Procedures

BELL SCHEDULES

CAFETERIA/LUNCH PROCEDURES

Food Delivery

CLOSED CAMPUS

SENIOR OPEN CAMPUS PRIVILEGE

BELL SCHEDULES

MHS is officially open for students from 8:15 am to 3:30 pm. The official start of school is 8:30 am, and the end of the student’s school day is 3:10 pm.
3:10-4:30 pm is reserved for club meetings, scheduled student activities, and extra academic help.
Students who remain in the building after school must be in a supervised area, such as the library, or supervised by their teacher, coach, or activity sponsor.
See the safety page for more information about after-school activities and building hours.

CAFETERIA/LUNCH PROCEDURES

Lunch is served at the Mustang Cafe for all students who wish to participate. A variety of food is available from an à la carte line. Students may also bring their lunch from home and buy milk, fruits, snacks, or other items separately. Students must consume food and beverages only in the cafe or in other specifically designated areas. All trash must be deposited in the trash receptacles, and the tables must be cleared off.

Free and reduced-price lunch is available depending upon a family’s income level. Application forms for free and reduced-price lunch may be obtained in the main office or printed here in English and Spanish. Money can be added to students’ MySchoolBucks accounts to pre-pay for lunches.

Food Delivery

Students (or their parents/guardians/siblings/friends/relatives/other acquaintances) may not order food from outside vendors for delivery to the school during school hours. Food delivered by DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc., will be kept in the Main Office refrigerator until the end of the day.

CLOSED CAMPUS

Meridian High School is a closed-campus school for all students except for seniors participating in Senior Open Campus or in off-campus educational programs.
Students may not leave school grounds at any time during the school day without administrative permission. All students with permission to leave must properly sign out in the main office.
Once students arrive on school grounds, they must remain on campus until the end of the school day.
Students are not allowed to walk to nearby stores or leave campus before or during the school day once they arrive on campus. Underclassmen must remain in the Mustang Cafe area or in allowed spaces for the entire lunch period.

SENIOR OPEN CAMPUS PRIVILEGE

Members of the current high school senior class may be granted the Senior Open Campus privilege upon the approval of the Principal and the Superintendent. Senior Open Campus allows students to leave the school campus during their scheduled lunch and open periods. Open campus privileges are not allowed for underclassmen.
Each senior class seeking to earn the Senior Open Campus privilege must demonstrate it should be granted on the basis of demonstrated maturity and responsibility in both group and individual conduct. Adherence to school disciplinary rules and manifested leadership will be taken into account. A grant of the privilege to one class is not a precedent for granting it to subsequent classes.
When the Senior Open Campus status is granted by the high school Associate Principal and the Superintendent, students who would like the privilege must agree to and abide by the off-campus regulations and guidelines, including signing in and out at the main office. Both the student and a parent/legal guardian must sign the online request form.

SUPERVISED STUDY

Supervised Study Hall is scheduled as a class, and all general rules for appropriate classroom behavior apply. Students must:

remain in the library or its classroom
bring appropriate study materials to class
arrive on time, just as for a regular class
remain in the room for the duration of the block
respect your classmates' right to focus; do not distract, interrupt, or bother others
use laptops for schoolwork only

SENIOR STUDY

Location: Room 302 / 3rd Floor, non-academic wing

Expectations:

Senior Study is meant as a study block. Students are expected to engage in schoolwork during this time.
Seniors arrive on time and check in at the student services front desk.
Seniors have the privilege of engaging in this work at any of the following locations in the building, provided it does not interfere with other students' schoolwork.
- Learning stairs
- Terraces (weather permitting)
- Innovation commons
- Library
The cafeteria, gymnasiums, auditorium, and main lobby are not acceptable locations for Senior Study.
Seniors with senior study blocks 1/2/7/8 can apply for late arrival and/or early dismissal with proper parent and counselor signatures. Students must sign in and out at the main office.

Senior Study is a privilege. Students who fail to adhere to the above procedures will not be allowed to participate. Senior Study privileges may also be revoked if a student incurs any discipline referrals during a given school year, and/or uses illegal substances, engages in dangerous conduct while driving, or otherwise engages in inappropriate behavior off-campus

STUDENT PARKING

Students will be asked to submit a car registration form that includes the parking lot regulations listed below. Any violation of the regulations or any driving considered unsafe or illegal can result in the suspension of driving privileges and/or one’s car being towed.

Parking is a privilege at MHS. Parking is open to students in the Senior class and is awarded by a lottery system. Students will be notified when they have been selected to park on campus. Eligible students must be in good standing, and all outstanding student fines/fees must be paid prior to obtaining a parking permit. The VDOE High School Student Parking Application and the MHS Rules and Regulations Contract must be signed by the parent/legal guardian and the student.

Parking Lot Regulations

Respect the speed limit of 10 mph at all times.
Students must park in designated parking spots in school parking lots and must park within the lines.
Students may not loiter in parking lots, return to their cars, or drive them during the school day, including lunch, without administrative permission.
While parked in the MHS designated parking lots, cars may be subject to search by school authorities.
Students must not use a cell phone while driving.
All drivers on campus must comply with posted traffic signage.

SCHOOL LOCKERS

Meridian's lockers are for one-time use. They can be used for one school day at a time. Students are not assigned lockers.

Lockers are the property of the school system, and use by individuals does not indicate transfer of ownership.
As the property of the school system, lockers are subject to search and inspection as deemed appropriate by the school authority.
Responsibility for the locker's cleanliness rests with the student using it. Locker cleanliness includes both the outside and the inside of the locker door.
Responsibility for the contents of the locker rests with the student using it, including books and other items left in the assigned locker. Valuables should not be stored in any locker.
Locker combinations shall not be shared with other students.
Problems with lockers, including theft and disrepair, must be reported to the office.

Link: How to Use a Meridian Locker

CLINIC/MEDICATIONS

The clinic is staffed by a School Health Aide and supervised by the Fairfax County Public Health Nurse during normal school hours. The aide is permitted to dispense medication in accordance with the Medication Policy/Regulation (Policy JHCD) in the FCCPS School Board Policies and Regulations when parents/guardians have provided the proper medical release forms, which are available from the health aide.

The clinic aide serves in a first-aid capacity and makes necessary decisions and recommendations regarding students’ health care and well-being. Parents and students are advised to consult the pertinent section of the FCCPS School Board Policies and Regulations.

LOST AND FOUND

Students who find items not belonging to them must take the item(s) to the main office.
If an item has been stolen, students are to report this theft to the administration and the School Resource Officer immediately.
Any items found on a bus should be given to the bus driver.
If a student loses an item, they are invited to check the Lost and Found locations in the Mustang Cafe and the Main Office.

Students are advised NOT to bring valuable personal property to school, such as cameras, expensive mobile devices/accessories, watches or toys, electronic games, and large sums of money. Valuables should not be left in lockers. Backpacks and other belongings should not be left unattended. A student should never bring to school an amount of money or personal item he/she/they are not prepared to misplace or lose! Items still unclaimed at the end of each quarter will be donated to charitable organizations. The school is not responsible for stolen and missing items.

18-YEAR-OLD DECLARATION

When a person turns eighteen, the law grants that person many legal rights and new responsibilities across a wide range of activities, including voting, jury duty, marriage, military service, criminal charges, contracts, medical consent, and wills. The Virginia State Bar has created a handbook and video briefs for you to read/watch, which discuss those rights and responsibilities. They are available in the VSB Handbook and VSB Video. Unless a person has been placed under guardianship by a court, each person exercises these legal rights for themself at age 18. In the school setting, many rights and responsibilities continue to be shared between adult students and their parents/guardians. The term “student” applies to adult students 18 and over as well as minor students under 18. All school policies, regulations, and rules, including the code of conduct, continue to apply to adult students. Students must sign the Adult Student Acknowledgment of Rights and Shared Responsibilities with Parents to exercise their rights and responsibilities as adult students.

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