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pinellas preparatory academy administrative policy manual amended on june 24 2010

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table of contents section a employee policies 5 a.1 staff teams 5 a.1.1.1 school leadership team 5 a.1.1.2 staff behavior team 5 a.1.1.3 student success team 5 a.1.1.4 master schedule team 5 section b student policies 6 b.1 attendance 6 b.1.1 legal foundation 6 b.1.2 parental reporting 6 b.1.3 excused absences 6 b.1.4 tardiness 6 b.1.5 early removal 7 b.1.6 make up work 7 b.1.7 truancy consequences 7 b.2 enrollment 7 b.2.1 late entries 7 b.2.2 withdrawals 7 b.3 academic 7 b.3.1 grading policy 7 b.3.2 honor roll 8 b.3.3 homework policy 8 b.3.3.1 approximate time guidelines 8 b.3.3.2 late homework 8 b.3.3.3 posting of homework 9 b.3.4 dual enrollment 9 b.3.4.1 florida virtual school 9 b.3.4.2 extracurricular activities 9 b.4 extra curricular activities 9 b.4.1 clubs 9 b.4.2 field trips off campus events 9 b.4.2.1 approval 9 b.4.2.2 behavioral exclusion 9 b.4.2.3 financial limitations 10 b.4.2.4 student supervision 10 b.4.2.5 chaperones 10 b.4.2.6 teacher check ins 10 b.4.2.7 student counts 10 b.5 behavioral 10 b.5.1 foundation 10 b.5.2 removal of students from class 10 b.5.3 referral matrix 11 b.5.4 behavioral consequences 11 b.5.4.1 verbal warning 11 b.5.4.2 written warning 11 b.5.4.3 referral to permanent file 11 b.5.4.4 detention 11

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b.5.4.5 in-school suspension 12 b.5.4.6 out of school suspension 12 b.5.5 appeal process 13 b.5.5.1 foundation 13 b.5.5.2 requesting an appeal 13 b.5.5.3 student consequences 13 b.5.5.4 behavior team meeting 13 b.5.5.5 reporting of decisions 14 b.5.5.6 further appeals 14 b.6 general 14 b.6.1 dress code 14 b.6.2 cell phone policy 15 b.6.3 games and electronic devices 15 b.6.4 text book policy 15 b.6.5 computers and internet acceptable use policy 15 b.6.6 dances 15 b 7 safety 16 b.7.1 car circle 16 section c teaching and learning 17 c.1 c.2 c.3 c.3.1 c.3.2 c.3.3 c.4 c.4.1 c.4.2 c.4.3 teacher s lesson plans 17 reporting student progress 17 section 504 plans 17 when a 504 plan will be considered 17 meeting to consider 504 plan 17 eligibility 17 student success team 17 purpose 17 membership 17 procedure 18 section d management policies 19 d 1 d.1.1 d.1.2 d.1.3 d.1.4 d.2 d.3 d.3.1 d.3.2 d.4 d.5 d.5.1 d.5.2 d.5.3 d.6 d.6.1 d.6.2 d.6.3 d.6.4 d.6.5 d.6.6 emergency procedures 19 fire drill procedures 19 tornado drill procedures 19 hurricane closures 19 intruder drill 19 fund raising 19 photographs of students 19 portraits 19 snapshots 19 gifts 20 volunteers 20 raptor background checks 20 background check concern 20 student supervision background checks 20 policy against bullying and harassment 20 statement prohibiting bullying and harassment 20 definition of bullying and definition of harassment 20 expected behavior 21 consequences for an act of bullying or harassment 22 consequences for intentional misreporting 22 reporting an act of bullying or harassment 22

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d.6.7 investigation of whether a reported act is within the score of the school 23 d.6.8 prompt investigation of a report of bullying or harassment 23 d.6.9 determination consequences and due processes for a perpetrator 24 d.6.10 providing immediate notification to the parents/legal guardians of a student 24 d.6.11 referral of victims and perpetrators of bullying or harassment for counseling 24 d.6.12 providing instruction regarding bullying and/or harassment 25 d.6.13 regularly reporting of actions taken to protect the victim 25 d.6.14 publication of the policy 25 section e facilities policies 2926 e.1 animals in school 2926 e.1.1 special events 2926 e.1.2 classroom pets 2926 e.2 classroom decore 2926 e.2.1 custom paintings/murals 2926 e.2.2 affixing items to walls 2926 section f before and after care 3027 f.1 f.1.1 f.1.2 f.1.3 f.1.4 f.2 f.2.1 f.2.2 f.2.3 f.2.4 f.2.5 f.2.6 f.2.7 f.2.8 f.2.9 f.3 f.3.1 f.3.2 f.4 general 3027 hours of operation 3027 emergency closings delays 3027 registration 3027 consistent use 3027 fees 3027 before care 3027 after care 3027 both before and after care 3027 drop in 3027 late pick up 3027 due date 3128 discounts 3128 returned nsf checks 3128 free and reduced services 3128 student expectations 3128 student rules 3128 consequence for misbehavior 3128 staffing 3128

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section a employee policies a.1 a.1.1 staff teams the principal shall designate specific teams of staff members to accomplish various tasks throughout the year the following are required staff teams that will be set each year a.1.1.1 school advisory team ­ the advisory team will consist of representatives from various teams of staff members throughout the school the advisory team will advise the principal as part of a decision making process to ensure staff participation in decision making a.1.1.2 staff behavior team ­ the behavior team will review the school s behavior policy matrix and consequences annually and advise the principal on necessary changes to these documents the behavior committee shall also serve as an appeal board when a parent wishes to appeal a referral or decision made by administration as outlined in policy b.5.5 the team shall be comprised of at least five members in addition to the principal and dean of students a staff member shall be appointed as chair who shall not be the principal or dean of students a.1.1.3 school based leadership team­ the school based leadership team shall be a group of experienced educators who come together to brainstorm researched based interventions to assist specific students and student groups who are struggling the school based leadership team is further defined in policy c.4 and may also be referred to as student success team a.1.1.4 master schedule team ­ the master scheduling team shall annually meet with the principal to provide advice on the development or modification to the school s master schedule a.2 student led conferences pinellas preparatory academy hosts two student led conferences during the school year which are scheduled by the principal at the start of the year teachers are required to attend the conferences if a teacher fails to attend the conference they will be considered absent and will loose one-half day of paid time off.

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section b student policies b.1 b.1.1 attendance legal foundation florida statutes 1003.21 mandates that all students are required to attend school and sets forth specific requirements for the school parents and students can be held legally accountable for truancy in order to manage the attendance of our students pinellas preparatory academy will follow the following procedures parental reporting within 48 hours of a student s absence the parent will send a note or call the school explaining the absence if that contact does not occur the absence will be recorded as unexcused under some circumstances more than parental notification may be required by the principal excused absences the following absences will be considered excused a student is ill if illness persists for three or more consecutive days or requires numerous nonconsecutive absences a doctor s note may be required as requested by the principal b major illness in the family if illness persists for three or more consecutive days or requires numerous nonconsecutive absences a doctor s note may be required as requested by the principal c death in the immediate family of the student a student s immediate family includes biological parents grandparents siblings or adults and siblings from an immediate extended family unit at principal s discretion d religious holiday of the student s faith this requires a parent s note three days prior to the absence e religious institutes conferences or workshops only two days allowed if the request is signed by a parent and given to the school before the absence f subpoena or forced absence by any law enforcement agency a copy of the subpoena or summons will be given to the principal or designee this includes detention at a juvenile center in which the student continues his/her education g mental health counseling for the student a note on business stationery from the mental health facility or personnel may be required by the principal h a major disaster as decided by the administration i any absence including those for field trips or other parental requests as judged appropriate by the principal provided that the request is submitted to the principal forty-eight 48 hours in advance of the absence the principal may waive the requirement for advance notice if extenuating circumstances exist b.1.4 tardiness pinellas preparatory academy believes it is extremely important that students arrive at school on time and ready to learn we recommend parents attempt to arrive at school by 7:55am we have created strict guidelines in regards to students who are tardy to school in the morning a students who are not in class by 8:00am will be considered tardy b a child who accumulates three tardies in a quarter will be issued a consequence of action with a silent lunch assigned this consequence becomes part of and is subject to the behavioral guidelines and matrix for subsequent general behavioral management c for the legal purposes of truancy as provided by pinellas county school board s policies numerous tardies can be equated to absences if a student is excessively tardy defined as an hour or more late to school three 3 such events will equate a single absence six 6 b.1.2 b.1.3

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b.1.5 occurrences of tardiness less than one hour will equate to a single absence the principal can disallow individual instances of being tardy from this rule if a written explanation is provided to the school upon the return of the student early removal students are expected to attend the entire day of school students who are removed early from school are missing valuable instruction time and this will be treated in the same mannar as tardiness a student who is removed an hour or more early from school three 3 times will be equated to one 1 absence six 6 occurrences of being removed from school less than an hour will equate to a single absence make up work students who miss school for any reason excused or not will be expected to make up all work missed during their absence tardiness early removal from school or suspensions parents may contact the school to request work but should provide at least a 24-hour turn around to prepare such materials truancy consequences if a student has at least five 5 unexcused absences within a thirty 30 day period or ten 10 days out of ninety 90 the student s homeroom teacher shall report to the principal that there may be a pattern of absence existing after this referral the principal will consider referring the student to the student success team the team will identify potential remedies to the absence behavior the principal will also notify a representative of the pinellas county school district s superintendent of the pattern of absence as well as legal authorities if appropriate if the remedies do not resolve the problem additional consequences such as alternative placement changes to the learning environment etc may be considered additionally legal authorities will be notified if the problem is not corrected excessive absences students who miss more than twenty-five 25 days of school during a given school year regardless of whether they are excused or unexcused absences may be retained based solely on excessive absences if a student reaches 20 absences the student shall be referred to the student success team to determine why the absences are occurring and to work with the parents to improve school attendance if the student then reaches 25 absences the student success team shall again meet to determine whether or not the student will be retained enrollment late entries students who enroll into pinellas preparatory academy after the start of a term will need to work with each teacher to determine what back work if any needs to be completed some assignments or testing which are essential to the completion of the sunshine state standards may be required teachers will give students until the end of the current term to complete assignments withdrawals students who choose to leave pinellas preparatory academy will be assisted in their transition to their new school by having the school create a report indicating the student s performance and current grade in each class these reports can be provided twenty-four 24 hours after the parent provides notification of the withdrawal pinellas preparatory academy reserves the right to follow up with the student s future placement to ensure compliance with compulsory attendance laws academic grading policy teachers will grade assignments within a reasonable time and provide feedback to students on their progress in class the following grade scale will be used by pinellas preparatory academy teachers abcd 90 100 80 89 70 79 60 69 superior above average average below average b.1.6 b.1.7 b.1.8 b.2 b.2.1 b.2.2 b.3 b.3.1

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f 0 59 i unsatisfactory incomplete in addition to the feedback teachers provide to the students grades are posted online for parents and progress reports will be sent home regularly b.3.2 honor roll any student who receives all as bs on their report card will be considered to be on the honor roll for pinellas preparatory academy any student who receives all as will be added to the principal s list homework policy pinellas preparatory academy believes that homework provides students the opportunity to learn important lessons in responsibility and accountability therefore homework is assigned to reinforce the learning that is taking place within the classroom homework is an integral part of the students education b.3.3 b.3.3.1 approximate time guidelines in general the staff of pinellas preparatory academy attempts to assign approximately ten minutes of homework per grade level to students therefore the following chart is an approximate estimation of the daily homework load students should expect approximate homework expectations grade approx daily time 4th grade 40 minutes 5th grade 50 minutes 6th grade 60 minutes th 7 grade 70 minutes 8th grade 80 minutes while we strive to use these guidelines we like to make clear that it is impossible to gauge perfectly how long an assignment will take a given child as some students take longer to complete tasks than others b.3.3.2 late homework one of the primary responsibilities of homework is to teach students responsibility and accountability in order to accomplish this and to ensure students do not fall behind on their school work it is essential that students complete their work on time if homework is completed late the grade the student receives will be impacted as follows elementary students 1 day late ­ loss of 10 ­ graded no higher than a b 2 days late ­ loss of 20 ­ graded no higher than a c 3 days late ­ loss of 30 ­ graded no higher than a d 4 days late ­ loss of 40 ­ graded no higher than an f middle school students 1 day late ­ loss of 20 ­ graded no higher than a c 2 days late ­ loss of 40 ­ graded no higher than a f work more than three days late will not be accepted unless there was an excused absence students who have an excused absence will have the number of days equal to the number of days absent to make up class and homework without penalty up to 7 days any assignment not turned into a teacher will receive a 0.

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b.3.3.3 posting of homework all students will be required to use a daily agenda book to write their homework in reinforcing the idea of teaching our students responsibility additionally teachers will post their homework assignments to the online grading system utilized by the school b.3.4 dual enrollment pinellas preparatory academy understands that the services of one school may not be able to completely address the needs of every student and recognizes the value of dual enrollment given the academic structure of our school and the scheduling concerns we do not permit students to be enrolled at ppa part-time as the result of a dual enrollment agreement except for as allowed below b.3.4.1 florida virtual school students whose academic needs are more advanced than the course selections available at pinellas preparatory academy will be allowed to enroll in courses through the florida virtual school for example in the rare situation that a student needs to be accelerated an additional year in mathematics they will be allowed to partake in dual-enrollment with the florida virtual school in their eighth grade year to complete the geometry course offered by fvs b.3.4.2 extracurricular activities students attending pinellas preparatory academy for academic classes may be allowed to request dual enrollment at other schools for extracurricular activities additionally former students of ppa who wish to participate in extracurricular activities at ppa with the principal s permission if they meet the requirements and qualifications for that activity will be allowed to do so b.4 b.4.1 extra curricular activities clubs pinellas preparatory academy offers clubs to students as extracurricular activities these clubs cover a variety of areas and provide extra benefits to students who attend our school clubs will begin about a month after the start of school a catalog of clubs that are available will be sent out prior to when they start so children can decide which clubs they wish to be in students with academic or behavioral concerns may be disallowed from participating in clubs field trips off campus events field trips are school-related events for which school staff arranges transportation and ensures an appropriate number of chaperones all trips shall be subject to prudent safety precautions and conducted according to the rules established by the school every effort should be made to schedule field trips without interrupting other school functions b.4.2 b.4.2.1 approval all trips off campus must be approved by the principal at least two weeks prior to the event occurring field trips should have an educational purpose to be approved all trips must be conducted under the supervision of a certified school employee and additional chaperones may be necessary to maintain an adult to student ratio of 1:10 if the circumstances of the field trip require more supervision the principal may require additional chaperones the request for approval must include all locations the students will visit while on the trip the details of transportation and any other logistical issues the principal requests b.4.2.2 behavioral exclusion field trips can be a valuable learning opportunity for students however behavioral expectations are even more important when students are taken off campus as a result if a child has demonstrated an inability to control their behavior in school extra steps may need to be taken to ensure the student has a successful experience a the school reserves the right to require parents or guardians of some students to attend the field trip to provide supervision for their children in such cases if a parent is unable to attend the student will be required to remain at school b if a student has received a referral or has demonstrated unsafe behavior the student s parent or guardian may be required to attend as a chaperone.

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c end of the year class field trips are reserved for students who show responsibility during the school year and meet school expectations students who have been issued a suspension during the year will be disallowed from attending the end of the year field trip a parents or guardians of students who have earned only one 1 suspension have the option of asking the staff behavioral team for an exception to this rule they can present the reasons they feel their child should be allowed to attend the staff behavioral team can decide to 1 disallow the student from attending 2 allow the student to attend unaccompanied or 3 allow the student to attend with conditions possibly including requiring the student to be accompanied by a parent b teachers will not be allowed to assign more stringent requirements to end of the year field trip attendance b.4.2.3 financial limitations students cannot be excluded from a field trip based on the inability to pay the accompanying fee if a family is facing financial difficulties and unable to pay the accompanying fee the student s parent or guardian must contact the principal or designee prior to the date the field trip permission slip is due back to school to make alternative arrangements b.4.2.4 student supervision while attending field trips students will be closely monitored and supervised each student shall be directly assigned to a staff person or chaperone for the duration of the trip b.4.2.5 chaperones chaperones for field trips must follow the volunteer guidelines found within the policies of pinellas preparatory academy chaperones must be registered with the school prior to attending the field trip all chaperones must be provided with a detailed list of the students they are responsible for as well as emergency contact information to reach the teacher in charge as well as students parents if the need arises b.4.2.6 teacher check ins while attending field trips where groups are separated from one another the teacher in charge of the trip will coordinate times and locations where all staff and chaperones shall rendezvous periodically throughout the day b.4.2.7 student counts before transporting students to or from any field trip the teacher and at least one other adult will do a complete head count to ensure all students are accounted for at any given time each staff member and chaperone should know the number of students they are currently responsible for b.5 b.5.1 behavioral foundation pinellas preparatory academy believes that children learn in a variety of ways and that our teachers provide an environment that meets the multi-intelligences needs of our students by using this unique approach to education we believe we reduce the number of behavioral concerns within the classroom however we realize that when dealing with children issues may arise which may require the school to address student behavior in doing so the school believes behavioral correction should be a learning opportunity where students are given the opportunity to learn and demonstrate appropriate behavior and cooperatively accept responsibility and be accountable for their actions ppa believes we have a unique partnership with like-minded parents who share this philosophy of behavioral management and positive parental role modeling removal of students from class on occasion a student s behavior may require that he or she be removed from a class to ensure either the academic growth of other students or the safety of everyone involved due to the small nature of our school teachers do not have the option of requesting permanent removal from class if a teacher removes a student from a class due to behavioral concerns the student may use a 10-15 minute cooling-off period in the office to reflect and regroup regain both self-control and a cooperative attitude and return to class or may meet with the principal dean of students or designee to discuss the concern and ways of remedying the situation if necessary the principal dean of students or designee may meet with the student b.5.2

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other involved or uninvolved students and/or the teachers to identify ways to rectify the situation towards allowing the student to return to class parents will receive notification by either a telephone call and/or something in writing e.g.email if a child is removed from class for serious or repetitive behavioral concerns b.5.3 referral matrix students are expected to behave in a respectful manner while under the responsibility of school staff this includes during the school hours after school activities or any activity in which school staff members are responsible for the students pinellas preparatory academy uses a matrix to assist in classifying and addressing inappropriate behaviors of students when a student misbehaves beyond the scope of a teacher s classroom management program and the misconduct requires administrative attention or an office referral the teacher will send the student to report to the principal or designee to discuss the behavior the principal or designee will decide at which level the behavior shall be considered levels 1-3 1 being for lesser offenses such as insubordination and level 3 being for the more serious violations such as physical assault or possession of illegal materials for each level the continuum of consequences is different each year the school staff shall review the matrix and may make appropriate revisions the matrix along with an explanation will be sent home at the start of each school year to inform and obtain both parent and student signatures behavioral consequences the following is a list of possible consequences that may be given to students for inappropriate behavior in certain instances other consequences that appropriately match the misbehavior may also be used 1 verbal warning if a student is exhibiting a relatively minor behavioral infraction the staff at their professional discretion should give the child several verbal warnings that their behavior is inappropriate and the warning may be documented by that staff member for future reference 2 written warning if the behavior was a minor infraction and/or was the first or second occurrence the student may receive a written warning called a consequence of action [coa coas let the student know that if similar inappropriate behavior continues there will be similar and more significant consequences in the future on occasion staff members may also assign an additional consequence such as an after-school detention to a coa parents will receive email and hard copy notification of the issuance of a coa and will be required to acknowledge preferably by email that they are aware of the situation coas are designed as warnings and as a communication tool to parents and are not kept as part of the student s permanent file 3 referral to permanent file a referral to a permanent file will be a paper that is completed by the principal dean of students or administrative designee after an internal investigation including the student s comments regarding the misbehavior this hard copy must be taken home signed by the parent and returned to school the next school day indication of the incident will be recorded within the student s permanent school records and appropriate sanctions levied according to existing behavioral matrix guidelines if the student does not return the referral with a parent signature they may receive additional detentions or other sanctions and the parent will be called 4 detention a detention is an extension of the school day where the students will be expected to stay after school the student must report immediately after school and stay until 3:30 p.m if the student does not report immediately on the assigned school day and is absent for any reason except having an official doctor s note on physician stationery that detention will be rescheduled and an additional penalty detention added detentions will typically be scheduled on a regular common day once per week alternate detention requests can not be entertained due to established supervising staff schedules and other responsibilities students b.5.4

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attending detention may be assigned a learning packet designed to address the specific type of misbehavior and encourage positive alternative behaviors to accomplish the same goal 5 in school suspension an in school suspension is a consequence which secludes a student from his or her peers and allows the student time to reflect on his or her misbehavior if a child is assigned an in school suspension the student will also be given a task to complete such as writing an essay related to the infraction which caused the suspension once this task is satisfactorily completed to the expectations of the principal or designee typically the child s homeroom teacher the child may return to their normal school routine if the student does not complete and hand in the assignment within 1.5 school days within school the child will receive an out of school suspension for a length of time to be determined by the principal or designee students will be located and must remain in an area outside of the common areas where students are typically present while suspended students are not allowed to participate in any school related activities including common lunch room in school suspensions shall not be considered an absence from school students are required however to complete on their own time all make up work from the time missed computers may not be used by students in iss unless a teacher gives specific permission when returning to normal class schedules the student will not be allowed to participate in extra curricular activities or non-educational field trips for thirty 30 days following the suspension 6 out of school suspension an out-of-school suspension will be time away from school to consider misbehavior when suspended a student is not allowed on school property and if seen on school property will be considered trespassing while suspended students are not allowed to participate in any school related activities out-of-school suspensions will be considered unexcused absences and the student will be required to make up on their own time all work from time missed when returning students will not be allowed to participate in extra curricular activities or non-educational field trips for thirty 30 days following the suspension 7 parent shadowing if a student is issued an out of school suspension more than once the school may require that the child s parents report to school to shadow their child to ensure they are behaving appropriately in school ppa sees this shadowing as a positive experience for both parent and child although ppa attempts to work with parents in scheduling parental shadowing fulfilling this consequence in a timely manner naturally creates the expectation that the parent make any needed arrangements and return with their child on the first day back after the suspension to both shadow monitor and assess their child s behavior if a parent is reluctant or unable to schedule and experience this shadowing opportunity the child shall return to an in-school suspension as described in sub-paragraph 5 above additionally the student will be unable to participate in any extracurricular activities or field trips for the remainder of the year until the parent fulfils this obligation 8 recommend reassignment under rare serious circumstances the school may consider recommending the student be reassigned to another school by pinellas county schools the procedure for doing so is as follows a any recommendations for reassignment will align with the requirements identified by the pinellas county school s code of student conduct b once a student has reached a point on the behavioral matrix that warrants a possible reassignment the school principal will meet with various staff members to discuss the student s behavior attitude and motivation examine parental compliance with ppa school policies prior educational and other related remedial suggestions review

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how the school has been or could support this child s behavior and consider whether a reassignment is indicated c if the principal in conjunction with the staff behavioral team decides to recommend reassignment all documentation of previous behavioral concerns along with anecdotal notes from involved staff members will be compiled along with the district s form for reassignments this packet will be submitted to the school district through the appropriate channels a copy of this packet will also be given to the parents/guardians of the student d parents may not appeal a reassignment however they may appeal the suspension that led to the recommendation for reassignment through the procedures identified within the policies of pinellas preparatory academy if the suspension is withdrawn through the appeal process the recommendation for reassignment will also be retracted b.5.5 appeal process b.5.5.1 foundation ­ every effort is taken to ensure students are treated equitably and fairly when investigating a behavioral concern and issuing referrals however should a parent/guardian feel that such issuance is unwarranted they may use the following procedure to appeal the referral b.5.5.2 requesting an appeal if a parent/guardian wishes to request an appeal to a referral the parent/guardian must submit such a request in writing to the principal within four 4 calendar days of the issuance of the referral failure to make a written appeal will forfeit the parent/guardians right to any further appeal hearing upon receipt of the request the principal shall decide if the request is warranted if the principal decides to overturn the referral he or she may do so if not the appeal will be referred to the staff behavior team b.5.5.3 student consequences during the appeal process the consequences the student was issued will stand and must be met by the student while any final decision is pending if the student was suspended he or she must also honor the terms of the suspension including accompanying consequences until the behavior team makes its decision if the referral is appealed successfully all record of the consequence will be expunged and the students will be excused from any missed work during that time b.5.5.4 behavior team meeting after receiving a request and deciding not to overturn the referral personally the principal shall notify the chair of the staff behavior team and work to schedule a team meeting making an effort to schedule the meeting at a time that is convenient for all involved including the parent/guardian who requested the appeal the meeting shall be scheduled within four 4 business days of receiving the request at the meeting the parent/guardian will be allowed the opportunity to present their case as to why the referral is being contested the principal or designee shall provide information regarding the investigation and justifications for why the referral was earned by the student the behavior team can ask questions of either the parent principal or dean of students in clarifying the issue at the appeal meeting the principal and dean of students will serve as non-voting members of the committee and will leave with the parents during the committee s deliberation of the appeal and decision-making process after gathering information the team s deliberation shall be limited to the following 1 deciding whether the student s behavior or act was in clear violation of the pinellas county school s and ppa s code of conduct the ppa policies procedures manual ppa s pride principles accountability character education program and/or the mission of the school and the parameters indicated in the behavior program expectations of the school 2 deciding whether the students is/are known to have committed the violation;

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3 deciding whether to uphold the initial findings and decision or whether an appropriate alternate sanction should be issued based on established parameters of the behavior program for the school b.5.5.5 reporting of decision under most circumstances the behavior team will make a decision at the initial meeting however the team reserves the right to meet within four 4 business days to review and make a final decision the final decision will be determined by a simple majority vote and will be presented to the principal the decision of the committee will be documented and a copy of the decision will be mailed to the parent/guardian within four 4 business days of the completion of the appeal committee s hearing the decision of the behavior team is considered a final decision in all cases members individual votes remain confidential b.5.5.6 further appeals should a parent/guardian be dissatisfied with the decision of the behavior team they may further appeal the decision only on the grounds that the school violated a procedural safeguard the parent/guardian may submit a written request to the principal requesting an appeal to the board of directors the board of directors will only consider whether procedures were followed and will not address questions or concerns regarding the appropriateness of a consequence b.6 b.6.1 general dress code pinellas preparatory academy adheres to the pinellas county school district dress code although we have amended it slightly for clarity and specification a clothing will be neat and clean b appropriate footwear must be worn no shoes with wheels of any kind are allowed at school unless permission to store such shoes at school is granted by the principal no bedroom slippers are allowed sandals and flip flops in good repair are allowed if the student has alternatives for pe classes c clothing must be appropriate size with the waist of the garment worn at the student s hip or above d clothing not properly buttoned zippered fastened or with inappropriate holes or tears shall not be worn e no midriff shirts or blouses are allowed shirts must cover waist when hands are extended above head f no spaghetti straps halters strapless or backless clothing is allowed all shirts must have sleeves which are defined as fabric beyond the hem see through or mesh garments must have proper undergarments not suggestive or revealing in any way g form fitting leotard/spandex type clothing including sports bra is not allowed unless proper outer garments cover it h shorts skirts divided skirts dresses and culottes are allowed but they must be hemmed and not disruptive or distracting as determined by the principal shorts skirts etc must be long enough to reach the student s finger tips when held straight at the sides of the body i no clothes or tattoos that show profanity violence sexually suggestive phrases or pictures gang related symbols alcohol tobacco drugs or advertisements for such products or other phrases or symbols deemed unduly distracting or inappropriate by the principal are allowed j no sunglasses may be worn inside unless the parent provides a doctor s note k hats and bandanas are not allowed on school grounds unless approved in advance by the principal hats caps inappropriate clothing items toys and other distracting items will be confiscated and parents may be required to retrieve such items from the front office at their convenience l no underwear including bras and boxer shorts may show baggy or low hanging pants are not permitted belts are expected on pants with belt loops m students are encouraged to wear school t-shirts on fridays and whenever else they see fit.

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n special dress requirements may be imposed by the principal for special events such as field trips o no jewelry shall utilize body piercing other than ear piercing no more than two earrings per ear are permitted the principal will have the final say in whether any piece of jewelry is permitted p no chains of any type are allowed on or off clothing q in compliance with state and federal law the school will make a reasonable effort to accommodate the religious beliefs of its students and recognizes that there may be times when a student may request an accommodation to wear certain types of clothing due to religious beliefs b.6.2 cell phone policy students of pinellas preparatory academy are allowed to have cellular phones at school only if parental permission is given to have the telephone at school and with the principal s approval and if updated cell phone numbers are provided to the school office once approved students must keep their phones turned off and in their lockers or cubbies unless they receive permission from their current teacher to use the phone for educational purposes without teacher permission cell phones are not permitted in backpacks book bags or on the student s person if a phone is seen or heard while under school supervision without teacher permission they will be taken away and existing behavioral sanctions will apply all confiscated cell phones or other electronic devices will be made available only to the parent/legal guardian for direct pick-up at their convenience to allow parents when a student needs to make a call during the school day they may use a school telephone provided they obtain permission from a staff member prior to use parents who need to contact their children during the school day for valid emergencies should contact the school office to relay a message and that message will be relayed to your child in a timely fashion games and electronic devices toys games playing cards electronic devices and other nonacademic items or games are not allowed on school property without specific permission from a staff member for example clubs or special events any approved items e.g show and tell skit props etc by a staff member must be brought and left with the staff member giving permission for the item during the day the student may retrieve the item from the staff member for the event and must return it immediately after the event for pick-up again at the end of the school day any items found without permission will be confiscated and made available to parents for direct pick up items not picked up within five 5 school days may be discarded or given to charity text book policy students will be issued books in most of their classes which remain the property of the school text books include either the physical copy of the book itself or the digital version i.e cd-rom any lost stolen or damaged books are the sole responsibility of the student whom the book has been checked out to if something occurs to this property the incident must be reported immediately students not returning books or returning severely damaged books or digital media will be required to make payment for the replacement or repair costs to the school computers and internet acceptable use policy pinellas preparatory academy requires that every child in order to gain access to computers and the internet must obtain parental permission as verified by the signatures on the acceptable use policy form see policy d.8.3 being sent home at the beginning of the school year students will not be permitted to use computers until that form is completed and returned dances pinellas preparatory academy periodically sponsors dances for students attendance is limited to those students who are achieving academically and following the rules of conduct set forth by the school and pinellas county school district dances may be held separately for different age levels students are required to follow the rules and regulations of pinellas preparatory academy while attending any dance all dress code restrictions and intent for modest and acceptable fashion wear would apply parents are encouraged to attend as chaperones b.6.3 b.6.4 b.6.5 b.6.6

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