students, depending on their age and grade level, have different academic, physical, and social-emotional needs. The Dress Code recognizes this by adjusting expectations as students grow.

Equitable

In keeping with CSD’s mission to foster safe and inviting schools, the Dress Code strives to be equitable for students across gender identity, race-ethnicity, body type, religion, and socioeconomic status. No aspect of the Dress Code should infringe on a student’s physical, cultural or religious needs. Anyone feeling an aspect of the Dress Code is not equitable is welcome to share this with the school administration.

Manageable & Current

While the Dress Code is curricular, it takes a backseat to the academic curriculum. Thus, it should be as easy as possible for students to execute and faculty to monitor consistently. In order to ensure this, as well as reflect what is available and affordable to families (noting some “fashionable” styles will not be appropriate for school), the Dress Code is regularly reviewed by the faculty and stakeholders.

When Principles Collide

In instances when guiding principles are at odds with each other, CSD seeks to balance the principles as best it can. Ultimately, the school administrator or designee must be respected in making an appropriate judgment on such matters. A student found to be out of Dress Code will be directed to change clothes. Students are encouraged to have a change of clothing available.

Decatur High School acknowledges that appropriate and personal attire positively affects student achievement and conduct. The dress code for Decatur High School is designed to reduce the likelihood of distraction or disruption and to maintain an academic focus in the classroom and on campus.

Dress Code Violations

Instruction is interrupted when a student has to be seen by an administrator because of inappropriate dress. If, in the judgment of the administration or staff, a student is dressed inappropriately, the student will be required to change clothing. There may be additional disciplinary consequences as well. Decatur High School’s administration and staff would like the cooperation of the students and parents in reviewing the student’s dress to ensure it meets the following dress code guidelines before the student comes to school.

CSD Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

The information systems and internet access available through City Schools of Decatur (CSD) are available to support learning, enhance instruction, and support school system business practices. CSD information systems are operated for the mutual benefit of all users. The use of the CSD network is a privilege, not a right. Users shall not do, or attempt to do, anything that might disrupt the operation of the network or equipment and/or interfere with the learning of students or work of CSD employees.

All access to the CSD network shall be preapproved by the principal or program manager or their designee. The school or office may restrict or terminate any user’s access, without prior notice, if such action is deemed necessary to maintain computing availability and security for other users of the systems. Other disciplinary action may be imposed as stated in the City Schools of Decatur Code of Conduct and Restorative Practices Handbook.

CSD implements internet filtering in accordance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act. Schools will continue to educate students on personal safety practices and effective techniques for identifying and evaluating information and its sources. CSD cannot warrant that students will be prevented from accessing inappropriate material or sending or receiving inappropriate communications; however, the district has an Internet Safety administrative regulation with the objective of keeping students safe when using school system technology resources.

The school system reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, and store at any time and without prior notice any computer or network file(s) and information, computer and network usage data, or any information transmitted or received in any form through the CSD network and/or with CSD equipment. All such information and files shall be and remain the property of the school system.

This AUP applies to all students who have access to CSD resources, including during e.g. school breaks, holidays, placement in alternative settings, and study-abroad opportunities.

Please update your Chromebook once per semester by following this procedure.

Respect for Others

Users should respect the rights of others using the CSD network by:

Using assigned devices as directed by the teacher.
Being considerate when using scarce resources.
Always logging off equipment after finishing work.
Not deliberately attempting to disrupt system performance or interfere with the work of other users.
Leaving equipment and room in good condition for the next user or class.
Not accessing, changing, sharing, or deleting files belonging to others.

Ethical Conduct for Users

It is the responsibility of the user to:

Use only their assigned account or password. It is a violation to give access to an account to any other user.
Recognize and honor the intellectual property of others; comply with legal restrictions regarding plagiarism and the use and citation of information resources.
Use CSD computing resources in a manner that is consistent with the mission of the school system.
Help maintain the integrity of the school information system. Deliberate tampering or experimentation is not allowed. This includes the use of CSD network and resources to illicitly access, tamper with, or experiment with systems outside CSD.
Not use offensive, obscene, and/or harassing language when using the CSD network and resources.

Respect for Property

The only software, other than teacher-assigned student projects that yield a software program, to be used on school computers or the school network are those products that the school may legally use. Copying copyrighted software without full compliance with the terms of an authorized license agreement will not be tolerated. Modifying copyrighted software or borrowing software is not permitted.

Do not modify or rearrange device configurations, configuration files or settings, keyboards, individual keycaps, monitors, printers, or any other peripheral equipment.
Report equipment problems immediately to the teacher or program manager.
Leave workstations and peripherals in their designated places.

Internet Safety and Security

Information may not be posted if it violates the privacy of others, jeopardizes the health and safety of students, is obscene or libelous, causes disruption of school activities, plagiarizes the work of others, is a commercial advertisement, and/or is not approved by the principal or program manager.
Real-time messaging and online chat may only be used with the permission of the teacher or program manager.
Students are not to reveal personal information (e.g. last name, home address, phone number) in correspondence with unknown parties.
Users exercising their privilege to use the internet as an educational resource shall accept the responsibility for all material they seek.
Users are responsible for reporting any inappropriate material they receive.
Users are prohibited from accessing internet content that is inconsistent with the educational mission of CSD.
All student-produced web pages are subject to approval and ongoing review by supervising teachers and/or principals. All web pages shall reflect the mission and character of the school.
Users are prohibited from viewing, sending, and accessing illegal material.
Students are prohibited from downloading inappropriate or illegal material on CSD computers.
Students are prohibited from bypassing or attempting to bypass the internet content filter.

Cybersafety Notice for Families

City Schools of Decatur, as a recipient of E-Rate funds, is required to have in place a versatile cyber safety system.

CSD will:

Enhance learning through the safe use of technology, and do its best to keep the students and their data safe online. This includes working to restrict access to inappropriate, illegal, or harmful material when students use, on- or off-campus, CSD-owned equipment/devices and/or CSD-issued service credentials (e.g. CSD G Suite for Education). Additional information is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/3524.
Work with children and their families to develop an understanding of the importance of cybersafety through education designed to complement and support the use agreement. Some useful information for families is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/technologyathome.
Provide children with cybersafety strategies.
Respond to any breaches in an appropriate manner.
Welcome inquiries from students and families about cybersafety or privacy issues.

Parent/guardian responsibilities:

Read this cybersafety use agreement document.
Discuss the information with my child and explain why it is important.
Support the school’s cybersafety program by encouraging my child to follow the cybersafety rules, and to always ask the teacher any questions about technology use.
Contact the school to discuss any questions I might have about cybersafety and/or this use agreement.

Student responsibilities:

Review this cybersafety agreement with a parent/guardian.
Follow the cybersafety rules and instructions whenever using the school’s technology.
Follow the cybersafety rules whenever using privately-owned technology on the school site or at any school-related activity, regardless of its location.
Avoid any involvement with material or activities that could put at risk the safety or privacy of any student, school, or other members of the school community.
Take proper care of school technology, with an understanding that being involved in the damage, loss, or theft of CSD-owned equipment/devices can lead to the student/family being responsible for the cost of repairs or replacement.
Ask a teacher if they have any questions about this agreement.

Additional information

Cybersafety from the Georgia Department of Education

https://www.gadoe.org/Technology-Services/Instructional-Technology/Pages/Cybersafety.aspx

CIPA consumer guide from the FCC.pdf

https://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cipa.pdf

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