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Woodstock Union High School

100 Amsden Way

Woodstock, Vermont 05091

This Planner belongs to:

________________________________

STUDENT HANDBOOK

2016-2017

Principal: Garon C. Smail, gsmail@wcsu.net

Administrative Assistant: Tyna Gallagher, tgallagher@wcsu.net

Telephone Directory

High School phone: 457-1317 fax: 457-1850

Counseling phone: 457-1930 fax: 457-1392

Learning Opportunities: phone: 457-4634 fax: 457-2192

Middle School phone: 457-1330 fax: 457-5048

Supervisory Union phone: 457-1213

Woodstock Union High School Board of Education

Dwight Doton, Chairperson – Barnard

Biz Alessi – Woodstock Tim Bishop – Reading

James Haff – Killington Paige Hiller – Woodstock

Vikke Jas– Woodstock Valerie LaCroix – Barnard

Roger Rivera – Killington Sandy Sawyer - Bridgewater

Christina Titus – Reading Brian Mariscovetere – Pomfret

Superintendent of Schools: Alice Worth

Director of Instructional Support: Sherry Sousa

Table of Contents

Schedules Inside Back Cover & Page 2

Managing Your Academic Life 3-7

Managing Your Daily Life 7-16

Code of Conduct 16-19

Select WUHS Policies 20-27

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2016-2017 Schedules

* Schedules subject to change at the administration’s discretion.

Daily Schedule

The Mondays are always an advisory days.

Block—Green Day/White Day

A / E 8:00am - 9:20am 80 minutes

B / F 9:25am - 10:45am 80 minutes

C / G 10:50am - 12:10pm 80 minutes

Lunch/ Advisory/

Flex 1

12:15pm - 12:45pm 30 minutes

Lunch/ Advisory/

Flex 2

12:48pm - 1:18pm 30 minutes

D / H 1:23pm - 2:45pm 82 minutes

Assembly Schedule

Block—Green Day/White Day

A / E 8:00am - 9:15am 75 minutes

B / F 9:20am - 10:35am 75 minutes

Assembly 10:40am – 11:40am 60 minutes

C / G

11:45am - 1:20pm

Lunch block is determined

by C/G class

95 minutes

1st Lunch 12:15pm - 12:45pm 30 minutes

2nd Lunch 12:50pm - 1:20pm 30 minutes

D / H 1:25pm - 2:45pm 80 minutes

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Managing Your Academic Life

Graduation Requirements through the Class of 2019

*Class of 2020 – Graduation requirements will be published

separately.

To graduate from Woodstock Union High School, a student must

earn 25 credits. The required distribution is as follows:

Arts, Language, & Literature: 6 credits

o 4 in English, 1 in Arts, 1 other English, Art, or

Modern/Classical Language

Math, Science, Technology: 7 credits

o 3 in Math, 3 in Science, 1 in Technology or other

Math/Science

Social Studies: 3 credits

Physical Education: 1.5 credits

Health: 0.5 credits

Electives: 7 credits

Grade status is determined by the number of credits earned, not

by the number of years in attendance.

A full time student at WUHS must take the minimum credits set

below. All students are encouraged to earn more than the minimum

number of credits. If a student does not meet the credit requirement

by the designated date set forth, and has been appropriately

notified, then that student will not graduate with the current class or

be allowed to participate in ANY graduation ceremonies.

Freshman: 6.0

Sophomore: 6 credits earned: 6.5

Junior: 12.5 credits earned 6.5

Senior:19 credits earned 6.0

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Academic Integrity

It is the goal of Woodstock Union High School to foster an

understanding of the concept of academic integrity which includes

the expectation of fairness, respect, responsibility, trust, and

honesty between all staff, students, and administrators. This

belief should be the guiding principle not only behind formed

relationships but also academic conduct. To that end, WUHS has

zero tolerance for cheating and/or plagiarism.

Plagiarism is defined as using another person’s ideas or

expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source

(MLA). There are many kinds of plagiarism and an individual can

commit plagiarism intentionally or unintentionally:

● Fraud: submitting a paper written by someone else

● Patchworking: using words and phrases from a source

and patching them together in new sentences

● Failure to cite: not acknowledging the sources of words or

information

● Failure to quote: not providing quotation marks for direct

quotation

Cheating is defined as the following:

● Copying other students’ work or allowing your own work to

be copied

● Using unauthorized notes or sources when taking tests

● Using unattributed passages or phrases from sources,

including textbooks, on tests

● Stealing or otherwise obtaining test materials before tests

● Recycling (submitting your own work which has been

submitted and graded for an earlier course or the reuse of

your own previously published paper)

● Fabrication (making up quotes, sources, interviews,

situations, anecdotes, research)

● Collaboration (unless otherwise specified, doing individual

work with someone else)

____________________________________________________

Howard, R.M. (2001, 17 March) “Plagiarism: What should a

teacher do?” Paper presented at the Conference on College

Composition and Communication, Denver, CO.

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Grading System (currently under revision)

The grading scale used will be the following:

90-100 A Exceptional work

80-89 B Good quality work

70-79 C Acceptable work

60-69 D Marginal work

0-59 F Unacceptable work/ No

credit

Incomplete grades: a mark of incomplete (I) is given at the end of

each quarter when work has not been completed for legitimate

reasons. Ten days after grades are submitted the teacher will

input the changed grade.

Grade Point Average

The 0-100 point scale is used to determine GPA. Weighted GPA:

a formula which takes into consideration a final course grade

which may be weighted is used to determine GPA. Please see the

Course Guide for a list of weighted courses.

Level I Courses are weighted +10: A student taking a Level I

course will earn 10 extra quality points on his/her grade for the

purpose of GPA calculation.

Level II Courses are weighted +5: A student taking a Level II

course will receive 5 extra quality points on his/her grade.

Level III Courses are weighted: 0: Courses grades will remain the

same for GPA calculation.

Honor Roll

In order to be eligible for honor roll, a student must be enrolled full

time. There must be no grade lower than 80%. Any student with

incompletes may be considered for honor roll once the grade is

submitted and approved by the administration.

Summa Cum Laude– Students that achieve an Adjusted GPA of

96% or better for the marking period.

Magna Cum Laude – Students that achieve an Adjusted GPA of

92% and less than 96% for the marking period.

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Schedules and Changes

Every effort has been made to schedule students to meet their

academic needs. Every student should have a designated place

to be each period of the day.

● Schedule changes will be processed FOUR DAYS

BEFORE SCHOOL AND THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF

CLASSES.

● Dropping a class after the first four school days of the first

semester or the first four days of the second semester will

result in a permanent grade on the report card/transcript,

withdraw pass (WP) or withdraw fail (WF). A WF equals a

zero on the transcript and is considered in the GPA

calculation as a zero

● No dropping is allowed during the fourth quarter.

● All schedule changes need final approval by an

administrator. All paperwork must be completed by the

West Office prior to the student attending any new classes.

● Schedule change request forms can be found in the

counseling office, at wuhsms.org and at

connection.naviance.com/wuhs

Course Guide

The WUHS Course Guide is your source for a thorough listing of

academic and learning opportunities at our school. Review the

Course Guide and meet with your school counselor to learn how

to access these opportunities and how to build them into your

learning plan.

Driver Education

Students must sign up for driver’s education during the course

request period. Students are selected based on class and birth

date. Freshmen are generally excluded from the class unless they

will be 16 years old during the course and there is room in the

class. Students are clustered into classes based on availability in

their schedules. Students who are not assigned to the driver’s

education class are not automatically enrolled in the next

semester’s class.

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Students must remain in good standing with the school

administration. Failure to do so may result in not being allowed to

enroll in the class or – if already in the class – removal from it.

Students must remain in good standing with state and local police

authorities. A student not enrolled in the class who is in violation

of statutes as they apply to drug/alcohol or operation of motor

vehicles will not be admitted to Driver Education until the second

semester of the student’s senior year or the semester of the

student’s 18th birthday.

A student currently enrolled in the class who is in violation of

statutes as they apply to drug/alcohol or operation of motor

vehicles will be dropped from the class. The student may not

reapply for enrollment until the second semester of the student’s

senior year or the semester of the student’s 18th birthday.

Students and parents/guardians will be expected to participate in

a Parent Involvement Program. Parents or guardians will attend a

90-minute orientation class and then supervise approximately 20

hours of driving outside the driver education classroom

experience.

National Honor Society Ottauquechee Chapter

Woodstock Union High School offers students the opportunity to

belong to the Ottauquechee Chapter of the National Honor

Society which promotes excellence in scholarship, community

service, leadership and character development. Students who

have a cumulative GPA of 92 or better are invited to participate in

the selection process and are then given the By-laws, Selection

Procedure and the Student Information Form. A faculty committee

reviews the students’ information forms and faculty

recommendation forms which define the candidates’ leadership,

service and character. Those students who are found to

demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of

scholarship, leadership, service and character may be selected by

the faculty committee with an invitation to join. Students applying

must show evidence of a minimum of 20 hours of service during

the freshman year and a minimum of 20 hours of service during

the sophomore year. The complete Chapter By-laws are available

from the chapter advisors.

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Managing Your Daily Life

Attendance Policy

While we recognize that some absences are unavoidable, we

believe that instructional contact time is essential to the complete

education of students. Credit for a course will be awarded based

on the Carnegie Unit, which mandates that students should have

120 contact hours per (1) credit. Eighteen percent of missed

classes, or over 4 classes for a quarter class, over 8 classes for a

semester class, and over 16 for a year class, may result in loss of

credit as outlined in the Attendance Procedures. It is expected

that students will attend school-sanctioned field trips and activities,

and it is the students’ obligation to monitor their absences.

Definitions

● Loss of credit in this policy refers to a student losing credit

based on classroom contact hours.

● Approved religious holidays are exclusive of this policy.

● Both excused and unexcused absences as defined in the

Procedures below are included in the 18% of missed

classes.

Tardiness

School hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Students are tardy

when they are not in their instructional area by 8:00 a.m. If a

student misses more than 20 minutes of a class without a valid

reason, he/she will be considered absent.

School Notification

Parents are responsible for telephoning the office on the day their

child is unable to attend school. If the school has not been

notified by 8:30 a.m., school personnel will contact the home or

the parent’s workplace to verify a student’s whereabouts.

Absences

A student not present in class for any reason is considered

absent. Excused absences are classified in one of three

categories:

1. Excused: illness

2. Excused: school sponsored activity: all pre-

approved field trips, athletic events, and cultural activities

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3. Excused: religious holidays, court appearances,

and principal-approved absences (Request for excused

absences must be approved IN ADVANCE by the

principal or the principal’s designee)

Students who are absent from school for an entire day or any

portion thereof must bring notes written and signed by a parent or

guardian. The note shall contain the specific reason(s), date(s),

and applicable times of the absence(s). All notes must be received

within 72 hours of students return to school. All absences,

excused or unexcused, count toward the total number of allowable

absences.

Upon reaching the age of eighteen, students residing with their

parents may, with written parental permission, write their own

attendance notices and requests to leave the building.

Unexcused Absences

Unexcused absences include:

1. Truancy: any student who is absent from school

without the knowledge and permission of his/her parents,

guardians or school authorities is truant. Truancy may

result in legal action.

2. Organized skip day(s). This term is used to refer to

situations where a group of students decides not to attend

school.

3. Absences not accompanied by a note from the

parent/guardian upon the student’s return to school.

4. All absences not covered under excused absences.

The school will make every attempt to notify parents of any

unexcused absence from school.

Notification of Course Attendance Problems

Parents will be notified at regular intervals of a student’s absences

from a class. First, absences will be noted on the quarterly report

cards. Second, an Attendance Notification Form will be mailed

home as he/she progresses through the allowable number of

absences. Students are reminded that it continues to be their

obligation to monitor their own absences. It is the responsibility

of students who have not earned credit in a course due to

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excessive absences to set up an Attendance Review Board

meeting with their School Counselor.

Late Arrivals and Early Dismissals

A student leaving school must have a parent notify the office prior

to leaving the grounds. Students must sign out at the office.

Failure to follow this procedure will result in unexcused absences

for all classes missed and may result in disciplinary action.

Admit Slips

Students arriving and returning to school at irregular times are

required to report to the West Office with a written note. Students

will be given an admit slip to show to his/her teachers.

Nurse Dismissals

Students who feel they are not well enough to be in school need

to go to the health office to be assessed before being released to

go home. Parents will be consulted in an emergency. If not an

emergency, we are glad to call parents to consult and if necessary

make plans for going home or to a doctor. Students are

encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their health

decisions and care over their six years in the Middle and High

School.

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Windsor Central Supervisory Union Network/Computer Use:

Terms and Conditions

Windsor Central Supervisory Union Schools will provide

individuals with the opportunity to use networked computer

services if they (or in the case of minors, their parents) agree to

the Internet Acceptable Use Policy and the Terms and Conditions.

The digital devices, networks, and software in schools are to

be used only for educational purposes and activities. All of

the communication and information within the digital devices,

networks, and software in schools shall not be considered

private.

While using these tools, students, teachers, and staff members

will act as responsible digital citizens. A responsible digital citizen

is one who:

Respects Oneself. o Maintains appropriate standards of language and behavior

when accessing information and images on social networking websites and elsewhere online.

o Refrains from distributing personally identifiable information1 about themselves and others.

Respects Others. o Refrains from using technologies to bully, tease or harass

other people. o Will report incidents of cyber bullying and harassment in

accordance with the district’s policies on bullying and harassment.

o Will also refrain from using another person’s system account or password or from presenting themselves as another person.

Protects Oneself and Others. o Protects oneself and others by reporting abuse and not

forwarding inappropriate materials and communications. Individuals are responsible at all times for the proper use of their account by not sharing their system account password.

Respects and Protects Intellectual Property.

1 For the purposes of these terms and conditions, “personally identifiable

information” shall not include any information listed as “directory

information” in the school district’s annual FERPA notice.

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o Suitably cites any and all use of websites, books, media, etc.

o Requests to use the software and media others produce. Respects and Protects Property.

o Cares for the devices that are owned by the school. o Immediately reports any damage to a technician or an

administrator. Failure to abide by these terms and conditions will result in

disciplinary action, and in some cases, certain actions may be

subject to criminal prosecution.

Student Life General Topics (Alphabetical Listing)

Academic Assistance/ Education Support System

ARC

Counselors

Flex

Health Office

National Honor

Society Tutors

Writing Center

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SOS

Counselors

Advisories

Students will be assigned to a teacher advisor. During the school

year, students and teachers will meet in advisories to discuss

various issues. Students are required to attend these meetings.

Adult Status

Any student who is 18 or older may apply for adult status.

Campus Boundaries During school hours, 8:00 a.m.-2:45 p.m., students are expected to stay in the building. Exceptions to this rule are:

✓ During lunch blocks the area outside of the café is open including and limited to the varsity soccer/ boys lacrosse field

✓ When students are accompanied by faculty and/or staff, and

✓ Seniors in good standing who choose to exercise their senior privileges

Before and after school hours students on any part of the campus are held to the same behavior expectations and are accountable to the WUHS Code of Conduct as students in the building during school hours.

Skateboarding is allowed on campus after school in the northwest corner of the main parking lot (by the WCSU Office and the Union Arena Access Road). Skateboarding during the school day is limited to adult supervised meetings of the skateboard club.

Care of School and Personal Property

This is a community school. Everyone plays an important role in

preserving and caring for it.

Co-Curricular Activities

All students are encouraged to participate in co-curricular

activities. The following may be considered co-curricular activities:

1. Student government and its related activities and

organizations;

2. Music festivals or contests, speech contests, debates and

drama;

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3. Organized activities that are part of interscholastic

athletics;

4. All types of interscholastic competition;

5. Approved Special interest clubs: Watch your school email

for current listings and for new opportunities.

Electronic Devices

Any electronic device that is deemed to be disruptive of the

educational environment may be confiscated and held until the

end of the school day. In some instances the confiscated device

will be returned to the parent/guardian only. Failure to surrender

the device to a faculty member or administrator when asked

will classify as refusal to comply with a faculty request. The

school bears no liability for lost items.

Field Trips, Excursions, and Off-Campus School-Sponsored

Activities

Field Trips, excursions, and school-sponsored activities can play

an important role in the educational experience of students. When

off-campus for any school-sponsored event, students are

expected to follow all school rules. Students are subject to

disciplinary action if they are in violation of any school rule while at

a school-sponsored activity.

Flex

Flex is a block in the middle of each day where students choose

from many options from clubs, gym, library, teacher meetings, etc.

Flex choices are due every Monday by 1:00 p.m. via an on-

line form sent to you the Friday before. Choices can be

overwritten by teachers wishing to meet with you. Your final

weekly schedule is e-mailed back to you Monday evening.

Lockers

Each student will be assigned a locker and is responsible for

keeping it neat and orderly. Lockers are the property of the

school. While the school respects the student’s right to be free of

unreasonable search and seizure, the administration reserves the

right to open and inspect individual school lockers. The student to

whom the locker is assigned is responsible for the contents of the

locker. If the locker assigned to the student is damaged or

defaced in any way, the student will be held responsible for

payment of any repairs. Locks are loaned free of charge to each

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student and must be returned to the West Office at the end of the

school year.

Locks for gym lockers may be obtained from the Physical

Education department for a small refundable deposit. No students

should share their combination with anyone since theft is

sometimes a problem. Valuable possessions, such as IPods,

MP3 players, cell phones, cameras, etc., should be left at home or

checked in at the office.

The school assumes no responsibility for student property.

Articles left in lockers are not always secure. Anything left in

lockers after the last day of school is donated to charity.

Lost and Found

Lost articles should be reported to the West Office. There is a lost

and found area in the West Office where students may look for

articles they may have lost. Students are responsible for locking

up their valuables.

Media Likeness

While participating in a school activity a student may have his or

her picture taken for the purposes of documenting the activity.

These pictures may appear in a school publication and the school

website.

Parking/Driving Privileges

Driving to school and parking on school property is a privilege, not

a student right. Students must park in designated areas only.

Handicap spots are designated for those with a handicap permit.

No parking is allowed in doorways marked no parking.

Driving Rules:

● Students must drive safely on campus;

● Students may not leave campus during the school day

without permission;

● Students may not transport underclassmen during the

school day;

● WUHS is not responsible for damages incurred to student

vehicles while parked on the school campus.

Participation in Athletics or Co-Curricular Activities

Those who are interested in joining an interscholastic athletic

program should refer to the Athletic Activities Digest.

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Senior Privileges

Seniors are expected to follow all school rules and expectations.

Any privileges granted will be established on an annual basis as

negotiated with senior class officers and approved by the

Administration.

Skateboards

Skateboarding is allowed on campus only in the designated areas

and during the designated times. Students skate at their own risk

and skateboarding on campus is a privilege. Students are required

to sign the WUHS Skateboarding Agreement prior to

skateboarding on campus.

Sports Teams

Sports teams include football, cross country, field hockey, soccer,

basketball, ice hockey, alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding,

baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and track and field.

Student Portal

PlusPortals is the web-based information system that is used at

WUHS to facilitate communication between teachers and

students. All students are expected to access their accounts on a

regular basis. Parents will have access to your student portal.

Use of Library

Passes to and from the library are required for all students.

Library passes from study halls will be given only to students who

have academic teacher library passes or with permission of the

study hall teacher. Students should be considerate of others as

they use the library. Students must also care for and return all

materials in a timely fashion. Students are responsible for cleaning

their work areas in the library before they leave. This includes

returning all materials to their proper places.

Use of Computer Labs

Passes from the classroom teacher are required to use the

computer labs. Unless a class is already using the lab, computers

are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students must

have a pass from an academic teacher in order to use the

computer lab during a study hall. No food or drink is allowed in the

computer labs.

Visitors

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Upon entering the building, all visitors must report to the West

Office for authorization and a visitor’s pass. Students who plan to

bring a visitor to school shall request permission from the

administration 24 hours in advance.

School Emergencies

Fire Drills

During a fire drill all students shall vacate the building from the

nearest exit. Students are never allowed to go to lockers prior to

exiting the building. Most drills are mandatory and monthly, and

students are expected to return to the building as soon as

attendance is verified. Should students need to be out of the

building for a longer time, shelter will be arranged at the Union

Arena, the Superintendent’s Office, and the Senior Center.

Other School, Community or Weather Emergencies

School may be canceled or dismissed early due to weather-

related problems. Announcements of school closings will be

announced via automatic call system to registered phone numbers

and through major news outlets. A crisis plan exists to provide for

the safety of all students. The administration will determine

whether students will be sent to the elementary schools or sent

home. Students may not leave their assigned location without the

permission of the school.

School Crisis Commands

In the event of a school crisis/situation, the following commands

will be issued via the public address system. All students are

expected to comply with faculty and staff directions.

“Clear the

halls”

Go to the closest room supervised by an adult

(nearest securable area).

“Secure

the

School”

Same as “Clear the Halls” with additional steps:

Designated staff secure outside doors. Students

outdoors move away from building

“Evacuate

the

Exit the building and move to assigned fire lanes.

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Building” Teacher takes attendance with assigned students.

“Shelter in

Place”

Faculty, students and staff should seek shelter

inside the building and close all windows and doors.

Code of Conduct

Students are expected to show respect and consideration for the

rights of others, to conduct themselves appropriately and to

recognize the supervisory authority vested in all school employees

by the Woodstock Union High School Board. Students are

expected to abide by the rules and regulations established by the

Principal and outlined in the Student-Family Handbook and in

Vermont Statutes whenever they are on school grounds or

participating in any school activity. At the administration’s

discretion, a student violating the school’s code of conduct may be

subject to disciplinary action and may be asked to resign or be

dismissed from a leadership position.

Bus Conduct

● Be considerate of the driver and fellow riders;

● Do your part to keep the bus clean;

● Observe safety procedures so that no one gets hurt;

● Use seat belts if available;

● Don’t distract the driver with loud noises or inappropriate

behaviors/language;

● If the bus driver refers a student for distracting or

potentially dangerous behavior, the student will receive a

warning and appropriate consequence from the school

administration;

● A second referral may result in suspension from riding the

bus;

● If taking a different bus, bring a note from home

acknowledging permission.

Students shall be responsible for reimbursement of any damages

that they do to school busses. During any period of suspension

from the bus, parents are responsible for providing transportation

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of their student. A student who does not attend school because of

failure of the parent to provide transportation shall be considered

truant from school.

WUMS/HS Student Dress Code Students are expected to adhere to standards of cleanliness and dress that are compatible with the requirement of a good school environment. Those standards generally acceptable to the community as appropriate in a formal school setting ordinarily will be the reference criterion. A student's appearance or mode of dress or cleanliness will not be permitted to disrupt the educational process or constitute a threat to health or safety. When, in the judgment of a principal, a student's appearance or mode of dress disrupts the educational process, or constitutes a threat to health or safety, the student may be required to make modifications. In partial attainment of the foregoing, a student: (1) must groom hair so that it is clean and safe for any school activity in which he or she will take part; (2) must use footwear; (3) must wear attire which is not distractive, or does not promote or seem to promote the use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substances, or gangs and is not vulgar or profane. Adopted: November 11, 1992 Reviewed: June, 2011 (Currently being reviewed by WUHSMS Policy Committee)

Discipline

WUHS employs a working system of discipline that promotes our

school wide behavior expectations (see inside front cover for full

listing). Consequences for misbehavior are designed and

assigned to be commensurate with the behavior and are therefore

determined on a case-by-case basis. Students failing to uphold

the behavior code may expect to receive consequences for their

actions and choices. Consequences included but are not limited to

the following list:

❖ Parent Notification

❖ Suspension or Loss of driving privileges

❖ Conference with an Administrator

❖ Restitution

❖ After school detention

❖ Parent Conference

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❖ Saturday detention

❖ In-School Suspension

❖ Out-of-School Suspension

❖ Police notification

❖ Reduction of a grade (assignment and/or

course grade)

The administration may assign consequences for behaviors that

are not listed. Consequences may include a referral by the

administration for a Restorative Justice process for certain

infractions.

WUHS aims to maintain a safe, secure and productive school

environment. Acts of intimidation, harassment, bullying, or

violence are not tolerated. Supporting this aim, WUHS is also a

drug, alcohol and tobacco free campus. If the administration

determines that an individual has violated policies that support

safety and security that person may be subject to immediate

suspension, long-term suspension (beyond 10 days) or expulsion.

Policies Concerning Code of Conduct Violations

o Prevention of Harassment, Hazing and Bullying of

Students

o Weapons Prohibition

o Alcohol and Other Drugs

Definitions

Behavioral Contracts

Students who do not improve their behavior will meet with the

administration to determine consequences. They shall be required

to follow a behavioral contract. Expulsion may be considered for a

student who fails to follow that contract.

After School Detention

Students may be assigned detention by teachers or administrators

for infractions of school rules. The student will be given 24 hours

notice prior to serving the detention. Detention will be served in a

designated place under the supervision of a staff member.

Detention begins promptly after school and lasts for one or two

hours on Tuesdays or Thursdays. The responsibility for

transportation home rests with the student and family. Students

who do not bring homework or reading materials or who do not

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arrive for detention on time will be assigned a second detention.

Co-curricular activities or after-school employment are not

acceptable excuses to delay detention.

Saturday Detention

Students will meet from 8 a.m. to noon. They will be expected to

bring academic work with them. Students may be asked to repeat

the detention if they do not arrive on time. If the Saturday

detention is not served successfully, students will be subject to

additional consequences.

In-School Suspension

Students serving an in-school suspension are expected to report

to the high school office by 8:00 a.m. They are expected to have

academic work to complete and will be finished at the end of the

school day. If the in-school suspension is not completed

successfully, there will be additional consequences.

External Suspension

Depending on the situation and behavior, students may be asked

to leave the school grounds immediately. When necessary,

parents will be notified to arrange transportation. Suspended

students may not attend classes, participate in any school

activities, or be on school grounds. In some cases students may

be able to make up work for a suspension period. A suspension

may be from 1-10 days. Any suspension beyond 10 days will

require appropriate notice and hearings.

Expulsion

According to Vermont State Statutes, a superintendent or principal

may (pursuant to policies adopted by the school board that are

consistent with state board rules) suspend a student for a definite

period of time, or with the approval of the board of the school

district, expel a student for up to a calendar year for misconduct

when the misconduct makes the continued presence of the pupil

harmful to the welfare of the school. Nothing contained in this

section shall prevent a superintendent or principal, subject to

subsequent due process procedures, from removing immediately

from a school a pupil who poses a continuing danger to persons

or property or an ongoing threat of disrupting the academic

process of the school.

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Please see WUHS policy Student Conduct and Discipline for

student rights and hearing procedures. Many colleges and

employers will inquire about suspensions and expulsions.

Behavioral choices which result in suspensions may limit a

student’s post secondary placement.

WUHS Select Policies & Procedures

(For more information and a full list of policies see WUHSMS “about us” @ www.wuhsms.org)

BULLYING, HAZING, AND HARASSMENT Woodstock Union High School and Middle School places the highest value on a school climate that is welcoming, safe, and respectful for all students. Students have a right to a safe and respectful environment, as well as a responsibility to support this learning environment. Bullying means any act directed against a student by another student(s) which is:

● is intended to ridicule, humiliate, or intimidate students. ● is repeated over time.

Hazing means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person or persons against a student(s) which is intended to humiliate, intimidate, demean or endanger the mental or physical health of the student in connection with:

● Pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization connected with the school.

● Hazing also includes anyone who assists to create the incident.

Harassment means an incident or incidents of:

● verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct based on, or motivated by a student’s, or student’s family member’s actual or perceived protected characteristics including:

Race, Color, Creed, Disability, Sex, National origin, Marital status, Sexual orientation, or Gender identity.

that has the purpose or effect of objectively and substantially undermining and detracting from, or interfering with a student’s educational performance, or

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access to school resources or creates an objectively intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

● Examples include, but are not limited to, unwelcome

sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, derogatory or demeaning remarks, name calling, gestures, graffiti, jokes, slurs, threats, stalking, taunts, or negative references to an individual’s customs or characteristics.

What to do if you are being bullied, hazed, or harassed, or if you witness an incident:

1. Don’t blame yourself. Harassment, bullying, and hazing are unwanted and can make you feel trapped, confused, helpless, frustrated, embarrassed, and/or scared. You certainly did not ask for any of those feelings.

2. Let the harasser/bullier/hazer know that you don’t like their behavior. Tell them that the behavior bothers you and that it needs to stop.

3. If you need help, tell a teacher, the Principal, or the Dean of Students, who can all take action. Keep speaking out until the problem is resolved.

4. Keep a record of incidents - what happened, when, where, who else was present and any evidence of the incident.

5. ____________________________________________and ____________________________________________are the designated WUHS employees who will receive reports of bullying, hazing or harassment.

EQUAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY

It is the intent of the Board of Directors of Woodstock Union High

School and Middle School that its employees will not discriminate

against any person or group on the basis of race, color, sexual

orientation, age, sex, religion, disability, gender identity, ancestry,

place of birth or national origin, in admission and access to, or

treatment and employment in, any of the school programs and

activities, policies, procedures and practices, including vocational

education, as and to the extent provided by law.

ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS

The Woodstock Union High School Board recognizes that abuse

of and dependence on alcohol and other drugs/chemicals are

treatable health problems which can also involve violations of law

and school rules, and that involvement with alcohol and other

drugs can interfere with a student's academic, physical, emotional

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and social development. Further, the Board recognizes that the

school, as well as the student, family and the community at large,

has a responsibility with regard to this treatable health problem.

Accordingly, the Woodstock Union High School Board makes a

commitment to the health and well being of its students through

educational prevention, intervention and postvention programs

and procedures and to an academic environment free of alcohol

and other drugs/chemicals.

Violations and Consequences

These regulations apply whenever students are present in school,

at school-sanctioned activities, on school property, on school

buses, or at other sites such as field trips, trips abroad and athletic

events held off campus. Should an infraction occur, the school

personnel shall make an immediate referral to the administration.

1.) Violations:

A student is considered in violation of the policy on

substances if he/she is:

● In possession of a substance(s) and/or paraphernalia or

what is represented by or to the student as a substance(s);

● Distributing/purchasing/selling/ exchanging substance(s) or

what the student

● represents to be or treats as a substance(s) or being in

possession with intent to

● distribute such substance(s);

● Under the influence of a substance(s);

● In the act of using a substance(s) or what is represented

by or to the student as a substance(s);

● Being knowingly in the presence of students in the act of

possessing, distributing, purchasing, selling, exchanging or

using substances, or what students represent or believe to

be substances, except when it is clear that the student's

presence is for the purpose of intervening for safety

reasons or against another's use of substances.

2.) Consequences for FIRST TIME Violations

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a. Attempted or Selling/Purchasing/Distributing/Exchanging

substances or paraphernalia, or possession with intent to

distribute substances:

● Search with reasonable suspicion by the Principal or

designee and confiscation of all illicit materials

● notification of police

● both verbal and written notification of parent(s)

● immediate suspension of student for up to ten (10) school

days

● consideration of referral to the school board for restitution

and/or expulsion

● referral to the Student Assistance Team

b. Possession, consumption, or being under the influence of a

substance(s) or possession of paraphernalia:

● Search with reasonable suspicion by the Principal or

designee and confiscation of all illicit materials

● notification of police

● suspension of student for up to ten (10) school days

● notification of parent(s) verbal and certified mail notification

● referral to the Student Assistance Team

● Team can mandate after school substance abuse violator’s

group for four consecutive sessions that must be

completed in sequence. Failure to attend may result in

referral to the school board for restitution and/or expulsion.

c. Being knowingly in the presence of substances but not involved

with any of the above infractions:

● based on the evidence presented, the Team may require

the student to attend

after school substance abuse violator’s group

● consequences at the discretion of the Principal

● referral to Student Assistance Team

3.) Consequences for SECOND or Additional Violations:

Incidents will be considered cumulative when they occur within

two consecutive years or other aggravating circumstances exist.

● Consequences for violations after the first violation of any

part of this Alcohol and other Drugs Policy may be more

severe, up to and including consideration for expulsion.

● Consequences for any violations may also be more severe

where a student has previously been disciplined for

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violations of any school rule, or where there are other

aggravating circumstances rendering misconduct.

● Other corrective action may be imposed by the

administration (or Board, as applicable) where

circumstances warrant it.

MEDICATION

The Woodstock Union Middle School and High School Board of

Directors recognizes that it is important to have procedures in

place to assure that medication required by students during the

school day will be administered by the school nurse or delegatee

and maintained in a safe manner as directed by the student’s

parent, guardian or health care provider.

WEAPONS PROHIBITION

The Woodstock Union Middle School and High School Board of

Directors recognizes the federal Gun Free Schools Act of 1994,

and Act No. 35 of the 1995 session of the Vermont General

Assembly requiring school districts to provide for the possible

expulsion of students who bring weapons to school. The Board of

Directors also acknowledges the need to maintain a student

discipline system consistent with the requirements of the federal

Individuals with Disabilities Act and the Vermont State Board of

Education Rules.

It is a violation of state law for any student to bring a weapon to

school and is hereby prohibited except as provided for herein. Any

student who violates this policy may be expelled for one calendar

year in accordance with the procedures below.

EXEMPTIONS:

A student shall be in violation of this policy if the student brings a

weapon to school unless the student has written pre-authorization

from the Superintendent or building administrator granting him or

her permission to bring a weapon to school solely for sporting,

recreational, or cultural purposes.

DEFINITIONS:

A. For the purpose of this policy, the term “weapon” means:

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● any device which will or is desired to or may readily be

converted to expel a projectile by the action of an

explosive or other propellant;

● the frame or receiver of any device described above;

● any pre-arm muffler or firearm silencer;

● any explosive, incendiary or poison gas including a bomb,

grenade, rocket having a propellant charge, missile having

an explosive or incendiary charge, mine, firearm

ammunition, or similar device;

● any combination of parts either desired or intended for use

in converting any device into any destructive implement

described in the immediately preceding example and from

which a destructive device may be readily assembled;

● other articles commonly used or designed to inflict bodily

harm or to intimidate other persons. Examples include but

are not limited to brass knuckles, all knives, chains, clubs,

stars, etc.

● articles designed for other purposes but which are being

used or threatened to be used to inflict bodily harm or

intimidate. Examples include but are not limited to belts,

combs, pencils, files, compasses, scissors, etc.

B. For the purposes of this policy “to school” means any setting

which is under the control and supervision of the school district. It

includes school grounds, facilities, and vehicles used to transport

students to and from school or school activities.

C. For the purposes of this policy, -“expelled" means the

termination for at least a full calendar year of educational services

to a student.

D. For the purposes of this policy, “interim alternative educational

placement” means a placement that is distinguishable from the

student’s regular school placement.