Locker and Desk Assignments

Each student will be assigned a locker and desk for his or her individual use. The use of lockers is strongly encouraged, as backpacks and purses are not allowed in classrooms. Lockers are to be used to store books, coats and personal items. Valuable items should not be stored in lockers or desks. The school is not liable for personal items stored in lockers or desks.

The school will provide a lock for each locker. Students may not put a personal lock on their lockers, and all students must keep their locker combinations private. Students may not trade or share lockers. Students are responsible to make sure that lockers are kept locked at all times. Any damage, vandalism, or other problems with lockers or desks should be reported to the front office. Students will be held responsible for the condition of their lockers if such damage, vandalism, or other problems are not reported.

During the school day, students may go to their lockers during the following designated times only:

• Before class begins in the morning.
• During the five-minute passing periods between classes.
• After classes are over.

Students may not visit their lockers during lunch time.

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Interrogations and Searches

In the interest of promoting student safety and attempting to ensure that the school is safe and drug free, school officials may from time to time conduct searches. Such searches are conducted without a warrant and as permitted by law.

Administrators, teachers and other professional personnel may question a student regarding the student’s own conduct or the conduct of other students. In the context of school discipline, students have no claim to the right not to incriminate themselves.

Students shall be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by school officials. School officials may search a student’s outer clothing, pockets, or property by establishing reasonable cause or securing the student’s voluntary consent. Express or implied coercion – such as threatening to contact parents or police – invalidates apparent consent.

A search is reasonable if (1) the school official has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will uncover evidence of a rule violation or a criminal violation and (2) the scope of the search is reasonable related to the circumstances justifying the search; i.e., the measures adopted are reasonably related to the objectives of the search and are not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student and the nature of the infraction.

Desk and Locker Searches

Students should have no expectation of privacy in the contents of their lockers, desks or other school property. Lockers and desks assigned to students remain at all times under the control and jurisdiction of the school. The school will make periodic inspections of lockers and desks at any time, with or without notice or student consent. School officials will remove any item that violates school policy or that may potentially be dangerous.

Students have full responsibility for the security of their lockers and desks, and shall be held responsible for any prohibited items found during a search. The student’s parent shall be notified if any prohibited articles or materials are found in a student’s locker or desk, or on the student’s person, as a result of a search conducted in accordance with this policy.

Vehicles on Campus

Vehicles parked on school property and property under school control are under the jurisdiction of the school and may be searched at any time if reasonable suspicion exists to believe that the search will result in evidence that school rules or other laws have been violated. If a vehicle subject to search is locked, the student shall be asked to unlock the vehicle and consent to a search of the vehicle. If the student refuses to permit the vehicle to be searched, the school may contact the student’s parents and/ or law enforcement officials. A student may be held responsible for and in possession of prohibited items found in his or her vehicle parked on school property or at a school-related event.

Trained Dogs

The school may use or contract for specially trained nonaggressive dogs to sniff out and alert school officials to the current presence of concealed prohibited or illegal items, including drugs and alcohol. Such visits to the school may be unannounced. The dogs shall be used to sniff vacant classrooms, vacant common areas, the areas around student lockers, and the areas around vehicles parked on school property. The dogs shall not be asked to alert students. If a dog alerts to a locker, a vehicle, or an item in a classroom, it may be searched by school officials. Searches of vehicles shall be conducted as described above.

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Procedures for Use of Restraint and Time-Outs

School employees, volunteers or independent contractors are authorized to use restraint in the event of an emergency and subject to the following limitations:

• Only reasonable force, necessary to address the emergency, may be used.
• The restraint must be discontinued at the point at which the emergency no longer exists.
• The restraint must be implemented in such a way as to protect the health and safety of the student and others.
• The student may not be deprived of basic human

At no time, however, may a student be placed in seclusion.

A student with a disability may not be confined in a locked box, locked closet or other specially designated locked space as either a discipline management practice or a behavior management technique.

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School Visitors

Visitors for educational purposes are welcome at the school. Visitors must sign in with the front office and present a valid photo ID upon arrival. Parents must also check in at the front office. Guests should not be brought to school without prior approval.

Parents or other visitors may not walk in the cafeteria, hallways or to classrooms unless a visitor’s form has been completed at least 24 hours in advance of the school to provide notice of the visit. This form must also be completed when a parent requests to observe a class.

The Principal may take the following actions whenever there is a school visitor: Require the visitor to display his or her driver’s license or another form of identification issued by a governmental entity containing the person’s photograph:

• Establish an electronic database for the purpose of storing information concerning visitors. Information stored in the electronic database may be used only for the purpose of school security, and may not be sold or otherwise disseminated to a third party for any purpose.
• Verify whether the visitor is a sex offender registered with the computerized central database maintained by the Department of Public Safety or any other database accessible by the school.

Any visitor identified as a sex offender shall be escorted by school personnel at all times during a school visit and shall have access only to common areas of the campus.

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Disruptive Activity

In order to protect student safety and sustain an educational program free from disruption, state law permits the school to take action against any person who:

• Interferes with the movement of people in an exit, entrance, or hallway of a school building without authorization from the Principal;
• Interferes with an authorized activity by seizing control of all or part of a building;
• Uses force, violence, or threats in an attempt to prevent participation in an authorized assembly;
• Uses force, violence, or threats to cause disruption during an assembly;
• Interferes with the movement of people at an exit or an entrance to school property;
• Uses force, violence, or threats in an attempt to prevent people from entering or leaving school property without authorization from the Principal;
• Disrupts the conduct of classes or other school activities while on school property or on public property that is within 500 feet of school property; or
• Interferes with the transportation of students in school vehicles.

“Disruption” includes making loud noises; enticing, attempting to entice, preventing, or attempting to prevent a student from attending a required class or school activity; entering a classroom without the consent of either the Principal of the teacher; and, through acts of misconduct or the use of loud or profane language, disrupting class activities.

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Skateboards

Students and others are not permitted to use their skateboards, scooters and/or roller blades on campus grounds at any time. If a student uses any of these items as a means of transportation to or from school, he or she must walk and carry the item while on school property. These items should be kept in a locker or designated place approved by campus administration until the end of the school day.

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Fire and Disaster Drills

Fire, lock-down, evacuation, and severe weather drill instruction will be discussed during the first week of each semester. Students need to understand and follow these procedures. Instructions will be posted in each teacher’s room. When the alarm is sounded, students should follow the direction of teachers or others in charge quickly, quietly, and in an orderly manner.

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Emergency Closings

Weather conditions may occur which will make it necessary for campuses to be closed. Parents and students are advised to view the campus website and listen to local radio or television for announcements that the school will be closed.

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Pest Control Information

Harmony Public Schools periodically applies pesticides inside school buildings and on school grounds. While the school strives to use the safest and most effective methods to manage pests, including a variety of non-chemical control measures, periodic indoor and outdoor pesticide use is sometimes necessary to maintain adequate pest control and ensure a safe, pest-free environment.

All pesticides used are registered for their intended use.. The school will provide appropriate notice of treatments, and signs will remain until it is safe to enter the area. Parents who want to be notified prior to pesticide application may contact the Superintendent or designee.

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Videotaping of Students

For safety purposes, video/audio equipment may be used to monitor student behavior in classrooms and hallways, on buses and in common areas on campus. Students will not be told when the equipment is being used. The Principal may review the tapes routinely to document student misconduct. Discipline will be in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

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