All members of the Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Arts community are expected to abide
by three basic rules:
Beyond these basic rules of conduct within our school community, all New York City Department of Education Chancellor’s Regulations and discipline policies are in effect at BHSWCA; these regulations and policies can be viewed in entirety, at http://docs.nycenet.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document101/Disc%20Code%202006.pdf
Bathroom Pass Policy
Students may request to use the bathroom during class by raising their hand and being granted a pass by the teacher after the 1st 10 minutes and before the last 10 minutes of the class. Bathrooms will be open for use during lunch, and dire emergency situations.
Hat Policy
Hats, do-rags, bandanas, scarves, are not to be worn in the school building unless for religious reasons.
Confiscated items will be returned only to a parent.
Lateness Policy
Students entering the classroom after the official start time must sign the Late Log. Three lateness’s will result in
a telephone call to parent. Excessive lateness will result in a parental conference and possibly failure of the course. Teachers will have a Late Log affixed to a desk in front of the classroom at all times.
Cutting
Cutting is an unauthorized absence from an assigned period during a day in which the student was officially in school. An absence from class will be reported by the student’s teacher through the school’s computerized attendance reporting system. Cutting will affect the student’s participation in class which may affect the overall grade awarded. Parents will be informed of any cut classes and students will have to meet with their advisor and the Dean of Students to discuss the infraction as well as appropriate consequences. Students earn high school credit based on the number of hours of coursework they complete. Students who cut class are in danger of not receiving the full number of hours needed for the course. Please be advised that leaving school early without permission or staff notification from a parent is considered cutting.
Uniform Policy
The Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Arts uniform policy helps promote safety, ease of
identification, equality, and school pride. Furthermore, a school uniform presents a professional image and distinguishes our students from the other learning communities within the Evander Childs Campus. The required royal blue or purple polo shirt with the school logo can be purchased at the Uniform Shop @ Kids Place located at 1450 Metropolitan Avenue, Bronx, New York 10462 (718) 430-6751.
· Tops must be SOLID Royal Blue or Purple in color with the school logo.
· Sweaters, sweatshirts and vests of the uniform top colors with the school logos may be worn.
· All tops must extend past the student’s waistline, which is defined as below the navel.
Bottoms
· Bottoms must be SOLID Khaki/Beige in color.
· Style may be pants, skirts (to the knee), shorts, skorts, or capris.
· All pants must be tailored with a waist and must have a hem that falls above the floor.
· All bottoms must be worn on a student’s waist; a belt cinched at the waist is preferable.
· All skirts / shorts / skorts / capris must be within 2 inches of the knees of the student.
Restrictions
· No patterns, words or logos are allowed on school uniforms, with the exception of the Bronx High School
for Writing and Communication Arts.
· Hats, scarves, bandanas, “do-rags” or similar hair accessories or coverings, may NOT be worn.
· Inappropriate wearing of any clothing is UNACCEPTABLE; this includes but is not limited to:
o items worn backward or inside out,
o pants worn with their waistlines below student’s hip
o extremely baggy pants
o clothing with inappropriate words or pictures
Notes
Students who are out of uniform will be referred to administration and their parents/guardian will be contacted.
Metro Cards
MetroCards are available for students who are eligible. Eligibility for a MetroCard is set by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. If a student lives one and a half miles or more from the school, a free fare card will be provided. If a student lives a half mile to one and a half miles from the school, a half-fare card will be provided. Students entitled to the half-fare MetroCard contribute half of the normal bus fare, and are provided with one free transfer to any other bus. The MetroCard half-fare does not provide a free transfer from the bus to the subway.
Students must lost or stolen MetroCards immediately to Ms. Jackson. Upon notifying Ms. Jackson, your MetroCard will be deactivated. If there are MetroCards available in the school, a new card will be issued immediately. If not, a new card will be ordered. It can take up to two weeks for the new card to arrive. To report a missing MetroCard or to request a new one, see Ms. Jackson in room 242 after school.
Student IDs
BHSWCA student ID’s are extremely important and need to be used by all students as they enter the Evander Childs Campus. The first student ID is given to students free of charge. If it is lost it must be replaced at the student’s expense for $5.00. To report a missing ID or pick up a new one, see Mr. Edwards as you enter the scanning area in the morning.
Religious Accommodations
Pursuant with Chancellor's Regulation A-630, requests for accommodation of religious observances and practices must be submitted in writing to the school principal. Such requests should be submitted well enough in advance to allow the school to make appropriate arrangements and scheduling adjustments, where reasonable. Upon receipt of a written request to allow time off for religious observance outside the school building and grounds, Ms. Grey will evaluate the request and make any decisions allowing students time off for religious observance during regular school hours. For more information about the Chancellor's Regulations regarding religious accommodations, please go to http://docs.nycenet.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-27/A-630.pdf.
This paperwork must be completed prior to the religious observance to avoid having the student marked for cutting.
Health
Any student who needs to take prescription medication on a regular basis during the school day or who has
a medical condition that requires monitoring must file a 504 form. Please notify the Wellness Team, Special
Education Coordinator, and School Nurse.
Any student who needs to take a prescription drug on a short-term basis must bring a note from his/her
parent, guardian, or doctor. Any medication taken by a student during the school day must be directed by
the parent or guardian.
Any student who is not feeling well during the school day, should get excused from class first by the
teacher of the course. The student should then obtain a Health Center pass from the Main Office in order
to schedule an appointment at the Montefiore clinic. The building nurse, will make a determination about the student’s condition and will contact a parent/guardian or instruct the student to return to class. Please note that a permission slip must be on file with the health center before the student is able to be seen at the Health Center.
Emergency Procedures
Fire Drills- BHSWCA follows all required regulations set forth by the New York City Department of Education
pertaining to fire drills. Bells ring and teachers escort their students silently to the designated exits. It is
expected that students will cooperate with faculty during such drills; students must remain with their assigned teacher and should refrain from talking during the drill. Staff members are also posted at sites inside and outside of the school building along routes where the students walk. Staff members guide the students as they walk down the stairs or away from the building along designated routes.
Academic Integrity
Honesty is perhaps the most important virtue with respect to a students’ academic work. BHSWCA students are expected to understand that dishonesty on exams, projects, papers, and homework is a form of fraud. Students are expected to avoid all forms of cheating including allowing other students to cheat off of them (including giving work to others to copy or use as their own). Before collaborating, students should verify specific course policies and assignment requirements.
Plagiarism
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means:
Plagiarism is an act of fraud and it is unacceptable for any BHSWCA student to plagiarize any of their work. If a student uses someone else’s work, whether it was found in a published book or periodical, on the Internet or was acquired from another student, he or she must properly cite the source. It is not enough to change wording. If a student has any questions about academic honesty, it is his or her responsibility to ask a teacher for clarification before submitting the affected assignment.