Policies and Procedures

Dress Code

All students are required to wear Philadelphia Academy Charter School uniforms. Children must arrive in school clean and neatly groomed.

Pants, shorts, and skorts must be worn at the waist (no low-riding pants) and may not be rolled to shorten the length.

Failure to adhere to dress code will result in disciplinary action.

Regular Uniform

Khaki pants
Navy polo shirt with school emblem - must be tucked in at all times. Note: Only a plain white short-sleeved t-shirt or school gym shirt may be worn under the polo shirt. No colored shirts, turtlenecks, etc.
Brown belt (except for kindergarten)
Brown uniform shoes
Navy or khaki crew socks
Navy PACS sweatshirt may be worn over the uniform

Girls may also wear (instead of khaki pants and crew socks)

Khaki skort
Navy knee-high socks, navy stockings or navy tights

Gym Uniform

White or navy PACS gym t-shirt
Navy PACS shorts
White socks
Navy PACS sweatshirt, if desired
Solid navy cotton-blend sweatpants may be worn in the colder months
White sneakers

Optional Summer Uniforms

May be worn from opening day through October 15th , and April 15th through the end of school

Khaki uniform shorts (also known as walking shorts) or skort for girls
Navy PACS polo shirt
White socks
White sneakers

Grooming

NO extreme hairstyles are permitted
Boys' hair must be off the collar.
No sideburns or facial hair is permitted
Dyed or colored hair is not acceptable during the school year
Hair accessories must be simple and limited

Absolutely not permitted

make-up
false nails
nail polish

Jewelry

A standard wristwatch may be worn. No alarms are permitted.
Girls may wear one post earring in each ear.
The only acceptable jewelry is a modest, religious necklace worn under the shirt.
The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Top of Page

Attendance

Students shall follow their assigned daily schedules unless properly excused by the principal or his/her authorized representative.

Each student shall provide a satisfactory written explanation from his/her parent for any absence from class and for the early release of a student from school during the school day.

Justifiable absences include those due to

illness of the student
death in the family
medical or dental appointment that cannot be scheduled during non-school hours
observance of a religious holiday
other reasons acceptable to the principal.

Teacher must have a note within 2 days of any absence or the absence will be coded as unexcused, parental neglect
Upon 2nd day of absence, family needs to call the school
3 days consecutive absence - student must provide original doctor's note (no photocopies)
10 days consecutive unexcused absences by state law is considered Truancy and will be referred to the proper State authorities.
Family vacations are strongly discouraged during the school year
Early dismissal is strongly discouraged; please schedule appointments after school when possible. If unavoidable, the teacher must have a note.
A written warning will be issued for the first unexcused lateness.
3 unexcused latenesses = 1 demerit

Top of Page

Disciplinary Action

Students committing any of the following offenses while in school, on the bus, or on school trips shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action as indicated. Disciplinary action for some offenses may range from a warning up to expulsion depending on the severity of the offense. This list is not exhaustive of behaviors that may result in disciplinary action.

T = Telephone call	D= Demerit	S = Suspension
E = Expulsion	W= Warning	** =Notify Police

D/S	Aggressive behaviors	E**	Alcoholic beverages, possession, delivery, use or being under the influence of
E**	Arson or attempted arson	E**	Assault or attempted assault
D	Beeper and/or other telecommunications devices, possession of, except as considered necessary by the principal, will be confiscated	D/S	Cheating and/or plagiarism
D/S	Defacing or destruction of school property or property of another	D/S	Disobedience to teacher or any other staff
D/S	Disrespectful behavior toward teacher, staff, or fellow classmate	D	Disruption of class, study, or instruction
W/D	Dress code violation	E**	Drugs and controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, possession, use, distribution, or being under the influence of
E**	Extortion or attempted extortion	S	Failure to report or refusal to attend detention
D/S	Fighting while within school jurisdiction	E**	Fireworks, firearms, or other explosives, possession, distribution, use, or the lighting of
D	Forgery of notes or passes (any kind), writing or possession of	D/S	Gambling, any form
W/D	Homework, incomplete or lack of	D	Leaving class without the teacher's permission
S	Leaving school grounds without proper authorization	D	Loitering on school property
D	Lying	D	Misuse of school property or property of others
E**	Molesting others	S	Obscene gestures or language, using of, writing or possession of obscene articles or pictures
E	Participating in or being in any way involved in a riot	E**	Possession of dangerous articles, firearms, knives, metal pipes, sharpened implement, clubs, look-alike weapons, ammunition, etc.
D	Profane language, writing or using of	D/S	Refusal to follow direction of teacher or any other staff member
D	Refusal to identify self properly	E	Sexual harassment
T	Sleeping in class	D	Teasing
D/S/E	Tormenting and/or targeting another person because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disabling condition or intellectual ability	S/E	Tobacco products, possession or use of any
E	Trespassing or unauthorized presence on school property while suspended	E**	Theft or attempted theft
S/E	Threatening bodily harm, property damage, the use of threatening language or gestures	D	Unauthorized entry into restricted areas
S	Walkouts

All disciplinary actions are considered in light of a student's accumulated record.

In most cases two (2) warnings will result in a demerit.
Three (3) demerits will result in a Saturday detention.
If the behavior continues after a Saturday detention the student will be suspended.

Students may move directly to a suspension if the behavior warrants.
Once a student is suspended a behavior plan will be developed with the team. The team will set specific expectations for the student, staff and parent follow-up. This plan will set specific requirements for subsequent disciplinary actions which may include future suspensions followed by a referral for expulsion.

Saturday detention will be held on the first and third Saturday of the month.

Top of Page

Bus Behavior

When student behavior warrants intervention from the bus driver, the following procedure will take place:

First offense:

verbal and written warning will be given to the Community Leader.
Community Leader will speak to the student and give the classroom teacher the warning letter.
Parent and student will sign the letter, and return it to the teacher the next day.

Repeat offenses:

As transportation is a privilege, repeat offenders shall be removed from the bus first on a temporary basis and if necessary on a full time basis if the behaviors continue. Bus behavior is considered to be "school".
Each bus driver is responsible to keep an on-going log of warnings and demerits written for any students riding their bus.

Top of Page

Lost and Found

Our lost and found department is located near the School Store. Lost and found items need to be checked regularly. Periodically, unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity.

Smoking, Controlled Substances and Alcohol

Smoking, Controlled Substances and Alcohol are not permitted on school property

Top of Page

Drop Off and Dismissal Procedures

Drop Off Students should be dropped off at the back door. Students are not permitted to go through the front lobby unless they are late. They then need to stop at the front desk for a late slip for admittance to the classroom.		Dismissal Students should be picked up at parent pick-up in the rear of the school. Supervision cannot be provided when a student is not picked up in the proper location. Parents should park in the designated rows in the parking area as marked. DO NOT reverse your auto at any time, even if parked at the end of the line. This is unsafe and unacceptable. If your child is not picked up by 3:15, they will be sent to aftercare and you will be billed accordingly.
Early dismissal after class trip For class trips returning after 2:00 p.m., the parent may take their child home. Siblings must remain in school until normal dismissal time.		Early Dismissal In the case of early dismissal, parents must send in a note. Also, if the student normally rides the bus, and the parent is picking them up, a note must be sent to the child's teacher. There will be no early dismissals after 2:15 p.m.

Top of Page

Change of Address If there is any change in address or phone number, please send a note to the office.		Electronic Devices Electronic devices (games, CD's, radios, cell phones, etc.) are not permitted on the bus or in school. They will be confiscated and parents will need to pick them up.
Latex Our school is a latex-free facility. NO LATEX BALLOONS OR GLOVES ARE PERMITTED		Lunch Envelopes Lunch envelopes are due for the following week on Thursday or Friday at the latest. This ensures that enough food is purchased and the correct amount of tickets are issued to each classroom.

Top of Page

Volunteer Hours

Each family is responsible for four volunteer hours per month. Volunteers are needed in a wide variety of areas such as: in the lunchroom, maintaining the garden, and working in the school store. Please contact the volunteer coordinator for further information on this subject.

Top of Page

Snow Emergency Procedures:

Any snow emergency information will be announced over KYW-1060 News radio only. Our number is 131.
When Philadelphia Public Schools are closed, PACS is closed as well.
If PACS is opening late, students may not arrive earlier than 30 minutes before the announced opening time, i.e., for a two-hour delay, students may arrive after 9:30 a.m. and go to the lunchroom.
If we are open, but there is no transportation, this will apply to both morning and afternoon bus service.

Early Closing

In the event of an early closing, normal dismissal procedures will be followed. Those students riding the bus will be returned home on the bus. Those students normally picked up by their parents will remain at school until they are picked up. They must be picked up within one hour of the early closing. Any alternative arrangements must be made in advance in writing and given to the office.

Top of Page