General Information

Academic Calendar

2026-27 Academic Calendar

Make-up Days and eLearning

S.C. Code of Laws 59-1-425 requires that all school districts designate at least three days as make-up days. Lexington One designates Oct. 12, 2026, and Feb. 15 and April 26, 2027. If these days are not needed for additional instruction, they will become student and staff holidays. Additionally, Lexington One has been approved by the S.C. Department of Education to utilize up to five eLearning days for interruptions to normal school operations such as inclement weather or utility outages. To help employees and families plan ahead, the district has developed the following plan for utilizing in-person make up days and eLearning days.

First Semester Make-up Plan

If the first missed school day occurs before Oct. 12, 2026, school will be canceled for that day, and an in-person make-up day will be held on Monday, Oct. 12 (designated as the first weather make-up day on the academic calendar).
For any additional missed days in the first semester, the district will implement eLearning on the missed day if conditions allow for virtual instruction.
If eLearning is not possible, the district will use the designated weather make-up days:
- Feb. 15, 2027 (second weather make-up day)
- April 26, 2027 (third weather make-up day)

Second Semester Make-up Plan

If missed school days occur before the designated make-up days, school will be canceled and an in-person make-up day will be announced (same as first semester plan).
If no additional in-person make-up days remain, the district will implement eLearning days if conditions allow for virtual instruction. The district may use up to five eLearning days throughout the school year, as permitted by state regulations and if conditions allow

Automobile Use

As a courtesy, schools provide parking on school property for students, parents/guardians and visitors. The district, however, assumes no responsibility for damage to vehicles, theft of vehicles or theft of articles from vehicles.

Each school’s administrators establish rules and regulations for parking lots. These rules keep everyone safe and protect vehicles.

Anyone who does not adhere to the rules may have his/her permission to park on school property taken away.

Student parking on school grounds

Students may not park at middle schools.

Students who attend a particular high school may drive to that school. The district does not, however, guarantee parking spaces.

To park on high school property during the school day, school administrators require students to successfully complete the Alive at 25 program, register their vehicles with the school, pay a parking fee, and display an identification sticker or permit. Vehicles that do not have a school-issued sticker or permit in plain view may be towed.

Schools may withdraw parking privileges from any student who violates a traffic rule or regulation on campus or who breaks any other school rule involving a vehicle.

Students may not sit in vehicles or linger in the parking areas around the school.

Alive at 25

Lexington One high school students who drive to school must complete the Alive at 25 program in order to purchase a campus parking permit at any of our high schools. After successfully completing the course, the student may purchase parking permits for the rest of his/her high school career.

Alive at 25 is an early intervention program that helps prevent traffic violations, collisions and fatalities. It was developed by the National Safety Council. You can view more information about this program here: https://scnsc.org/ddc/aliveat25.

It is a 4.5-hour defensive driving course that addresses the dangers of speeding, using a mobile phone while driving, eating while driving, abusing alcohol or drugs while driving and more. Unlike traditional driver’s education courses that focus on the mechanics of driving, Alive at 25 addresses the behaviors of driving.

Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for young people between the ages of 16 and 24. We want to do more to help keep our students safe when they are behind the wheel.The National Safety Council reports that students who complete the Alive at 25 course are 96% less likely to be killed in a car crash than youths who have not taken the course

The National Safety Council reports that students who complete the Alive at 25 course are 96 percent less likely to be killed in a car crash than youths who have not taken the course.

College Athletic Eligibility

Student athletes who are interested in playing a sport in college should plan their high school coursework carefully. In addition, they should become aware of all rules and regulations regarding initial eligibility.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse determines eligibility for college athletics.

Student athletes may contact their coach and their school counselor for information. Student athletes are also encouraged to review information on the following websites for specific information related to eligibility: ncaa.org or ncaaclearinghouse.net.

Damaged or Lost Textbooks

Dress Code

Students will dress in appropriate clothing that follows the district dress code policy. Logos or clothing that promotes alcohol, drugs, tobacco, hate, gang affiliation, nudity, violence, or profanity is not allowed. No clothing or accessories are allowed to disrupt the educational process. District and school administration reserve the right to determine what is appropriate for school.

Students are required to wear their district issued photographic identification badge or a sanctioned temporary badge as set forth in policy JICDBB-R.

Proper shoes must be worn at all times for safety reasons.

Logos or clothing including head coverings that promote alcohol, drugs, tobacco, hate, gang affiliation, violence, nudity, or profanity is not allowed. No clothing or accessories are allowed to disrupt the educational process.

District and school administration reserve the right to determine what is safe and appropriate for school dress.

Students of any body type / size may wear shorts, dresses, skirts, etc., whose length is no shorter than the mid-thigh. Tops must be long enough that they can be tucked into pants or shorts. Pants must be worn at the waistline.

Students may wear special dress or costume for specific events or special occasions during the school day when approved by the principal. Religious clothing / headgear is permitted.

The following items are not appropriate to be worn at school:

Undergarments that are visible
Pants or jeans with holes, tears, or tattered to the extent that skin or undergarments are visible above the mid-thigh, see-through garments showing skin or undergarments above the mid-thigh are not allowed
Clothing or accessories that could pose a safety risk to the student or others

If there is a disagreement between students and/or parents/legal guardians and the staff regarding the appropriateness of clothing, the administration will use discretion to make the decision. Disciplinary action regarding the enforcement of this policy is listed below.

Number of offense(s) Consequence(s)

1st violation: Student conference held. Student changes attire.

2nd violation: Student / Parent conference held. Student changes attire.

3rd violation: Student / Parent conference held. Student changes attire. Student receives detention.

Additional violations: Student / Parent conference held. Student changes attire. Student receives in-school or out-of-school suspension. Continued violations may result in a recommendation for expulsion.

Early Dismissal

No student will be permitted to leave school during the school day unless a parent/guardian or other approved person comes to the school for the student or prior arrangements have been made.

The parent/guardian or other approved person must come to the office and sign the student out during school hours. In cases of extenuating circumstances, the principal will use his/her judgment in excusing a student.

If a student becomes ill or is hurt at school, the parent/guardian and/or emergency contact will be contacted before the student is dismissed.

As a precaution to ensure student safety, schools do not accept incoming telephone calls or written notes for the purpose of dismissing a pupil from school early.

There will be no schedule changes for high school students to include late arrivals or early dismissals except those approved by the school principal or his/her designee. Students who are not college or career ready (CCR) are not permitted to participate in late arrival or early dismissal.

Students excused to leave school for any part of a day must be signed out before departing.

Early dismissal usually occurs at class changes or lunch/recess in order to limit interruptions to instructional time. Except in the case of a family or medical emergency, dismissal during the last instructional period of the day is strongly discouraged and must be approved by a school administrator.

Extracurricular Activities

Class trips: Lexington One does not sponsor class trips such as junior or senior class trips.

Clubs: The district encourages middle and high school students to join at least one of the clubs that operate at their school according to current Board policy. Schools make a list of clubs available to students prior to the first club meetings of the school year.

Field studies: Field studies and international travels are educational activities approved and supervised by the school that take students off school grounds.

The principal must approve all in-state and out-of-state field studies lasting one day or less. All overnight field studies must have the approval of the principal and the superintendent’s designee prior to student travel. All overnight trips lasting more than three consecutive school days and any international travel require prior approval of the district's board of trustees.

Each student making the field study will be required to present a parent/legal guardian consent form.

All students participating in field studies will be expected to follow applicable school rules.

Each field study will be under the direct supervision of a district certificated employee. The employee may ask parents/legal guardians to serve as chaperones. All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age and have successfully completed the district's approved volunteer screening process, which includes background checks. In addition to the certificated employee, there will be at least one chaperone per 10 students. For all trips that include both male and female students, both male and female chaperones are required.

Students are expected to pay all entrance fees, food, lodging or other costs, unless the school has made other arrangements. If, however, a student is required to participate in field studies as part of a class requirement but is unable to pay, the school will arrange for the costs to be paid.

Fees

As part of the district’s annual budgeting process, the board approves a fee schedule for the next school year.

Some fees that appear on the list include participation fees for extracurricular activities or consumable fees for the purchase of supplies used in instruction. These fees are only used to support the subject or activity for which the fee was paid.

For example, Lexington One charges student athletes a board-approved student athletic participation fee of $75 per year. This is a per child fee and not a per sport fee.

The principal and/or superintendent must approve any other money collected from students according to the following guidelines:

No class or grade may charge its members dues.
All money collected from students — for any purpose — is given to the school principal or his/her designee. The principal then follows proper district receipting, accounting and disbursement procedures.
The district keeps special collections for class activities, club activities or events to a minimum.

Food Service

The district encourages all students to participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. These programs offer students well-balanced meals and give students an opportunity to learn about nutritious meals. For the 2026–27 school year, the price for student breakfast is $2.10 per meal and the price for student lunch is $3.60 per meal.

Community Eligibility Provision for Pelion-area schools

Forts Pond Elementary, Pelion Elementary, Pelion Middle and Pelion High are participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2026–27 school year. All students enrolled at Forts Pond Elementary School, Pelion Elementary School, Pelion Middle School and Pelion High School may participate in the breakfast and lunch program at no charge to them, and their parents/guardians do not have to complete an application for free or reduced price meal benefits.

Application for Free or Reduced-price Meals

Depending on the income level of the household and the number of members living in the household, students may qualify for free reimbursable meals (breakfast and lunch) or reduced-price reimbursable meals. Families may complete a meal benefit application anytime during the school year. Applications are available online and paper copies are available at schools.

Families approved for free or reduced-price meals may also qualify for additional benefits such as a reduction in school fees, SAT and ACT fees waived or reduced, etc. To receive these benefits, the family must provide a copy of the approved meal benefit letter to the school.

The qualification for free or reduced-price meal benefits is not retroactive to any fees, benefits and/or meal charges already incurred. Families must apply for free or reduced-price meals every school year. A family’s status does not carry over from the previous school year.

Student Meal Accounts

To add money to a student’s meal account a parent/guardian may send cash or check to the cafeteria manager at the school or deposit funds online at https://linqconnect.com/main.

The LINQ Connect website allows parents/guardians to make secure payments to their child’s account, remotely monitor their children’s accounts, set up automatic recurring payments, set up low balance email message alerts, etc.

To start using this service, parents/guardians should visit the website, follow the directions and create a Parent Account. Click on “Register” to begin the process of making a new account and be sure to have the following information to successfully link your student(s) to your account: First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth.

Parents are encouraged to monitor their student’s meal account. A student meal history may be requested through the school cafeteria at any time and is available online through LINQ Connect as described above.

School administrators notify a parent/guardian once their child charges an item and owes money to the cafeteria. The district does not refuse breakfast and/or lunch to a student.

Procedures for handling charged items in elementary and secondary schools are developed for the purpose of dealing with this situation on a consistent basis so that the student “customer” will not be embarrassed or humiliated.

Charged items are defined as meals that cannot be properly accounted for because the student has no money in hand or on their meal account.

Notification through ParentSquare and LINQ Connect emails will be used to notify parents of account balances with less than $10.00 weekly.
All students with a negative balance cannot charge anything extra (à la carte items) to their meal account.
Adults may not charge meals.

What is a meal?

A lunch meal (five components) consists of a meat/meat alternative (such as cheese), vegetable, fruit, grain/bread and milk.
A breakfast meal (four items) consists of a meat/meat alternative (such as cheese), fruit/vegetable, grain/bread and milk.
USDA policy requires a student to have three of the five meal items at lunch and three of the four meal items at breakfast.
For lunch, one of the three items must be a fruit or vegetable. For breakfast, one of the items must be a fruit or vegetable. Otherwise, the student is charged an individual price for each item.

Students may purchase additional items from the cafeteria. To pay for additional items such as extra entrées, à la carte items, etc., parents/guardians can send cash or a check to school or deposit funds online at https://linqconnect.com.

Partial meal payments may be made if the student’s account exceeds a $75.00 negative balance. This payment option will automatically populate if the account reaches a negative balance of $75.00 or greater.

For further questions, please contact the Food Service and Nutrition department at 803-821-1170 or visit the website.

Fundraising

Schools will keep fundraising to a minimum so that the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational process is not impaired. Fundraising campaigns must be approved by the principal.

No student or organization may sell, distribute or advertise services, written materials or items from private sources at school without the principal’s approval.

Schools may conduct up to 30 exempt food-based fundraisers, not to exceed 1 per day per event. An exempt fundraiser are food items that do not meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards according to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. An exempt fundraiser cannot be sold in the food service area (where school meals are prepared, served or consumed) during breakfast or lunch. This includes a commons area if students are expected to eat there.

Nutrition standards for food and beverages are accessible on the Food Service and Nutrition page.

Health and Wellness

Lexington One schools use an integrated school, parent and community approach to enhance the health and wellness of its students with the goal of increasing fitness and reducing obesity.

Our district is committed to a healthy school environment that offers children nutritious food choices, provides sequential and interdisciplinary nutrition education, and connects meaningful physical activity to students’ lives outside of physical education.

Nutrition education is integrated into health education and other areas of the curriculum through classroom instruction, snack times and the school cafeteria.
Daily recess and intentional physical activity are provided in all elementary schools.
After-school programs encourage physical activity and healthy habit formation. The district wellness policy is considered when planning school-based activities such as school events, field trips and assemblies.
Physical education provides standards-based instruction that develops motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors to support lifelong health, physical literacy, and participation in physical activity.
Reports showing an individual student’s fitness on their recommended healthy fitness zone for age and sex as measured by the “Fitnessgram” are sent home in grades five and eight, and once in high school. Baseline data are collected in grade two, but reports are not sent home until grade five.

Wellness Policy

Lexington One’s Vending, Beverage and Food Initiative for Healthy Kids is part of the Board’s wellness policy (District Policy ADF School Wellness) and limits student access to unhealthy snacks and beverages.

It is important that our PTAs and other school organizations know that students are not to receive these foods during the school day or on field studies.
A student may bring food/beverages of minimal nutritional value from home for his/her own use. The student, however, may not sell these items to other students.
Any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on school campuses during the school day will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards such that only those foods that comply with or exceed those nutrition standards are permitted to be marketed or promoted to students.
These standards do not apply to marketing that occurs at events outside of school hours, such as after school sporting events or any other events, including school fundraisers.

Insurance Program

The district offers an optional student accident insurance program available to parents/guardians at a minimal cost. Parents/guardians make payments for this coverage directly to the company offering the insurance.

The district covers middle and high school students engaged in sports through a separate insurance program. Schools do not, however, pay the difference between the benefits students receive under the insurance program and any actual costs resulting from student accidents.

Interscholastic Activities

All activities for students in grades seven–12 involving school-sponsored competitions between or among schools are considered interscholastic activities.

The South Carolina High School League’s rules govern all interscholastic athletic activities (see schsl.org).

Policies of the district’s Board of Trustees govern all other interscholastic activities.

A student establishes academic eligibility at the beginning of each semester. This eligibility is based on the student’s previous semester of courses taken and grades achieved.

Military Families

Lexington One is a Purple Star School District, which recognizes our significant commitment to supporting military families and students of servicemen and women. We proudly endorse the Military Interstate Compact, ensuring a smooth educational transition for military children as they move between duty stations and districts. The compact guarantees continued enrollment in kindergarten programs, participation in special programs like gifted and talented or athletics, and streamlined transcript and course reviews to keep students on track for graduation. Additionally, Lexington One provides five excused absences for military children to spend precious time with a deploying or returning parent from deployment to a combat zone or combat supporting posting. If you need additional information, please see the district’s website or contact our Military Liaison officer, Mr. Zan Tracy Pender, Lexington One’s director of school counseling and advisement.

Nonresident Students

In order to attend a Lexington One school, a child must reside with a parent/guardian who is a resident of Lexington One, or the child must own real estate in Lexington One with an assessed tax value of $300 or more and pay tuition.

Tuition is the difference between the taxes the parent/guardian pays on the student-owned property each year and the district’s cost to educate the student. (The prior year’s local revenue per child raised by the millage levied for school district operations and debt service is reduced by school taxes on real property owned by the child paid to the school district in which he/she is enrolled.)

The parent/guardian must bring a copy of the deed showing the child as the property owner and showing that it has been filed at the Lexington County Courthouse.

Once this has been verified, the parent/guardian must pay the additional tuition before the child may enroll in a school in our district.

If payment to the school district is not made within a reasonable time, as determined by the district, the child will no longer be allowed to attend the school.

Notification of Rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides parents/legal guardians and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access.
Parents/legal guardians or eligible students should submit to the school principal, or appropriate school official, a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent/legal guardian or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent/legal guardian or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
Parents/legal guardians or eligible students who wish to ask the school to amend a record should write to the school principal, or appropriate school official, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it should be changed. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent/legal guardian or eligible student, the school will notify the parent/legal guardian or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent/legal guardian or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to privacy of personally identifiable information in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the school has outsourced services or functions it would otherwise use its own employees to perform (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); a parent/legal guardian or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent/legal guardian, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

When a student transfers to another public or private school, the school will send the student’s permanent school records, including incident reports relating to charges for certain offenses outlined in law and the discipline record of suspensions and expulsions, to the receiving school and notify the parent/legal guardian of the transfer.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
Send a completed U.S. Department of Education’s Compliant Form to FERPA.Complaints@ed.gov or mail to:

U.S. Department of Education
Student Privacy Policy Office
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

Directory Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) allows student information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy to be disclosed. FERPA refers to this as “directory information.”

In the administrative rule for Board Policy JRA Students Records, Lexington One classifies the following student information as directory information: name; address; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; dates of attendance; diploma or certificate and awards received; grade level; most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student; photographs, digital images, images on videotape, and other electronic images (as related to school-sponsored or district-sponsored events, activities, and special recognitions); and other similar information which may appear in newspaper articles, on television, in radio broadcasts, on displays, on the world wide web, or in district or school promotional pieces.

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow Lexington One and our schools to include this type of information in school and district publications (news releases, newsletters, yearbook, etc.) and digital media (ParentSquare, website, social media, signage, etc.) as a way to recognize students and promote their achievements.

According to JRA-R, the district will not release directory information to any person or agency for commercial use. Occasionally, the district does receive requests for addresses from non-profit organizations so that these organizations can mail families information about programs they offer for students.

Right to restrict the release of your student’s directory information

A parent/legal guardian or a student who is 18 or older has the right to restrict the release of any or all of the types of information designated above as directory information by notifying the district annually.

Notification can be made by completing the Directory Information Opt-Out Form in PowerSchool’s Parent Portal or by notifying the district’s Chief Communications Officer in writing.

The opt-out form or written notification must be submitted each school year and a parent/legal guardian can modify restrictions during the school year.

Notification of Rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment is a federal law that affords parents/guardians and students over 18 years of age certain rights regarding the manner in which Lexington One conducts surveys, collects and uses information for marketing purposes, and does certain physical exams. These include the right to the following:

1. Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (protected information survey) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education:

Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent
Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family
Sex behavior or attitudes
Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating or demeaning behavior
Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships
Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors or ministers
Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent
Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility

2. Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of the following:

Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding
Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening required as a condition of attendance; administered by the school and scheduled by the school in advance; and, that is not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, with some exceptions.
Activities involving collection, disclosure or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing, or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others

3. Inspect, upon request and before administration or use, the following:

Protected information surveys of students
Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above for marketing, sales or other distribution purposes
Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum

These rights transfer from a student’s parents to a student 18 years old or to an emancipated (under state law) minor.

Lexington One Board Policy IJ outlines the district’s procedures for protecting student privacy as required by PPRA.

Parents who believe their rights under PPRA have been violated may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Send a completed U.S. Department of Education’s Compliant Form to PPRA.Complaints@ed.gov or mail to:

U.S. Department of Education
Student Privacy Policy Office
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

ParentSquare

ParentSquare is an on-the-go communication tool that allows you to easily communicate with your student's teachers and school staff, and to stay up-to-date on school and district news and events.

ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent, using the email address and phone number on file with your child’s school. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified. Go to parentsquare.com and request an email activation using the email address or phone number you provided when you completed annual registration.

Here’s what parents/guardians can do with ParentSquare:

Receive messages from the school and district via email, text or app notification
Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once with a daily digest at 6 p.m.

Communicate in your preferred language
Direct message teachers and other staff
Sign up for parent-teacher conferences
Sign up to volunteer
And more, all from your desktop or mobile devic

Visit our district’s website for more information about ParentSquare.

“Pledge of Allegiance”

State law requires that each school set aside time for the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Any student, however, who does not wish to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” does not have to participate and will not be penalized.

That student may leave the classroom, remain in his/her seat or express non-participation in any form as long as that form does not materially infringe upon the rights of others or disrupt school activities.

Section 504

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) is a civil rights law designed to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination for reasons related to their disabilities. This federal law ensures that the needs of students with disabilities are met as adequately as the needs of their nondisabled peers. It is intended to remove barriers so that students with disabilities have equal access to the learning environment and may participate fully.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal civil rights law that protects students with disabilities from discrimination at school. It requires public schools to provide eligible students with equal access to education and school activities. Under Section 504, schools must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE). This means schools must meet the educational needs of students with disabilities as effectively as they meet the needs of students without disabilities. A student may qualify for Section 504 if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity or major bodily function. Examples of major life activities and bodily functions include learning, reading, concentrating, communicating, walking, seeing, hearing, self-care, regulating emotions, interacting with others, brain function, digestion, breathing, and immune system function.

An eligibility decision is made by a multidisciplinary team consisting of persons who are knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the evaluation data, and the supports and services being considered. Most often, the team will include a parent/guardian, the student (as appropriate), a teacher, a school administrator, and a school counselor. Depending on the nature of the student’s impairment, the team may also include the school nurse, the school psychologist, or another specialist. If the student is determined to be eligible under Section 504, the team may decide to develop a Section 504 Accommodation Plan to outline the accommodations needed to ensure that the student has an opportunity to receive an education comparable to that of their nondisabled peers.

For questions regarding Section 504 or to request an evaluation, parents/guardians should contact their child’s assistant principal, who serves as the school’s Section 504 Coordinator. Parents/guardians may also share concerns or request assistance from any school staff member, including the child’s teacher, school counselor, or school nurse.

Student Government

Student government is an extension of the educational process. When students participate in school affairs, they grow as responsible citizens.

Schools may establish student councils or student government associations in order to encourage participation in various activities of school life and to allow students to experience the democratic process.

Student councils help improve the general welfare of all students, participate in curriculum evaluation and recommend regulations for student conduct.

Student councils do not have the authority to make policies for the district or regulations for the school. Students may recommend policies and policy changes to the district’s Board of Trustees through student government channels or through procedures established by school administrators.

Student councils do not have any disciplinary authority — except for the authority to recommend removal of one of their members from the council.