School Policies & Procedures

Recent research indicates that school attendance directly affects academic performance. Help your student understand the link between attendance and success by making sure he/she is in school every day to take advantage of all that is offered. Many parents do not realize that school funding is based on average daily student attendance. Help us reach our annual school and district goal of 95% attendance rate. 

If it is necessary for a student to be absent, the school must be notified by a parent/guardian every day of the absence. All absences must be resolved. A doctor's excuse is required following three consecutive days of absence. In case of an absence, please call our attendance line at (480) 883-4603 as soon as possible and provide the following information:

- Student's Name
- Student's ID Number
- Person Calling
- Date of Absence
- Reason for Absence

Checking Students Out Of School

To maintain student safety and security, a parent/guardian will be required to present a picture I.D. before picking up a student. WE DO NOT DO CALL AHEADS, for our students at any time.  We do this for the safety of the student and the timeliness of your arrival/departure of the student.  Students will not be released to anyone not listed on their emergency contact. All changes must be done in writing. All CUSD junior highs are closed campuses. Students will not be allowed to leave during lunches unless a guardian signs them out of school.

Messages/Deliveries for Students

Because we strive to maintain uninterrupted class time, we appreciate your efforts to make any special arrangements with your student prior to the school day. We will not interrupt classrooms for the following: Forgotten lunches, homework, PE clothing, sports attire, and Student I.D. cards. A Student Pick-Up Area has been designated in the front office for parents to drop off these types of items. Students may pick-up between classes or during the lunch hour.

Emergency Contact Information 

Please help us keep our records accurate and up to date. If you have a change in address or phone number, please contact the front office at (480) 883-4600.  If an emergency should occur, we need to contact you!

Updated April 11, 2024

At Santan Junior High, we do not allow balloons on campus as this causes distractions within the classrooms, hallways, and lunch areas. Additionally, some students have a latex allergy/intolerance and thus, balloons put some students at risk for injury. 

The purpose of the CARE Room is for the student to reflect on their inappropriate behavior. The CARE room is designed as an alternative for students whose behavior or actions require removal from the regular classroom setting.  The CARE Room should set an atmosphere of care and respect for the school. The Reflection Room is used when the teacher's classroom management plan has failed to produce the desired results with the student.

CARE Room Policies/Procedure:

1. The teacher fills out the top of the CARE Room Contract indicating the student’s departing time, student’s offense, and whether they are permitted to return to class.
2. The referring teacher calls or emails the CARE Room to let the monitor know a student is on their way.
3. The student enters the room quietly and takes the seat by the assigned monitor.
4. The student must reflect on the behavior requiring them to attend the CARE Room. Contracts must be filled out by the student using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  The CARE Room monitor will check the contract for satisfactory completion before signing.
5. The student will take their copy of the CARE Contract with them to show to their teacher and then take it home for a parent signature. 
6. The CARE Room Contract must be returned to the CARE room monitor before school the following day.  The consequence of not returning a contract is lunch detention until the signed contract is returned. If a student fails to return the contract within 3 days, the CARE room monitor will send an email notifying the parent with a scanned copy of the CARE contract attached. The email will request parent acknowledgment and give instructions to contact the issuing teacher if they have any questions or concerns.

Cell phones are not to be visible on our campus 9:00am – 4:00 pm unless designated by a staff member. If a cell phone is visible or heard it will be confiscated and must be picked up, and signed for, by the parent or guardian.

If it is necessary for you to get an important message to your child during the school day, you may contact our office at 480-883-4600, and our staff will relay the message to your student. If your student needs to contact you for any reason, they may use the student phone located in the front office.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Electronic Devices (ARS 13-3019)

Cellular telephones can be disruptive in an educational environment. We realize that many parents are choosing to have their child carry a cellular telephone as a way of before and/or after school communication and for safety purposes. If you, as a parent or guardian, have decided that it is necessary for your child to carry a cell phone, we ask that you and your child be aware of the following:

Chandler School District (CUSD) states that the District does not assume responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, personal property. If your child has a cell phone or electronic device on campus or on the bus and it is damaged or stolen, we will not be able to utilize administrative time to investigate the incident, nor will the District be able to take any financial responsibility for the cell phone or cell phone charges.

Laser pointers, cameras, PDA’s, camera phones, camcorders, and other electronic devices are banned at all CUSD junior high schools. Evidence of possession or use of these devices will result in confiscation, required parental pick-up, and possible disciplinary and/or legal action.

CUSD allows students to “bring your own technology” (BYOT) to support academic learning only and as permitted per teacher. Please contact your child’s teachers to determine if the technology is permitted within the classroom.

The CUSD Student Handbook is reviewed at the beginning of each school year at all district sites. At that time, a variety of rules and policies related to Attendance, Discipline, Dress Code and other areas that define student conduct as determined by board policy are reviewed. While the foundation of the information is universal, each site does have a school-specific section in the Student Handbook that speaks directly to the students, parents and staff affiliated with that particular campus. We encourage parents/ guardians to review this important and useful information with their student(s). Annually, the Responsible Computer/Internet Use Agreement form and the Acknowledgment of Code of Conduct form associated with the Student Handbook are to be either acknowledged during yearly Online Registration or collected from each student, complete with the required signatures from the student and parent/guardian.

DRESS CODE – Policy 5-302

Students are expected to keep themselves well-groomed and neatly dressed at all times.  Any form of dress or hairstyle which is considered contrary to good hygiene or which is distracting or disruptive in appearance and detrimental to the purpose or conduct of the school is not be permitted.   Since fashions and name designations for wearing apparel change frequently, the administration, with the advice and counsel of police, faculty, students, and parents, may provide an interpretation of garments that are questionable.  

• Clothing that is detrimental to one's health and safety or the health and safety of others or present a distraction are not permitted. 
• Clothing shall be modest, clean, and appropriate for school wear. 
• Students shall not wear: halter tops, garments with spaghetti straps, strapless garments. Garments that are “see-through,” cut low, or expose one’s midriff are not acceptable. Clothing should have adequate coverage to allow a full range of motion movement without skin or undergarments showing. Undergarments must not be visible. Clothing must be reasonable in length and assure modesty.   
• Students must remove sunglasses while inside the buildings. 
• Footwear must be worn for good health and safety. 
• Shirts that advertise substances that are illegal for minors are prohibited (e.g. cigarettes, liquor of any kind, drugs).  Shirts with lewd or sexually suggestive messages are also prohibited. 
• School administration retains final discretion regarding headwear. Please follow your site guidelines. 

All school personnel have the responsibility and right to enforce the dress code guidelines. Students inappropriately dressed for school must remedy the situation before returning to class. The school administration retains the final discretion in determining if a garment, accessory or appearance complies with the dress code. Repeated violations of the dress code may result in appropriate disciplinary action being taken, including suspension from school.

Students violating the dress code will be asked to change into appropriate clothing, stored in the CARE room. We appreciate your early attention to compliance with these standards of dress.

In our School Community, our focus is on student learning and achievement.

• A student's grade should communicate academic achievement: what the student knows and is able to do as measured against the learning standards of the course.
• Assignments must be completed to accurately assess what a student knows and is able to do so that appropriate feedback can be given to every student.
• Practice and/or preparation (homework/classwork) is essential for learning.
• Teachers will develop and publish via their course syllabus a grading policy that reflects research-based assessment practices and that promote quality teaching and learning.

SJHS Grading Scale

Attendance and Make-up Work

Students have a responsibility to attend school on a regular basis. Attendance in school allows for participation in class activities that will equip students with the essential knowledge to be successful in a course. Teachers will adhere to the current district policy on late work due to an absence which states, "For each day missed the student has an equal number of days to complete the make-up work assigned." (Student Handbook) 

MISSING WORK/LATE WORK ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES (NOT DUE TO ABSENCES)

Assignments are given due dates so that teachers can provide feedback in a timely manner and learning will progress. Students are expected to meet deadlines and to contact the teacher when possible in advance to discuss any issues with due dates. Late work policies will be communicated via the teacher's course syllabus. In general, however, students who fail to complete assignments on due dates will:

• Communicate with the teacher regarding their situation and needs for the missing work.
• Be expected to complete the assignment.
• Receive an "M" (for Missing) in the Infinite Campus grade book. This means that it will be averaged as a "0" until the assignment is submitted (IC notifications will be sent reminding parents and students of the missing assignment).
• Be allowed to turn in the assignment until the next grade posting (approximately weeks 4-5 for mid-quarter progress reports and 9-10 for quarter grades) for each quarter (teacher discretion to extend work acceptance for assignments whose due dates fall close to progress report posting dates will be utilized).
• Receive a reduced grade for the completed work received late.

50% POLICY

If a student receives less than 50% on a completed assignment, project, test, or quiz that assesses or measures mastery, the failing grade will be recorded as 50% in the Infinite Campus grade book. The purpose of this policy is to accommodate students who may experience poor performance within a certain learning goal. However, if a student appears to have put forth little to no effort, the work piece will not be accepted. In this situation, an "M" (missing) will be recorded until the student completes the assignment satisfactorily.

MASTERY OF LEARNING PLAN (RETEST)

A student who earns a D or below on an assessment has an additional opportunity to demonstrate mastery of content by retesting. Some teachers allow any student to retest while others may have specific requirements that must be met such as mandatory tutoring or completing additional assignments. If this is the case, it will be communicated via the teacher's course syllabus.

EXTRA CREDIT

Students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of skills and concepts; therefore, extra credit is not an expected component of any teacher's instructional or assessment practices. If a teacher chooses to offer extra credit, the assignment must:

• go beyond information that was presented in class
• be directly related to content standards and concepts (e.g., the course learning goals)
• show that the student has worked independently to gain additional knowledge or demonstrate knowledge in an alternate manner

Lost and found items such as water bottles, clothing, sweaters, backpacks, etc., are housed in the CARE Room, which is located in room 91 in the B Building. Lost and found items of value (phones, wallets, etc..) will be kept in the front office. Intermittent announcements are made throughout the quarter for lost and found "student pick up."  During the last week of the quarter, we make announcements during student lunches to remind students to look through the lost and found items.  At the end of each quarter, any unclaimed items are taken to a clothing donation bin for Goodwill.

Updated on April 11, 2024

Santan Junior High School also follows the policies set forth by the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board. You can read or search through our district board policies online.  We would like to highlight specific policies that you may find especially important or helpful:  

• ACAB - Sexual Harassment Involving Students