Important Policies & Procedures

POLICY 6110: CODE OF ETHICS FOR ALL DISTRICT PERSONNEL

NOTE: The following Code of Ethics, adopted in accordance with law applies to all Board members, other officers, and all employees of the District. This policy shall not be construed as limiting a Board Member's right to access or obtain copies of existing district records.

SECTION l

The Board of Education shall and does by this resolution establish a Code of Ethics applicable to the officers and employees of the West Islip Union Free School District of the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, hereinafter referred to as "'The School District". The rules of ethical conduct established by this resolution shall not be in conflict with any general education or public law relating to the conduct of officers and employees of a school district.

SECTION 2- Definitions

a) "Officer" means an officer of the School District whether elected or appointed, whether paid or unpaid. "Employee" shall mean any persons directly employed and compensated by the School District.

b) "Interest" means a pecuniary of material benefits accruing to an officer or employee unless tl1e context otherwise requires. "Interest" shall be deemed to include the affairs of the officer's or employee's spouse, minor children and dependents; a firm, partnership or association in which such officer or employee is an officer, director or employee, and a corporation, any stock of which is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such officer or employee.

SECTION 3- Standards of Conduct

Every officer or employee of the School District shall be subject to and abide by the following standards of conduct:

a) Gifts: He or she shall not directly or indirectly solicit any gift; or accept or receive any gift having a value of $75 or more, whether in the form of money, services, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, thing or promise, or any other form, under circumstances which it could be reasonable inferred that the gift was intended to influence him or could reasonably be expected to influence him in the performance of his official duties, or was intended at a reward for any official act on his part.

b) Confidential Information: He or she shall not disclose confidential information acquired by him in the course of his official duties or use such information to further his personal interests. He/she shall not receive or enter into any agreement, express or implied, for compensation for services to be rendered in relation to any matter before the School District other than an agreement relating to his employment by the School District.

c) Representation: He or she shall not receive or enter into any agreement, expressed or implied, outside the scope of his official duties or employment, for compensation for services to be rendered in relation to any matter involving the School District. Compensation is fixed or is to be dependent or contingent upon any action by the School District with respect to such matter.

d) Disclosure of Interest: To the extent that he knows thereof, a member of the Board of Education and any officer or employee of the School District, whether paid or unpaid, who participates in a discussion or renders an opinion to the Board of Education on matters before it, shall publicly disclose on the official record the nature and extent of any direct or indirect financial or private interest he has in the determination of such matter. All central and building administrators will complete a conflict of interest form annually.

e) Investment in Conflict with Official Duties: He or she shall not invest or hold any investment, directly or indirectly, in any financial business, commercial or other private transaction with creates a conflict with his official duties.

f) Private Employment in Conflict with Official Duties: He or she shall not engage in, solicit, negotiate for or promise to accept private employment or render services for private interest when such employment or services creates a conflict with or impairs the proper discharge of his duties.

g) Personal Use of School District Property: He/she shall not request or permit the use of the School District vehicles, equipment, material or property for personal convenience or profit, except when such articles or services are available to the public generally or are provided as a part of the School District policy for the use of the officer or employee on the conduct of official business.

h) The District permits letter of reference written by District personnel on District letterhead on behalf of current students for college or job applications. Letters of reference for current or former employees, student teachers, volunteer workers, or others shall not be prepared on District time or on District letterhead unless specifically authorized by the Superintendent of Schools or Assistant Superintendent for Personnel. This provision shall not prohibit individual employees from preparing letters of reference on their own time, or on their own stationary, so long as such letters do not indicate or imply they arc being written on behalf of or with the authorization of the District.

i) Future Employment: He or she shall not, after tl1e termination of services or employment with the West Islip Union Free School District, appear before the West Islip Union Free School District Board of Education in relation to any action, proceeding, or application in which he/she personally participated during the period of his service or employment, or which was under his active consideration unless such appearance is at the request of the Board of Education.

j) Board members should realize their fiduciary responsibility and should not seek preferential treatment for their children above and beyond the normal scope of parental requests iliat would arise in ensuring ilic child's education.

k) Board members, during ilicir term of office, will not solicit recommendations or letters of reference for themselves from tl1e Superintendent or any School District personnel.

l) Board Member Requests for Information: The Board of Education, in order to promote efficient utilization of District staff and consultants, shall require any Board member who (i) desires information to be compiled, collated or extracted by District personnel from existing records; (ii) would like District personnel to conduct research projects; or (iii) would like to request information or an opinion from outside consultants to present a request to the Board of Education at a meeting of the Board, or to the President of tl1e Board of Education for presentation to ilie Board. To the extent any such request relates to matters appropriate for Executive Session, such requests should be made in Executive Session.

SECTION 4- Claims

Nothing herein shall be deemed a bar or prevent tl1e timely filing by a present or former officer or employee of any claim, account, demand or suit against ilie School Board on behalf of himself or any member of his family arising out of any personal injuries or property damage or for any lawful benefit auiliorized or permitted by law.

SECTION 5 - Distribution

The Superintendent of the School District shall cause a copy of this Code of Ethics to be distributed to every officer and employee of the School District within two weeks after the adoption of tlus resolution. Each officer and employee elected or appointed thereafter shall be furnished a copy before entering upon the duties of his office or employment.

SECTION 6 - Penalties

In addition to any penalty contained in any other provision of law, any person who shall knowingly and intentionally violate any provisions of this code may be suspended or removed from office or employment, as the case may be, in the manner provided by law.

SECTION 7 -- Effective Date

This resolution shall take effect immediately.

SECTION 8 - Annual Statement

The District Clerk will be responsible for ensuring that all Board Members sign a statement acknowledging the "Code of Ethics" at the Annual Organizational Meeting.

General Municipal Law, Article 18

POLICY 6121: SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The Board of Education affirms its commitment to non-discrimination and recognizes its responsibility to provide for all District employees an environment that is free of sexual harassment and intimidation. Sexual harassment is a violation of law and stands in direct opposition to District policy. Therefore, the Board prohibits all forms of sexual harassment by employees. Generally, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

a) Submission to such conduct is made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual's employment;

b) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual;

c) Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

The Board acknowledges that in determining whether sexual harassment has occurred, the perspective of the victim as well as the offender's conduct and/or intention should be evaluated.

Any employee who believes that he/she has been subjected to sexual harassment shall report all incidents of such conduct to the District's designated complaint officer through informal and/or formal complaint procedures developed by the District. In the event that the complaint officer is the offender, the complainant shall report his/her complaint to the next level of supervisory authority.

Complaints of sexual harassment should be brought to the District’s complaint officer as soon as possible. The timeliness of the complaint will assist the District in conducting an investigation and implementing an appropriate response.

Upon receipt of an informal/formal complaint, the District will conduct a thorough investigation of the charges. However, if the District has knowledge of or has reason to know of any alleged sexual harassment, the District is obligated, even in the absence of a complaint, to investigate such conduct promptly and thoroughly.

Based upon the results of the District's investigation, immediate corrective action will be taken, up to and including termination of the offender's employment in accordance with contractual and legal guidelines. The Board prohibits any retaliatory behavior directed against complainants and/or witnesses. Follow-up inquiries shall be made to ensure that harassment has not resumed and that the victim and/or witnesses have not suffered retaliation.

Regulations will be developed for resolving sexual harassment complaints. Such regulations shall be developed in accordance with law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement(s). The Superintendent/designee(s) shall affirmatively discuss the topic of sexual harassment with all employees, express the District’s condemnation of such conduct and explain the sanctions for harassment. A copy of this policy and its accompanying regulations shall be available upon request to all employees, and may be posted at various locations throughout the School District.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,

42 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section

2000-e et seq.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,

20 United States Code (U.S.C.)

Section 1681 et seq.

POLICY 6470: STAFF USE OF COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION RESOURCES

The West Islip School Board recognizes the value of computer and other electronic resources to improve student learning and enhance the administration and operation of its schools. To this end, the Board encourages the responsible use of computers, computer networks, including the Internet, and other electronic resources, in support of the mission and goals of the district.

The West Islip District's computer information system or District Information System (consisting of software, hardware, electronic communications lines and devices, servers, terminals, printers, CD-ROM devices, and personal computers. –DIS hereafter) is provided for staff to enhance the educational programs of the West Islip District, to further District goals and objectives; and to conduct research and provide information; and to communicate with others.

Because the Internet is an unregulated, worldwide vehicle for communication, information available to staff and students is impossible to control fully. Therefore, the Board adopts this policy governing the use of electronic resources and the Internet in order to provide guidance to individuals and groups obtaining access to these resources on school department-owned equipment or through affiliated organizations.

In addition to activity on the District-owned technology network, the rules, guidelines, terms and conditions included also apply to activity on Internet-based services and sites either subscribed to or endorsed by the District for student and/or staff use. These include, but are not limited to:

a. Learning management systems,

b. Online file storage/management systems,

c. Online document creation/management systems,

d. Online instructional sites,

e. Online video, audio, social media sites

School Department Rights and Responsibilities

It is the policy of the board to maintain an environment that promotes ethical and responsible conduct in all computer and communications equipment activities by staff and students. It shall be a violation of this policy for any employee, student, or other individual to engage in any activity that does not conform to the established purpose and general rules and policies of computer/communications equipment use. Within general policy, the district recognizes its legal and moral obligation to protect the well-being of students in its charge. To this end, the district retains the following rights and recognizes the following obligation:

1. To monitor the use of computer network and the communications network activities. This may include real-time monitoring of Internet access and/or maintaining a log of Internet activity, or attempted activity, for later review.

2. To provide internal and external controls as appropriate and feasible. Such controls shall include the right to determine who will have access to district owned equipment and, specifically, to exclude those who do not abide by the district’s acceptable use policy or other policies governing the use of school facilities, equipment, and materials.

3. To restrict on-line destinations, including in-coming signals, through software or other means.

4. To remove a user’s access, a device, or connection to the network that is not approved and secure.

5. To provide guidelines and make reasonable efforts to train staff and students in acceptable use and policies governing on-line, wide-area, and local use of computers and communication equipment.

6. Prior to allowing user access, a signed statement of compliance will be executed, certifying that the user understands and agrees to comply with the district’s policy.

7. The district reserves the right to “block” at any time any sites or services that could cause bandwidth issues that affect the overall stability of the network.

Staff Responsibilities

In order to comply with the provisions of this policy and the Children’s Internet Protection Act, building principals will inform staff members to:

1. Inform all students about the guidelines contained in this policy, educate all students with regard to Internet safety and digital citizenship, and supervise and monitor the online activities of all students.

2. Take reasonable measures to prevent students whose parent/guardian has denied permission from engaging in independent Internet activities.

3. Take appropriate disciplinary actions when students violate this policy.

4. Report serious policy violations to an administrator.

5. Report illegal, obscene, or inappropriate information to the Office of Instructional

6. Technology.

7. Never facilitate the collection of private information about students by any Web site outside of the WIUFSD domain and consult with the Director of Instructional Technology to ensure cloud-based services comply with District standards for privacy and security of personal information, and ensure that only the minimum information has been provided to conduct a sanctioned online educational activity.

8. Staff should supervise and monitor access to the Internet in accordance with this policy and CIPA Policy 8321a.

User Responsibilities

1. Use of the computer and communications equipment provided by the district is a privilege that offers a wealth of information to improve research and productivity. Where it is available, these resources are provided to staff, students, and other patrons at no cost. In order to maintain the privilege, users agree to learn and comply with all of the provisions of this policy.

2. The district reserves the right to monitor, review, and copy any communications at any time.

3. Failure to report breaches of this policy is itself a violation.

4. Users will be individually responsible for their own behavior and violation of this policy may result in discipline actions in the form of written reprimand, suspension, expulsion, termination of employment, or other forms decided by the school board and superintendent.

5. Staff will be responsible for maintaining their own systems for reliability, integrity, availability, and for physical protection.

6. Disciplinary or legal action including, but not limited to, criminal prosecution under appropriate local, state, and federal laws may be taken. Violation of local, state, and federal laws will be reported to the proper enforcement authorities.

7. Adult visitors invited to the West Islip Public Schools to conduct business, take adult education courses, or participate in the evening, technology-based school events may use District equipment with guest network privileges. Requests for exceptions to this rule will be considered by the Superintendent or his/her designee on a case-by-case basis. If an exception is granted, a temporary password will be made available for access to the Guest wireless network.

Acceptable Use

1. All use of the computer and communication equipment must be in support of educational and research objectives consistent with the mission and objectives of the district.

2. Proper codes of conduct in electronic communication must be used. All users are representing the district and must use polite and respectful language in any dealings through this equipment

3. Use network etiquette which includes being polite and using it in a safe and legal manner.

4. Use of network is a privilege, not a right.

5. Confidential information will be sent under a secure medium.

6. Protecting your own data.

7. Users will exercise extreme caution to verify messages go to the correct address/user.

8. Any software/hardware must be pre-approved by the Director of Instructional Technology or designated representative.

9. Immediate notification of a system compromise to IT staff (virus, Trojan, hackers, unauthorized access, etc.)

Unacceptable Use

It is not the intention of this policy to define all inappropriate usage. However, in addition to the general requirements of acceptable staff behavior, activities that shall be prohibited by staff members using the DIS include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Using the DIS in any way that results in unauthorized charges or expense to the West Islip District.

2. Damaging, disabling or otherwise interfering with the operation of computers, computer systems, software or related equipment through physical action or by electronic means.

3. Using unauthorized software on the DIS. Users will not obtain or provide to others, illicit copies of copyrighted software or documents. Only software provided by or approved by the district may be installed on a district computer. Users will not download or install software, or upgrades to approved software already installed, unless directed to do so by the Superintendent or his/her designee(s). Users will not download or install any unauthorized software, including freeware and shareware, on district computers.

4. Changing, copying, renaming, deleting, reading otherwise accessing files or software not created by the staff member without expressed permission from the Superintendent or his/her designee.

5. Employing the DIS for personal, commercial, product advertisement, profit or political purposes is prohibited.

6. Intentionally seeking or disclosing information on, obtaining copies of, or modifying files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users, or misrepresent other users on the network.

7. Using the computer or communications equipment to give out any personal information about another person or share confidential information about students and/or employees

8. Engaging in practices that threaten the DIS (e.g., loading files that may introduce a virus).

9. Using the DIS for other than school related work or activities. User may not take data, equipment, software or supplies (paper, toner cartridges, disks, etc.) for their own personal use. Use of district printers and paper must be reasonable.

10. Assisting a student to violate West Islip District policy and/or regulation, or failing to report knowledge of any student violations of the West Islip District's policy and regulation on student use of computerized information resources.

11. Violating any other aspect of West Islip School District policy and/or regulations, as well as local, state or federal laws of regulations.

12. Compromising the DIS’s limitations such as band width and disk space. (For example, storing a high volume of digital pictures and graphics, video conferencing and streaming video or audio.)

13. Accessing other networks or other computer resources that violates that network's acceptable use policy.

14. No use of the network shall serve to disrupt the use of the network by others. Hardware and/or software shall not be destroyed, modified, or abused in any way.

15. Malicious or mischievous use of the network to develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system and/or damage the software components of a computer or computing system is prohibited.

16. Hate mail, chain letters, harassment, profanity, obscenity, racist and other antisocial behaviors are prohibited on the network.

17. Use of the network to access or process pornographic material, inappropriate text files (as determined by the system administrator or building administrator), or a file dangerous to the integrity of the network is prohibited.

18. Use of the network for any unlawful purpose is prohibited.

19. Playing games is prohibited unless specifically authorized by a teacher for instructional purposes.

20. Establishing network or Internet connections to live communications, including voice and/or video (relay chat) is prohibited unless specifically authorized by a teacher and a system administrator.

21. Allowing other users access to your password or account.

22. Open up devices for repairs, etc.

23. Use of gambling, pornographic, or on-line auction sites/programs is prohibited.

24. Use of dial-up networking or other technologies to bypass the firewall.

25. Tampering with any communications devices, i.e.; computers, phones, etc.

26. Changing of wiring, connections, or placement of computer resources is prohibited.

27. Use of school resources for any cheating or academic dishonesty.

28. Use of any hacking, cracking, password cracking, scanners, or any other hacking or network discovery tools.

29. Attempting to circumvent any security.

30. Starting any denial of services attacks.

31. Any unauthorized access to include wireless devices or any other communication devices.

32. Use of email systems or accounts other than one’s approved by the IT staff and Superintendent.

Disclaimer

1. The district cannot be held accountable for the information that is retrieved via the network.

2. Pursuant to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (18 USC 2510 et seq.), notice is hereby given that there are no facilities provided by this system for sending or receiving private or confidential electronic communications. System administrators have access to all mail and will monitor messages. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

3. The district will not be responsible for any damages you may suffer, including loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by our own negligence or your errors of omissions. Use of any information obtained is at your own risk.

4. The school makes no warranties (expressed or implied) with respect to:

• The content of any advice or information received by a user, or any costs or charges incurred as a result of seeing or accepting any information;

• Any cost, liability of damages caused by the way the user chooses to use his or her access to the network.

PRIVACY RIGHTS

Network activities increasingly include the use of various online educational Web sites and services that may require students to set up individual user accounts. When this is needed, the minimum required personal information will be provided solely for the purpose of accessing such services in connection with approved classroom instruction. With increased concern about identity theft and the need to protect personally identifiable information, teachers will consult with their departmental director and the Director of Instructional Technology, to ensure that the terms of service of any new cloud-based educational service complies with District standards for privacy and security, and are consistent with Education Law §2-d, Parents’ Bill of Rights For Data Privacy and Security. Unless a parent/guardian denies such access for their child, students will be permitted to set up such accounts, with the consent of their teachers, in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Users may utilize education-specific or professional social networking sites but not sites that primarily facilitate personal relationships. However, high school students and staff may request access to individual pages on such sites for educational or professional reasons

Staff data files, E-mail and electronic storage areas shall remain West Islip District property, subject to West Islip District control and inspection. The Superintendent or his/her designee may access all such files and communications to insure system integrity and those users are complying with requirements of West Islip District policy and accompanying regulations. Staff should NOT expect that information stored on the DIS will be private.

SANCTIONS

Any identified inappropriate behavior will be reported to the staff member's supervisor who will take appropriate disciplinary action. Any other violations or complaints will be routed to the staff member's supervisor for appropriate action. Violations may result in a loss of access to the DIS and/or disciplinary action. When applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved.

NOTIFICATION

All staff will be given a copy of the West Islip District's policies on staff and student use of computerized information resources and the regulations established in connection with those policies. Each staff member will sign an acceptable use agreement before establishing an account or continuing his or her use of the DIS.

NOTE: Refer also to Policy #6431 -- Employee Professional Research and Publication.

POLICY 6480: TUTORING BY STAFF

It is expected that every effort will be made by teachers and principals to help a student with his difficulties in school before recommending that parents engage a tutor.

However, should individual tutoring be recommended in certain cases, no tutoring of students will be done by teachers who have the same student under regular class instruction and no private tutoring for which the instructor receives a fee will be done in District school buildings.

POLICY 7110: ATTENDANCE & REGULATIONS

PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

New York State Education Law requires that the students enrolled in the West Islip School District attend school every day. The educational program offered by this district is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. The regular contact of students with one another in the classroom and their participation in a well-planned instructional activity under the tutelage of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose. Absences have a highly adverse effect on the student as well as the entire educational program. Therefore, the Board of Education expects all parents to make every effort for their children to be in attendance.

The Board of Education recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. Through implementation of this policy, the Board expects to reduce the current level or unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures (ATEDs), encourage full attendance by all students, maintain an adequate attendance recordkeeping system, identify patterns of student ATEDs and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the West Islip School District Attendance Policy are as follows:

1. To ensure every student has the opportunity for academic success.

2. To reduce the percentage of students who are chronically absent and/or tardy. Chronic absenteeism or tardiness is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason.

3. To determine the district’s average daily attendance for State aid purposes.

4. To verify compliance with compulsory education laws.

5. To know the whereabouts of every student for safety and other reasons.

6. To identify attendance patterns to design improvement efforts.

7. To close gaps in student performance.

8. To increase school completion.

Students will be considered in attendance if the student is:

a) Physically present in the classroom or working under the direction of the classroom teacher during the class scheduled meeting time; or

b) Working pursuant to approved independent study program; or

c) Receiving approved alternative instruction.

TYPES OF ABSENCES

Unexcused absences are absences, tardiness, and early departures unrelated to school activities or for which there is no approved submitted documentation. Unexcused absences include, but are not limited to:

truancy (unlawful absence or irregular attendance)
family vacation
cutting class

Students missing school due to an unexcused absence will receive a grade penalty for classroom work, quizzes, and/or tests that are made up.

Excused absences are absences, tardiness, and early departures which include, but are not limited to:

medical appointment (doctor’s note)
quarantine
illness (four or more consecutive absences due to illness require a doctor’s note)
death in family
religious observances
college visitation (to a maximum of three (3) days). Signed documentation and proof of visitation must be provided by the college or university on a duly recognized form generated by the visited school.

Excused absences require written documentation within three days of the student’s return to school. Students will be provided an opportunity to make-up any missed work. Until documentation is received, absences are marked as unknown (UKN). Unknown absences will be converted to unexcused absences after three days if written documentation is not provided.

Exempt absences are absences, tardiness, and early departures that are initiated by the school or other sanctioned obligations, including but not limited to:

pre-scheduled counseling appointment
authorized school-initiated activity
in-school suspension; out-of-school suspension
school-initiated field trips
pre-scheduled instrumental classes
pre-scheduled nurse and physical appointments
attendance at a CSE
subpoenaed court appearance
military program

On a day on which a student has any excused or unexcused absence, the student may not participate in cocurricular or extracurricular activities outside the school day, including but not limited to athletic practices and games, drama activities, etc.

ATTENDANCE & COURSE CREDIT (for secondary credit-bearing courses)

Attendance shall be taken each period of instruction, commensurate with rules established by the State Education Department. The course teacher shall make entries into the established system to register attendance and include all absences, tardiness and early departures.

Regular attendance is expected in all classes, and is considered essential for student success for purposes of this policy.

The Board of Education recognizes the important relationship between class attendance and student performance. Consequently, a student’s final grade may be based on classroom participation as well as student performance on homework, tests, papers, projects, etc. Classroom participation means that a student is in class and prepared to work.

Any student who absents himself/herself from more than eighteen classes in a full year course, nine classes in a half year or alternating day course, or twenty-seven classes in a lab course may not receive credit for the course. However, if a student earns a passing grade, credit will not be denied for the course(s). (Note: For seniors, loss of credit could jeopardize graduation.)

Where possible, make-up opportunities will be provided for all students with excused and exempt absences from class according to procedures established by the classroom teacher. Upon completion of the assigned make-up work, the student will be given credit for classroom work. Students will not be able to receive credit for participation if they are not in attendance, with the exception of an exempt absence. To assure due process, the implementation of this minimal attendance policy will be in accordance with rules and regulations as developed by the administration. Further, the District shall vigorously publicize and disseminate this policy to ensure awareness by faculty, students, and parents/guardians.

SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Summer school attendance will follow the 90% guideline set forth in this policy for attendance during the regular school year. A student who has more than three absences will lose credit and be dropped from the course.

BOCES ATTENDANCE

The District will establish criteria for admittance to BOCES programs that are based, in part on student attendance history. Loss of credit in a BOCES program will be determined by the attendance policy established by Eastern Suffolk BOCES. Continuation in a two-year BOCES program will be determined, in part, by the attendance policy of both the BOCES and the West Islip School District.

APPEALS PROCESS

Should a student or parent/guardian believe that extenuating circumstances exist, an appeal to reverse the loss of course credit may be made directly to the building Principal, whose decision shall be final.

SANCTIONS/INCENTIVES TO BE UTILIZED TO IMPROVE ATTENDANCE

SANCTIONS (range of penalties depending on specific attendance violation)

1. Detention

2. In-school suspension

3. Loss of eligibility for extracurricular activities

4. Suspension of parking and lunch privileges (seniors)

5. Loss of course credit (including refusal of summer school)

To ensure that parents and students are aware of the implication of the District’s minimum attendance policy, the teacher and other appropriate school personnel will counsel the student, and contact the student’s parents by mail and/or phone, at appropriate intervals prior to the student absenting themselves out of the course.

When a student cuts class or is absent, tardy, or departs early without proper excuse, parents will be notified.

INCENTIVES

Each building Principal and faculty will seek ways to promote student attendance and punctuality.

NOTIFICATION TO FACULTY, PARENTS & THE COMMUNITY

1. The attendance policy will be included in student handbooks and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year.

2. A back-to-school or Open House event will be held at the beginning of each school year to explain this policy and stress the parent’s responsibility for ensuring their children’s attendance.

3. Parents will receive a plain language summary of this policy at the start of each school year. Parents will be asked to sign and return a statement indicating that they have read and understand the policy.

4. School newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the importance of student attendance and content of this policy.

5. The District will provide a copy of the attendance policy and any amendments thereto to faculty and staff. New staff will receive a copy upon their employment with the District.

6. The District will post a copy of the attendance policy on the District website, thereby making it available to any community member upon request.

STRATEGIES TO MEET OBJECTIVES (Some duplication of items already mentioned)

The District will review attendance data to identify any patterns or trends in student absences, and the District will take appropriate action to remedy any such patterns or trends in student absences if any are identified. Examples of attendance trends or patterns include, but are not limited to:

• Consistent absence from a particular period (ex. first period, period after lunch, last period) • Consistent absence from a particular day or course • Consistent absence of students on post-event mornings • Consistent pattern of absences throughout the school year.

Other potential strategies

Daily attendance calls
Identification of absence patterns
Period by period attendance
Communication with parents
Certified letters
Packet of information available to parents detailing places to seek help
Home visits
Parent conferences/case conferences
Instructional Support Team referral
Committee on Special Education referral
CPS referral

RESPONSIBILITY FOR REVIEW OF ATTENDANCE RECORDS

The Principal of each elementary school; the Principal, assistant principals, and counselors at each middle and high school; and the high school attendance clerk shall be responsible for reviewing attendance regulations and initiating any necessary actions for daily attendance.

Teachers are responsible for reviewing attendance regulations and initiating necessary actions for period by period attendance. These actions include but are not limited to contacting parents/guardians, writing disciplinary referrals, and reporting students to counselors for follow-up.

POLICY 7213: USE AND DISSEMINATION OF TEST RESULTS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Teacher Professional Responsibilities Parents, staff, and students have come to rely on having up-to-date information. Because we believe that parental involvement and teacher support have a great impact on a student’s success, staff members are expected to maintain, update and enter information into Infinite Campus on a regular basis. Infinite Campus is used to enhance communication in our District by complementing other means of parent-teacher communication such as email, telephone calls and by providing basic information for meaningful parental conferences. Teachers, students and parents must proactively work together and communicate any concern or problem as soon as possible.

Recording Grades

PAPERS PROJECTS AND/OR LABS TESTS Within three weeks

DAILY WORK, HOMEWORK AND QUIZZES Within two weeks

Note: Large-scale projects that may require additional time for grading shall include an assignment comment indicating such. Withi

POLICY 7218: CLASS RANKING/WEIGHTING OF GRADES (Classes of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

The Board of Education wishes to recognize outstanding academic achievement and shall use a system of computing grade average to inform graduating students of their class standing.

Class Rank Computation

For the purpose of computation of rank, courses are assigned a weight according to their level of academic difficulty. Course weights are assigned as follows:

a) International Baccalaureate Courses – a weight of 1.15

b) Advanced placement courses and college affiliated courses - a weight of 1.15

c) Honors courses (including those completed in eighth grade for which high school credit is awarded beginning with the class of 2006) – a weight of 1.05

d) All other courses – a weight of 1.0

Courses applicable to class rank are those that are within the five major academic areas (English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language.) Effective with the 2007-2008 school year, all additional college level, honors and advanced placement courses in any discipline are also counted.

Unweighted Average

A student’s unweighted average is the numerical average of those courses included in the ranking process. No weight factor is applied.

Transcripts

All courses taken, including summer school or repeated courses, will be listed on a student’s transcript. For courses taken more than once, only the highest grade received will be used for ranking purposes.

Rank for College Application

Rank for college application purposes is calculated at the conclusion of the junior year.

Rank for Valedictorian/Salutatorian/Other Honors

Rank is calculated once again after the third quarter of senior year to determine the Valedictorian/Salutatorian, as well as for any other honors that may be based on rank.

Transfer Students

To be considered for Valedictorian/Salutatorian a graduating senior must have spent at least four (4) semesters at West Islip High School. A grade conversion chart will be applied to grades of students who transfer from a school which uses an alternate grading method.

Dissemination/Notification

The policy on Class Rank will be disseminated to appropriate school officials and will also be published in the student handbook. This policy will become effective with the high school class of 2002 and all subsequent classes.

CLASS RANKING (for students entering West Islip High School in September 2017 and thereafter)

Beginning with the entering ninth grade class of 2017-2018, all courses will be weighted equally to promote a learning environment focused on substantive outcomes, mastering of new skills, and exploring new ideas. At the end of seven semesters, the grade point averages for seniors will be calculated. Ten students will be chosen based upon their academic performance from which two Academic Leaders will be selected by the Academic Leader/Honored Speaker Selection Committee.

The following criteria will be used by the committee to determine the Academic Leaders:

• Academic record

• Extra-curricular activities

• Honor Society standing

• Community Service

• Disciplinary Record

• Attendance Record

• Enrollment History

Regulations will be developed to guide the committee and Academic Leader selection process.

POLICY 7550: FUNDRAISING BY STUDENTS

Fundraising projects in which students sell merchandise, provide services, or in other ways solicit money for school activities may be sponsored by school organizations with the express approval of the building principal. Any such plan shall have a clearly defined purpose and, in general, shall contribute to the educational experience of students and shall not conflict with instructional programs or state mandates. Fund raising activities away from school property shall be held to a minimum.

Fundraising profits shall be used to enhance school programs by providing money for expenditures not normally funded by the District. All moneys collected must be accounted for in strict accordance with procedures established by the Business Office.

All participation shall be voluntary, with written parent/legal guardian consent for children in grades K-8.

Fundraising for non-school purposes will not be permitted on school grounds.

Door to door sales projects undertaken by any organization using the West Islip Union Free School District name is prohibited.

Also, refer to Policy #3271 Solicitation of Charitable Donations From School Children.

8 New York Code of Rules and Regulation (NYCRR) Section 19.6 New York State Constitution, Article VIII, Section 1 Education Law Section 414

Revised and approved by the Board of Education 5/12/2016

POLICY 7551: SEXUAL HARASSMENT (STUDENTS)

The Board of Education affirms its commitment to non-discrimination and recognizes its responsibility to provide for all District students an environment that is free of sexual harassment and intimidation. Sexual harassment is a violation of law and stands in direct opposition to District policy. Therefore, the Board prohibits all forms of sexual harassment by employees and students. Generally, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

a) Submission to sexually harassing behavior is a condition for the successful completion of any course of study or educational or extracurricular activity, including the acceptance into or rejection from such course or activity;

b) Conditions exist within the school environment that allow or foster obscene pictures, lewd jokes, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other harassing activities of a sexual nature;

c) Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a student's academic performance or participation in an educational or extracurricular activity, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning environment.

The Board acknowledges that in determining whether sexual harassment has occurred, the perspective of the victim as well as the offender's conduct and/or intention should be evaluated.

Any student who believes that he/she has been subjected to sexual harassment shall report all incidents of such conduct to the District's designated complaint officer through informal and/or formal complaint procedures developed by the District. In the event that the complaint officer is the offender, the complainant shall report his/her complaint to the next level of supervisory authority.

Upon receipt of an informal/formal complaint, the District will conduct a thorough investigation of the charges. However, if the District has actual knowledge of any alleged sexual harassment, the District is obligated, even in the absence of a complaint, to investigate such conduct promptly and thoroughly. Actual knowledge must be by a school official who has the authority to take corrective action to address the alleged discrimination and to institute corrective measures on the District’s behalf.

Based upon the results of the District's investigation, immediate corrective action will be taken. Should the offending individual be a school employee, appropriate disciplinary measures will be applied, up to and including termination of the offender's employment in accordance with contractual and legal guidelines. Should the offending individual be a student, appropriate disciplinary measures will be applied, up to and including suspension.

The Board prohibits any retaliatory behavior directed against complainants and/or witnesses. Follow-up inquiries shall be made to ensure that harassment has not resumed and that the victims and/or witnesses have not suffered retaliation.

Regulations will be developed for resolving sexual harassment complaints by students. The Superintendent/designee(s) shall affirmatively discuss the topic of sexual harassment with all employees and students, express the District's condemnation of such conduct and explain the sanctions for harassment. A copy of this policy and its accompanying regulations shall be available upon request to all employees and students and may be posted at various locations throughout the School District.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,

20 United States Code (U.S.C.)

Section 1681 et seq.

POLICY 7362: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The integrity of any academic institution depends on the honesty of all those involved in the learning process.

Academic dishonesty in any form is a serious offense in any institution of learning.

Academic dishonesty is the failure to maintain academic integrity. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, (using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise); fabrication, (falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise); bribery offered for grades, transcripts, or diplomas; obtaining or giving assistance before, during or after an examination; having unauthorized prior knowledge of an examination; doing work for another student, presenting another student’s work as one’s own; and plagiarism.

To plagiarize is “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another as one’s own….[to] present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 898).

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s idea or product as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of another’s written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions or

research without citing the source; or using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score or other artistic

product without attributing the work to its creator.

The Superintendent in conjunction with building leadership will develop regulations to support this policy. This policy has been developed for the protection of our students and the integrity of our academic community.