Table of contents introduction

COLLECTION OF DEBTS

Any debt to the school incurred by a student will be recorded as soon as the debt is incurred. The records of a student will be held if the student has a debt to the school for lost or damaged text books, instructional materials, or equipment; lost or damaged library materials; lost or damaged athletic equipment; club or organization materials or fund raising merchandise or money not turned in; damages to school property or buildings; or any other debt to be legitimate by the Principal.

Student debt records will be carried until paid. No transcripts of Student Records will be issued until ALL DEBTS ARE PAID IN FULL. In addition, no senior will be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony unless ALL DEBTS ARE PAID IN FULL.
GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM

The Laurel County Gifted and Talented Program will serve students in grades P-12. Gifted and talented students represent a group of pupils who have been identified as possessing demonstrated or potential ability to perform at an exceptionally high level in:

- General intellectual ability

- Specific academic aptitude

- Creative or divergent thinking

- Leadership skills

- Visual or performing arts

Nominations will be taken in the Spring from certified personnel. A systematic collection of data will provide the targeted population of candidates for services the following fall. Parents may nominate their child for possible inclusion in the program by completing a questionnaire that is available at your child's school. Please return this parent nomination questionnaire to your child's principal or counselor at the school within the first two weeks of school.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The following items shall apply to the scheduling of high school students:

1. 
   All students will be in attendance six (6) hours (as outlined in policy entitled "Length of School Day for High School Students").
   
2. 
   The minimum load for a full time student shall be five (5) classes per semester.
   

Subject	Credits	Required Courses
Language Arts	4	English I, II, III, IV
Mathematics	4	Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry & 1 Math elective Note: Must take and pass a math class each year
Science	3	IPEC, Biology, & 1 Science Elective
Social Studies	3	U.S. History, Civics, and World History
Health & PE I	½ each	Note: Students who successfully complete NJROTC I will receive ½ credit in PE.
Arts & Humanities	1	Note: Students may take the History and Appreciation of Visual and Performing Arts course or one of the following: Drama I/Drama II; Visual Arts I, II, III, IV, or AP Studio Art; Chorus, Band, or Piano Keyboard.
Electives	11

GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

North Laurel High School offers a full service guidance department. Three counselors advise the students in areas of course selection, scheduling, vocational changes, college information, college applications, financial aid, recommendations, and personal counseling.

HALL PASSES

Students are not permitted in the hallways during instructional time unless they are accompanied by a teacher or have a valid hall pass in their possession. Verbal permission is NOT acceptable. Students are not to be issued a hall pass during the first ten minutes of class and the last ten minutes (10/10 rule). Only one student will be allowed out of class at any time. Hall passes will be issued only if the teacher sees the need.

ILLNESS AT SCHOOL

If you become ill during the school day, you should go to the Youth Service Center. Do not attempt to stay in the restroom unless you have permission from a principal or other designated staff.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

1. 
   Announcements about school dismissal will be made via the district OneCall Now program. Announcements will also be made on Lexington TV stations, WLEX, CH 18, WKYT, CH. 27, and WTVQ, CH. 36, and on local radio stations, WFTG-WWEL, London, and WCTT, Corbin, after 6:00 a.m. local time. These announcements will be made periodically throughout the morning.
   
2. 
   Please do not call the radio stations or any school officials since this ties up communications and makes it difficult to get the announcements out.
   
3. 
   Since it is not possible to predict road conditions in advance, most school cancellations will have to be made each morning. You will be informed by the radio station in regular news releases if cancellations are known in advance.
   

INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN (ILP)

In addition to credit requirements, each student must complete a four-year individual learning plan as a part of graduation requirement.
The Individual Learning Plan is a plan that emphasizes academic and career development for students beginning in middle school and continues through high school. The plans serves as a tool which helps students set learning goals based on academic and career interests.

The new web-enabled ILP will help secondary students better focus their coursework on individual goals as they prepare for postsecondary studies and careers. Since the ILP is now web-enabled, it provides more tools and opportunities for students. It has many features and resources that involve students on a variety of levels such as:

• 
  finding careers that match their skills and interests
  
• 
  creating education plans
  
• 
  establishing personal goals and revisit these as they progress through school
  
• 
  creating, maintaining and changing resumes
  
• 
  tracking and reflecting on experiences such as community service, work experience, career-planning, and extracurricular and organization activities
  
• 
  exploring colleges and postsecondary opportunities that match their career, postsecondary and life goals
  
• 
  connecting to the GOHigherKY.org Web site for help with college planning, tuition assistance information and applications
  
• 
  collecting personal information like assessment results, advising activities demographics information and educational history
  

LIBRARY INFORMATION

HOURS: The library is open all day, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You are admitted on a pass from your teacher.

CIRCULATION: Books, except reference books and encyclopedias are available for students to check out at any time. Reference materials must be used in the library. Books may be checked out for a period of two weeks.

FINES: Ten cents (10) per day will be charged for each school day a book is overdue. Lost or damaged materials must be paid for by the student whose signature is on the card.

RESPONSIBILITIES: You are to come to the library for the purpose of using the materials only. You must have your library pass signed upon entering the library and signed when you leave. Failure to follow proper procedures or the display of improper conduct may result in the loss of library privileges.
LOCKERS

Lockers with built-in locks will be provided for all students. Locker assignments will be made during the first week of school by your JAGS teacher. Lockers are the property of the school and are subject to search at anytime. Do not give your combination to anyone. Students who “rig” their lockers will be financially responsible for any damages caused to the lock. The cost of repairing damaged or vandalized lockers will be considered a senior debt, meaning students will not graduate until paid for. North Laurel High School is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

EACH STUDENT IS ASSIGNED A LOCKER; THEREFORE, STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO SHARE LOCKERS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST OR STOLEN ITEMS.
LOST AND FOUND

Articles lost or found should be reported and/or brought to the reception desk in the front office.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

Students are prohibited from engaging in private enterprise on school grounds. All fund raising activities must be sponsored by a school activity/club and must be approved by the Administration.

PROCEDURE FOR EARLY DISMISSALS

The school is responsible for you from the time you board the bus in the morning until you depart from the school bus in the afternoon. Likewise, the school is responsible for you upon arrival at school regardless of what means you use to get there (walking, riding with a friend, driving, etc.). Upon arrival at school, by bus or other means, you may not leave the school property unless you have permission from one of the principals. The following regulations are required if you need to leave school before the end of the day:

A. Your parent/guardian must come to school and sign for early dismissal. Students are to remain in class until parents arrive.

B. You must leave the grounds immediately upon being signed out.

C. NO DISMISSAL BY PHONE
*Effective January 4, 1993, we no longer allow students to be checked out by telephone at North Laurel High School. This will apply to both students riding the bus as well as those driving to and from school. Anyone needing to check out a student from North Laurel High School will need to come into the office and sign them out. This also includes 18 year old students. Students are not permitted to check out other students including siblings. Only those persons on their emergency card will be allowed to sign students out. Proof of identification will be requested.
Due to the new attendance policy, it is imperative that students remain at school the entire day. Doctor's and dentist's appointments should be made after school. Students that are checked out must bring an excuse or their absence will be unexcused.
REMINDER: Limit of eight (8) days excused by parent note.
PUBLIC PROPERTY

The respect of public property is an individual responsibility. Any willful destruction of public property will result in payment for the damage done and possible dismissal from school.

PUPIL PROGRESS REPORTING

Beginning with the 1992-93 school year, the grading scale used by all Laurel County teachers (grades 4-12) to report student progress shall be:

100*	A+
96-99	A
92-95	A-
89-91	B+
86-88	B
83-85	B-
80-82	C+
77-79	C
74-76	C-
71-73	D+
68-70	D
64-67	D-
Below 64	F

*Numbers refer to the percentage of accuracy at which the student completes assigned tasks.

• 
  Honor roll distinction will be awarded to those students earning all A's and B's.
  
• 
  The Principal's List requires that the student earns all A's on his/her report card.
  

*For purposes of computing grade point average, the following 4.0 scale will be used for all courses:

A	4.0
B	3.0
C	2.0
D	1.0
F	0.0

The following weighted scale will be used for all Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses. Class rank during the Junior and Senior year will be based on the weighted scale.

A	5.0
B	4.0
C	3.0
D	2.0
F	0.0

SCHOOL CLUBS

School clubs can be an essential and important part of your high school education. It could be advantageous to join a club and attend meetings regularly.

THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE OBSERVED:

1. 
   A student may belong to no more than two clubs and should have a membership card for each club. Exception will be made for National Honor Organizations.
   
2. 
   Membership cards must be presented to the teacher in order to be excused from class to attend a club meeting.
   
3. 
   Clubs will be divided into two groups. Group A and Group B club meetings will be held once a month. A club meeting schedule will be distributed to each teacher. Sponsors should inform the front office if their club is not meeting.
   
4. 
   All fund raising activities must have prior approval from school and district administration. Clubs will be limited to one (1) fundraising activity, for a 2-week period, per year.
   
5. 
   All clubs must submit a budget to the bookkeeper by mid-October.
   
6. 
   Funds from defunct clubs will be transferred to the general fund after a period of one semester.
   

SENIORS

1. 
   Information regarding cap and gown fees and other expenses will be provided in September. Deadlines will be announced at that time.
   
2. 
   Students planning to participate in the graduation ceremony MUST be in attendance the day designated for graduation practice. Any senior not at graduation practice WILL NOT be allowed to march in the graduation ceremony, unless prior approval has been granted.
   
3. 
   Seniors MUST CLEAR all debts to teachers or school. Cap and gowns will not be issued until debts have been paid and all books returned. No senior will be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony unless ALL DEBTS ARE PAID.
   
4. 
   Only seniors that have met ALL requirements for graduation will be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony.
   

STUDENT ACADEMIC REFERRAL

Students who do not achieve in an acceptable level in class shall be referred to the guidance office. Reasons for referral may include assignments not turned in, assignments partially completed, inattention in class, insufficient class preparation, etc. An academic intervention contact will be made at three week intervals to those parents who have a child who is failing a class.

STUDENT INSURANCE

Student insurance will be provided by the Laurel County Board of Education at no cost to the student.

STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

The preparation and publication of magazines, newspapers and other works can be an important part of students’ overall education. Faculty advisors will serve as consultants of style, grammar, format and suitability of materials. However, with the foregoing stipulations, faculty advisors and the school administration should encourage student editors and writers to state freely their position on various matters in written school publications. Distribution of publications which are obscene or disruptive is prohibited within the school or on school property

TELEPHONE CALLS

Students WILL NOT be given a pass during class for permission to use the phone. The phones in the school office WILL NOT be used by the students except in cases of emergency. All other student phone calls will be made from the Youth Service Center.

TEXTBOOKS

Textbooks will be provided for students. It will be the responsibility of you and your parents to see that the books are not defaced, damaged, or lost. If you damage or lose a book, you will be required to pay for the replacement cost of the book immediately so that you may be issued a replacement.

“Students enrolled at North Laurel High School and their parent/guardian acknowledge that upon issuance of textbooks the student assumes responsibility for the care and return of each textbook. Students will sign for the textbook when received, verifying the book number as well as the condition of the book. If textbook is lost, stolen, or damaged, student will accrue a fee to be paid to North Laurel High School.”
SBDM POLICIES

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
Laurel County Public Schools

Access to Electronic Media

Staff Acceptable Use Policy
Introduction:

The Laurel County School System (LCSS) provides staff and students a telecommunication network and other new technologies in order to carry out the educational business of LCSS in conducting and accessing research, and in communicating with others in regard to instructional or job related functions.

Kentucky Senate Bill 230 requires that each school district adopt and implement an acceptable use policy. The purposes of the policy are to educate, to provide protection against violations of privacy, to prevent misuse of public resources, to protect against inappropriate or destructive behaviors, and to ensure that technology resources are dedicated to improving student achievement and school administration.

The Board expects that staff will blend thoughtful use of such information throughout the curriculum and that the staff will provide guidance and instruction to students in the appropriate use of such resources.

The LCSS’ electronic communications system has a purpose limited to educational usage. The LCSS Acceptable Use Policy will govern all use of the LCSS Electronic Communication Network. Specific expectations for appropriate Internet use shall be reflected in the District’s code of acceptable behavior and discipline including appropriate orientation for staff and students. Student use of the system will also be governed by school disciplinary codes.

Students and Staff are responsible for legal, ethical, and appropriate behavior on school computer networks just as they are in a classroom or school hallway. Communications on the network are often public in nature. General school rules for behavior and communications apply. The network is provided for students to conduct research and to communicate with others for instructional enhancement. Only students who submit signed permission and agreement forms by parents and students will be permitted network access. Permission forms must be submitted on a yearly basis. This signature sheet shall be kept on file as a legal, binding document. In order to modify or rescind the agreement, the student’s parent/guardian (or the student who is at least 18 years old) must provide the Superintendent/designee with a written request. Individuals who refuse to sign required acceptable use documents or who violate District rules governing the use of District technology shall be subject to loss or restriction of the privilege of using equipment, software, information access systems of other computing and telecommunications technologies.

Internet

The LCSS makes every attempt to keep our students and Staff safe while on the Internet. Internet access is monitored through a proxy server; software is in place to filter unacceptable or offensive sites. Although we make every effort to block inappropriate material, families should be aware that users may unexpectedly come across sites that contain sites with offensive or inappropriate material. If this happens they should report this to the proper officials immediately. Users who are found deliberately searching for this type of material and or repeatedly visiting these sites will have their Internet privilege revoked. All users must authenticate to the LCSS network and will be assigned a designated user-id login and password. This login to the Domain will authenticate each user that logs into the Laurel County Domain.

Social Networking

The Kentucky School Board Association and the Laurel County School District discourage Staff from creating personal social networking sites i.e.…MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc…wherein they accept or invite students to be friends or allow them access to their social networking site. Employees taking such actions do so at their own risk. Staffs who utilize social networking sites should be mindful of privacy settings which would prevent students or the public in general from accessing their (teacher’s) personal information such as status updates and photo galleries. Staff should be aware that the Professional Code of Ethics for Kentucky School Certified Personnel requires certified staff to protect the health, safety, and emotional well-being of students and confidentiality of student information. This Code of Ethics also extends to public online behavior including social networking. Conduct in violation of this Code must be reported to the EPSB as required by law and may form the basis for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Electronic Messaging

LCSS realizes that personal email is an acceptable form of communication but this type of communication should be limited. Employees shall use electronic media in a professional manner consistent with state laws governing the behavior of school employees and with federal laws governing copyrights. Staff will employ electronic email on a daily basis at work as a primary tool for communications. Staff will be responsible for checking and reading messages daily. Electronic mail and telecommunications are not to be utilized by employees to share confidential information about students or other employees except for Administrative purposes only. An example is if student info is shared via email when a student transfers between schools. In discussing students or confidential information, Staff should be aware that email generated or stored by the LCSS is subject to Open Records. Network and school administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and to ensure that staff members and students are using the system responsibly.

The LCSS provided email system is the only email system that is to be used on the LCSS System network.
The Outlook Live e-mail provided to you by the district is a part of the Live@edu service from Microsoft. By signing this form, you accept and agree that your rights to use the Outlook Live email service, and other Live@edu services as the Kentucky Department of Education may provide, over a period of time, are subject to the terms and conditions set forth in district policy/procedure as provided and that the data stored, including Outlook Live email, are managed by the district. You also understand that the Windows Live ID can be used to access other electronic services that provide features such as online storage and instant messaging. Uses of these Microsoft services are subject to Microsoft’s standard consumer terms of use and are managed pursuant to the Windows Live Service Agreement and Microsoft Online Privacy Statement. Before you can use those Microsoft services, you must accept the Windows Live Service Agreement.

If the Connection feature in Live@edu system is utilized to connect with private accounts i.e.…Gmail, Hotmail, or yahoo mail, or any other account not affiliated with Live@edu, the private email account becomes .org owned account, meaning it is owned by the LCSS, and therefore is subject to all LCBOE policies as well as the LCSS AUP.

The Live@edu email system includes Instant Messaging capabilities. However, it is the position of the LCSS that this function not be utilized in the Laurel County School District. Use of the Instant Messaging is a direct violation of the LCSS AUP and will result in disciplinary action and or loss of network privileges.