WILLIS HIGH SCHOOL MISSION -...

Willis High School STAFF HANDBOOK

2012-2013

Coming together is a beginning.Keeping together is progress.Working together is success.

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Willis ISD will provide hope for a successful future by teaching every child to think.

Updated as of: 8/13/2012 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WISD Board of Trustees 3WISD Administration 3WHS Administration 3Attendance - Teachers 4Attendance - Students 4Assemblies 5Budget Funds 5Classrooms 5Clinic Procedures 5Conference – Parent/Teacher 5Copying Procedures 6Course Syllabus and Grading 6Custodians 6Discipline 6Dismissing Class 7Duty Information 7Exemptions 7Evacuation 8Faculty Meetings 8Failing Students 8Failure Intervention Plan 8Final Exams 8Fire Drills 8Fund Raising 8Grade Reporting 9Guest Speakers 9Hall Passes 9Harassment 9

Identification 10Inclement Weather 10Internet/Email 10 ISS 15 Lesson Plans 15 LibraryLGI

1516

Mail 16Parties 16Reports 16Smoking/Tobacco 16Special Education 17Special School Events 17Staff Appearance/Dress 17Staff Parking 17Student Activities 18Student Code of Conduct 18Teacher Observation and Evaluation 18The Teacher and the Law 18Telephone Calls 19 Textbooks 19Tutorials 19Visitors 19Withdrawal Forms 19Acknowledgement Form 20


WILLIS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT Administration Building • 204 West Rogers • Willis, Texas 77378

(936) 856-1200

WISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rebecca Broussard, Board President Christen Arnold, Board Vice President Cliff Williams, Board Secretary

Elizabeth McKenna, Member Sue Ann Powell, Member Robin Sproba, Member Beverly Vornsand, Member

WISD ADMINISTRATION

Dr. Brett Jimerson SuperintendentTammy Moore Assistant Superintendent of Business and FinanceLisa Severns Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and InstructionThelma Garza Executive Director of Human ResourcesCarolyn Baird Executive Director of Special ProgramsPaul Dusebout Executive Director of Support ServicesKelly Savoy Director of AthleticsBrad Cloud Director of TransportationDr. Tim Walsh Director of Student ServicesErin Kleinecke Director of CommunicationsDeborah Menefee Director of Technology

WILLIS HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

Principal’s Office--Front OfficeTim Harkrider Principal Sharon Walsh Secretary (936) 856-1314

Curriculum & Instruction--Front OfficeRobert Whitman Dean of Instruction Secretary: Kandy Kaliszewski (936) 890-1414

DisciplineTravis Utecht Dean of Students (936) 856-7235

9th Grade and 10th Grade Discipline Offices--A205Mike Reyna 9th grade Assistant PrincipalAli Parker 10th grade Assistant PrincipalSecretary: Fran Summers: (936) 856-1257

11th Grade and 12th Grade Discipline Offices--B409Brandi Green 11th grade Assistant PrincipalBarbara Solberg 12th grade Assistant PrincipalSecretary: Carolyn Courtney (936) 856-7305

9th Grade and 10th Grade Counseling Offices--B207Mikki Hinson 9th grade CounselorDani Jordan 10th grade/Lead Counselor Secretary: Renee Crane (936) 856-1330

11th Grade and 12th Grade Counseling Offices--A405Cindy Adkison 11th grade CounselorKristin Coleman 12th grade CounselorSecretary: Michelle Davis (936) 856-1254

College and Career Counselor: Leah Strickland (936) 890-1255

Attendance: 9th grade and 11th grade Maria Reiter (936) 856-1260 10th grade and 12th grade Renee House (936) 890-1464


ATTENDANCE/TARDIES -- TEACHERSWORK HOURS: Teacher’s duty hours are from 6:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Teachers are required to email their appraiser and Sharon Walsh when leaving campus during work hours. Teachers will be documented for leaving campus without sending proper notification in advance.Teachers must notify administration if it is necessary to stay late and work in the building (after 4:00 p.m.). Willis High School is very large and has many isolated areas that are not readily visible. This is for your protection and will also allow the custodians to know who is in the building. It is recommended that you lock your door if you are working late in your room. TEACHER ABSENCE: Good substitute teachers are difficult to find. Therefore, when you need a substitute, it is necessary that you notify the following people: Automated Substitute System by 5:45 a.m. and call or text your appraiser by 6 a.m.) If you know you are going to be absent, please notify all parties as far in advance as possible. During an absence it is the teacher’s responsibility to see that the substitute has a folder containing the following:

1. Attendance sheets and seating chart 2. Discipline referrals 3. Emergency lesson plans/assignments 4. Bell schedule with assigned lunch time5. Have your duty covered and tell appraiser you had duty (if applicable) 6. Student Handbook 7. Any additional request as per department chairperson 8. Advisement and class assignments

The well labeled substitute folder is to be left in your classroom where it is clearly visible. From time to time, there will not be enough substitute teachers available to cover all of the classes. Staff will be expected (not optional) to cover classes in the event we are short on subs. Please willingly accept assignments when asked. There will be a rotational system in place so you will not always be the one asked. Please check staff mailbox for important information and messages. Also check your email at least two times per day.

ATTENDANCE -- STUDENTS Keeping accurate attendance records is mandatory. Teachers are the source most depended upon for accurate attendance records. Therefore, since you are the source, it is important that each teacher check class roll personally. Please do not submit attendance until 15 minutes of class has passed. Fourth period attendance is crucial since ADA is taken during this time. Please double check your attendance to make sure it is accurate. By third or fourth period, attendance clerks begin to scrutinize students’ attendance and perform a ‘clean up’ of students who are on field trips, ISS, etc. All known absences must be cleared through the computer by 2:30 p.m. Remaining absences will be called through the eSchool Solutions program. Teachers should not detain any student to finish a test/assignment, to help in the classroom or anything that would make the student tardy to his/her next class. Students are expected to follow their assigned schedule of classes and are not permitted to miss a class to work on a project or other activities in another class. Students who have been absent from school must report to the Attendance Office to get an ‘Admission Slip’ (blue slip) when they return to school. An admission slip must be obtained by 7:15 a.m. Students who are late to class will be given an unexcused tardy. Students 15 minutes late to class must have a pass from the Attendance Office. They are counted “absent on campus”. ACTIVITY ABSENCE LIST:


If you must take a group of students off campus, this list must be turned in at least 48 hours before the activity occurs. Please fill out the form completely and accurately. Check roll before leaving WHS and notify the Attendance Office if any students on the list are absent. It is crucial to maintain contact during a student trip, therefore, please provide to Sharon Walsh your cell numbers, restaurant stops, hotel accommodations and an itinerary for the trip.

TARDIES Willis High School promotes promptness to school and to each class. It is a necessary skill for future employment and for future success. It involves self-discipline, responsible behavior and allows teachers the opportunity to efficiently utilize the entire class period which makes for a more productive, successful school day. When a student is late to class, the teacher must mark them tardy in Tx Gradebook/Attendance. Students that are more than 15 minutes late to class are considered “absent on campus” and must obtain a pass from the attendance office before reporting to their class. Teachers are responsible for verifying that these students have obtained the “absent on campus” pass before allowing them into the classroom. Tardy from Attendance Office: When a student returns from being absent, he/she must report to the attendance office for a blue slip (Returning from absence slip). A student will receive an unexcused tardy if he/she fails to obtain a blue slip (absent slip) prior to 7:15a.m.

ASSEMBLIES When your class is invited to an assembly, you are expected to accompany and monitor them for the entire program, unless otherwise instructed. Examples of assemblies that may be held throughout the year include, but are not limited to:

• Pep Rallies • Class Meetings • Guest Speakers • Yearbook Pictures

BUDGET FUNDSA requisition is used to order all materials and supplies from budgeted funds. Telephone orders and/or “on approval” orders should not be made without first obtaining an approved purchase order. Any purchases made or ordered without prior consent/authorization from the principal will not be honored or reimbursed.

CLASSROOMS Food and/or drinks are not allowed in the classroom. For special occasions, teachers may make arrangements with the administration to take a class to the Commons. Teachers are to turn off the lights and lock their doors when they leave the room empty during the day (for lunch or conference period). Doors must also be locked at the end of the day. (Custodians may not get to a room to clean and lock it until late at night.) Teachers should not cover the door window to their room. Class must be able to be observed at all times. Teachers are cautioned about leaving anything of value (personal items, textbooks, etc.) unlocked.

CLINIC PROCEDURES CLINIC PASSES: Students are not allowed in the clinic without a pass, except in an emergency. If a teacher sends a student to the clinic and the student is sent home, the student signs out in the attendance office with his/her pass. Teachers may check the sign-in sheet in the nurse’s office at any time to verify student visits. SPECIAL MEDICAL PROBLEMS: If there are any questions regarding a particular medical problem, call the clinic. Teachers are e-mailed a list of students per grade that have medical concerns and take daily medications.


CONFERENCE – PARENT/TEACHER

Teachers will contact parents each 3 weeks for students who are failing or have had a change in academic achievement. Conferences will usually be held before or after school or during the teacher’s conference period. All teachers arrange their own parent conferences; however, sometimes conferences are arranged by the grade level secretary in the student’s grade level office. In the latter case, teachers are notified that a conference has been scheduled. Teachers should always document parent conferences. Come to the conference with grades, work samples and attendance reports.

COPYING PROCEDURES All copying is to be for instructional purposes only. The library will make copies for all teachers during the school day on either the Risograph or the regular copier. Copy procedures include:

• 24 hour notice is required • Copies will be charged to teacher clicks for the copy machine • Risograph copies will not be charged to teacher click counts • 100 copies is the minimum for the Risograph • Tests will NOT be copied• To ensure document security, teachers are encouraged to hand deliver their copy request and original documents to the librarian and/or library aide.

COURSE SYLLABUS AND GRADING POLICY (COURSE RUBRIC)Each teacher will formulate a course syllabus and grading policy to be given to the Dean of Instruction and filed in the department as well as posted on the teacher web pages. The syllabus and grading policy will be given to every student during the first week of class and contain the following information:

A brief description of the course – an outline of the goals/objectives Teacher name, conference period time and e-mail address Tutoring times Grading policy (for example: 40% daily, 60% tests) Please stipulate how grades are to be earned (Rubric or criteria to earn an A, B, C, D) Ways to succeed in this class, tips, study skills that will be needed to succeed, etc. Classroom rules and regulations

CUSTODIANS If there is a special job that you need a custodian to do, send an e-mail request to Mike Reyna. He will have the custodian take care of it as soon as possible. Let us assist the custodians by having the students pick up paper at the end of each period and not allow trash to accumulate. At the close of the day, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for turning off lights and locking your doors.

DISCIPLINE

See ‘Willis High School Campus Discipline Plan’ – last page of staff handbook

LOWERING GRADES: Teachers are not to take points off a student’s grade for disciplinary reasons. DISCIPLINE REFERRAL REPORT: Teachers sending a student to the assistant principal for discipline must complete an electronic ‘Discipline Referral Report’ through TxEIS. If a student must be sent to the office during the class period, you must first call the grade level AP secretary so the office is aware that the student is coming. Assistant principals will not see a student for a discipline problem without the referral. When it becomes necessary to write a student discipline referral to the assistant principal, please


understand that TEC, Section 37.001 (B) requires the assistant principal to send a copy of that referral home within 24 hours. With this in mind, be very clear and factual about the problem/incident. Avoid editorializing, writing opinions or suggesting a disciplinary consequence. The only student name on the referral must be the specific student being referred to the assistant principal. Please do not indicate what the punishment for the student will be (either in verbal or written form); this decision will be made by the assistant principal. Student contact information (parent names, phone numbers, etc) is available online in the TxEIS program or can be obtained from the attendance office or nurse’s office.

DISMISSING STUDENTS FROM CLASS As a general rule, students are not dismissed from class except to go to the clinic or in answer to an office request. Counselors and members of the administrative staff send for students if there is reason. Otherwise, students should drop by the office before school or between classes, notify a clerk or secretary of their need for an interview and wait to be sent for. Students must have a hall pass if a teacher sends them out of class. Teachers shall not send students out of the room to sit in the hall as a penalty. DISMISSING CLASS EARLY Most teachers know the distraction students cause when released early. Please show colleagues courtesy and respect by not ending classes prematurely. No teacher will dismiss his or her class before the bell rings.

DUTY INFORMATION All teachers are reminded that they are to supervise halls and areas adjacent to their classrooms during each passing period. Specific assignments will be made before and after school, as well as during the school day. At the beginning of the year a duty schedule will be distributed to each teacher notifying them of the dates and duty posts assigned. Morning duty begins at 6:45 a.m., except for those who have bus duty and who will begin at 6:35 a.m. If a teacher foresees that he or she will be absent from duty, that teacher must take responsibility for asking a fellow teacher to “fill in” as well as giving the name of that substitute to the administrator near them on duty. It is the responsibility of each teacher to be in the hallway at 2:45 p.m. for the purpose of monitoring students as they exit the building. All teachers must report to their morning or afternoon duty posts during the first and last week of school.

ENRICHMENT CENTER (EC) The Enrichment Center, in A310, is a support system for all students who are having difficulty with the subject matter. Students may receive additional help in the Enrichment Center during independent practice time. All students have access to the Enrichment Center. Place tests or major assignments in the EC mailbox the day before the work is to be completed. DO NOT SEND TESTS WITH STUDENTS TO THE EC ROOM. (In emergencies, send tests in a sealed folder with students on the day of the exam.)

EXEMPTIONS (SEMESTER EXAMS ONLY)Juniors and seniors are eligible for exemptions and may exempt all of their final exams. Exemptions are a privilege.Grade Average and Attendance:

Grade avg. 80 or above and 0 absences = eligible for exemption Grade avg. 85 or above and no more than 1 absence = eligible for exemption Grade avg. 90 or above and no more than 2 absences = eligible for exemption 3 or more absences in the class = NO EXEMPTION from final exam in that class 2 Tardies = 1 absence for determining qualification


TAKS and /or EOC can replace the course grade requirement for the spring semester Exemptions are at the discretion of the teacher even if all other qualifications have been met

Conduct: Students meeting above requirements that have more than 2 discipline referrals in the class

must get principal’s approval for exemption. 1 Truancy = NO EXEMPTION from any final ISS assignment = NO EXEMPTION from any final

Other: Free of all fees, fines and holds (cafeteria, library, textbooks, etc.) Students registering after the third day of a term are not eligible for final exam exemptions. Transfer students must provide attendance and disciplinary information from their previous

school. Any student who qualifies for an exemption has the option to take final exams. The grade

received on the exam is weighted at no more than 20% of the semester grade. The numerical average for the third 6-weeks will be the semester grade if the student is exempt and does not take final. Students are required to be present during the review and final exam.

EVACUATION See the ‘Emergency Procedures Manual’ and refer to the map located in the classroom.

WEDNESDAY FACULTY MEETINGS Faculty meetings will be held on an as needed basis. All teachers are expected to attend. Please BE ON TIME to these meetings. Teachers are advised not to schedule unbreakable appointments during this time without prior consent from the principal. Any teachers absent from a meeting should get his/her information from their department head.

FAILING STUDENTS Since dramatic grade changes can be symptomatic of so many problems, parents should be notified immediately anytime a student’s progress changes drastically. Parents must be notified by a progress report if a student is in danger of failing. Progress reports not returned by students with parent signature require a phone call follow-up. Maintaining ongoing parent contact is a mandatory, professional obligation with parents whose students are having academic problems. Parent contact logs must be submitted to the Dean of Instruction every three weeks. Attempts to contact the parent must be documented. Teachers will schedule conferences every 3 weeks for students who are failing or have had a change in academic achievement. After a conference is held, teachers will contact the parent every 3 weeks until a positive change is made in academic achievement or behavior. The principal, the counselors, the nurse and the attendance office staff will assist you in obtaining working numbers.

FAILURE INTERVENTION PLAN The fact that counselors are student advocates is well established, however, it should be remembered that they are also teacher advocates. Teachers are urged to seek information and help from counselors. Data in student cumulative folders is available to teachers through the registrar’s office and must not be removed. The counselors will be glad to help interpret this information. All information contained in cumulative folders is confidential, but teachers are viewed as professionals who would not violate confidentiality. Counselor responsibilities include setting up student schedules, administering psychological and predictive tests, conferring with parents and students in educational conferences, providing guidance for students through personal counseling, helping teachers help students with behavior, truancy or learning problems, and other duties.

FINAL EXAMS All teachers and students are required to follow the final exam schedule. Any exams taken early must be cleared through the Dean of Instruction’s office.


FIRE DRILLS

Fire drills will be held according to state law. Regulations and directions for fire drills will be posted in each room with diagrams of exits to be used. Teachers and students should become thoroughly acquainted with these instructions and follow them carefully.

FUNDRAISING All fundraising programs must be approved by the principal’s secretary in advance and scheduled on the school fundraising calendar. There must be a justifiable reason to conduct fundraising projects with an educationally sound purpose for any funds accumulated. Major fundraisers are limited to one per semester. Candy sales are prohibited during the school day.

COLLECTION OF MONEY: See District policy available on the District webpage. All collections of money must be properly documented with a receipt or student signature when it is received from the students. All money must be deposited daily or when $20 is accumulated. No money should be left in your room overnight. Teachers are responsible for accounting for all monies collected by our organizations. Deposits will be received by Bonnie Belmares, WHS Financial Clerk from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily.

PAYMENTS FROM ACTIVITY FUND: Requests for Activity Fund checks must be made with a completed and approved ‘Activity Requisition Form’. Requests should be turned in to Bonnie Belmares, WHS Financial Clerk.

GRADE REPORTING The purpose of grading is to report a level of achievement in a subject of the student and to the parents. Grades must be submitted in a timely manner. Teachers are required to contact the parents of students whose grades are failing or close to failing at the end of each three week period. Grades below 70 must not be given unless the teacher has conferred with the parents. Teachers must keep an accurate record of all parent contact including dates of phone calls, personal conferences, etc. These contact logs should be placed in the student’s file folder and submitted to the Dean of Instruction each six weeks. These file folders should be kept available for use throughout the year and stored for at least the subsequent summer. Other ways to contact parents:

• Sending home tests for signatures • Occasional signatures on notebooks or grade sheets • E-mail

Sponsors of all extra-curricular activities will be given grade reports to determine ineligible students. Grade level principals can answer specific questions regarding eligibility. Report cards are issued to students and returned to the teacher with parent/guardian signature.

GUEST SPEAKERS Teachers who wish to invite a guest speaker should contact the principal.

HALL PASSES Students are expected to come to class with all their materials. It is the teacher’s responsibility to communicate to the students what materials are to be used the following school day. Teachers should not issue passes to students during the FIRST 10 MINUTES OF CLASS and/or the LAST 10 MINUTES OF CLASS as this is the ‘NO PASS ZONE.’ Should it become necessary to allow a student to leave the classroom for any valid reason, the teacher must give an official school hall pass with the date, student’s name (print), time out, and destination before leaving the room. Teachers, not students, will document time in and time out on the hall pass. This will give teachers and administrators in the hall a chance to check your student. The student must return the pass to the teacher when the student returns to class. No student under any


circumstances should be in the halls during class time without a pass. Secure all hall passes.

HARASSMENT “Sexual harassment” includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct constitutes sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made a term or condition of employment or has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating hostile or offensive working environment. “Sexual harassment” includes same-sex harassment when the harassment constitutes discrimination because of sex.

What laws address sexual harassment? • Title VII is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Texas Labor Code, Section 21.051, makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin, or age. • Title VII does not prohibit genuine but innocuous differences in the way men and women routinely interact with members of the same sex and of the opposite sex. It forbids only behavior so objectively offensive as to alter the “conditions” of the victim’s employment.

What do I do if I believe I have been the victim of sexual harassment? Staff members are encouraged to report allegations of sexual harassment as soon as possible. Complaints may be brought to your supervisor, your principal, the Title IX Coordinator or the Executive Director of Accountability & Planning. You may make your request in writing or orally and you are encouraged to file your complaint promptly, so that any problems may be resolved at the earliest possible time. Although the District will not reject any such complaint if filed too late, staff members should understand that the sooner the issue is brought to the District’s attention, the sooner it can be resolved. What will happen once I file a complaint? Whether you report your problem to the principal or the Title IX coordinator, the process will be the same. If you have made your complaint orally, the supervisor will reduce it to writing and ask you to verify that it has been transcribed accurately. The supervisor will hold a conference with you as soon as possible. Following the conference, the supervisor will ordinarily offer a response in a reasonable amount of time, unless the investigation takes longer to resolve. Will my complaint be confidential? To the greatest extent possible, complaints will be treated in a confidential manner. Limited disclosure may be necessary in order to complete a thorough investigation.

IDENTIFICATION All WHS staff have their Id badge visible every day. Student must have an identification badge in the possession at all times when on school property during regular school hours

INCLEMENT WEATHER

If you are in doubt about school being open during inclement weather, listen to the early news on the radio or television. If you hear no announcements, come to school. If the Superintendent decides to cancel school, the ‘Emergency Phone Tree’ will be put in motion. For this system to be effective, it is very important that we have correct telephone numbers. If your telephone number changes during the year, please notify the principal’s secretary immediately.

Radio: KSAM 101.7 FM; KVST 103.7 FM, KSTAR 99.7 FMTelevision: Houston Channels 2, 11, 13

Bryan Channel 3 District Website

INTERNET/ELECTRONIC MAIL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT


ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES

BOARD INTENTIt is the intent of the Board to provide access to electronic information resources for District staff, teachers and students. This policy is based on the belief that access to electronic information resources creates critical educational opportunities for students and teachers. The Superintendent or designee shall develop administrative procedures to administer the electronic resources of the District. The District’s system will be used only for administrative and educational purposes consistent with the District’s Mission and Goals. Commercial use of the District’s system is strictly prohibited. The District will provide training to employees in proper use of the system and will provide all users with copies of Acceptable Use Guidelines. All training in the use of the District’s system will emphasize the ethical use of this resource.

CONSENT REQUIREMENTSCopyrighted software or data may not be placed on any system connected to the District’s system without permission from the holder of the copyright. Only the owner(s) or individuals the owners specifically authorizes may upload copyrighted material to the system. No original work created by any District student or employee will be posted on a web page under the District’s control unless the District has received written consent from the student (and the student’s parent) or employee who created the work. No personally identifiable information about a District student will be posted on a web page under the District’s control unless the District has received written consent from the student’s parent. An exception may be made for “directory information” as allowed by the Family Education Records Privacy Act and District policy.

SYSTEM ACCESS AND USER RESPONSIBILITIES Access to the District’s Electronic Communications System will be governed as follows:

1. With the written approval of the immediate supervisor, District employees will be granted access to the District’s system. 2. The system may not be used for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities or for any other activity prohibited by District policy or guidelines. 3. System users may not gain unauthorized access to resources or information. 4. The District will require that all passwords be changed every 30 days. 5. District employees with accounts will be required to maintain password confidentiality by not sharing the password with students or others. 6. The individual in whose name a system account is issued will be responsible at all times for its proper use. 7. System users may not use another person’s system account without written permission from the campus administrator or system administrator as appropriate. 8. System users may not distribute personal information about themselves or others by means of the electronic communication system. 9. System users must purge electronic mail in accordance with established retention guidelines. 10. Teachers may apply for a class email account and will be responsible for the appropriate use of the account. 11. System users should be mindful that use of school-related electronic mail addresses might cause some recipients or other readers of that mail to assume they represent the District or school, whether or not that was the user’s intention. 12. System users may redistribute copyrighted programs or data only with the written permission of the copyright holder or designees. Such permission must be specified in the document or must be obtained directly from the copyright holder or designee in accordance with applicable copyright laws, District policy and administrative regulations. The “Software Custodian” of the campus/department must be involved in this process. 13. System users may download public domain programs such as free-ware or share-ware for their


own use on their workstation only. Documentation of the program’s free status must also be downloaded and the software must be reported to and documented by the “Software Custodian” of the campus/department. System users are responsible for determining whether a program is in the public domain. 14. System users may not send or post messages that are abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another’s reputation, for financial gain or illegal. 15. System users may not use an alias or any form of a made up name to access a web site, chat room, or other resource that does not check user ID’s. Accesses to those sites are not allowed. 16. System users may not purposefully access materials that are abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another’s reputation, or illegal. 17. System users may not save or store on District computers materials that are abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another’s reputation, or illegal. 18. Students will be granted access to the District’s system after appropriate training and with teacher approval, as appropriate. 19. Student groups (lab classes) may be granted special login names that have network rights to shared folders for the storage or transfer of documents and other work necessary for their class. Students will not abuse this right by placing unauthorized material, executables, or other items not approved by their teacher. 20. Students and Staff members will not use the District’s electronic resources and shared network folders and servers for the purpose of “gaming”, storing games, or playing games that are not a part of the curriculum for the class they are enrolled in. 21. The creation of “shared folders” or “servers” outside of the District’s “domain of servers” is prohibited. Lab classes needing servers or network equipment for learning purposes can use that equipment as long as no connection to the Willis ISD WAN or LAN is present. Labs meeting this definition will be isolated from the Willis ISD WAN or LAN. No workstation on the Willis ISD WAN or LAN can contain more than one network card or more than one network connection. Modems are prohibited in any workstation. 22. Students are not allowed to work on a computer workstation with a teacher or staff member logged into the network. 23. Staff members who have student aides who work in administrative areas, offices, libraries, cafeterias or other areas where District and Campus administrative programs are accessed are required to have a password protected screen saver to block unauthorized access to their workstation. 24. Students will not be allowed to work in any District or Campus program that is used for administrative, budgetary, accountability, employee and/or student record keeping or processing. 25. Students completing required course work on the system will have first priority for use of District equipment after school hours. 26. Any user identified as a security risk or having violated District and/or campus computer use guidelines may be denied access to the District’s system. 27. System users may not waste District resources related to the electronic communications system. 28. The use of all technology equipment and software programs is provided for the conduction of business and in order to help meet the educational objectives of Willis ISD. Personal use of equipment or software, including email and the Internet, is prohibited.

VANDALISM PROHIBITEDAny malicious attempt to harm or destroy District equipment or materials, data of another user of the District’s system or any of the agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet is prohibited. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance may be viewed as violations of District policy and administrative regulations and may be treated as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading, sharing or creating of computer viruses. Vandalism as defined above will result in the cancellation of system use privileges and will require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware or software costs as well as other


appropriate consequences.

FORGERY PROHIBITEDForgery or attempted forgery of electronic mail messages is prohibited. Attempts to read, delete, copy or modify the electronic mail of other system users or deliberate interference with the ability of other system users to send/receive electronic mail or the use of another person’s user ID and/or password is prohibited.

INFORMATION CONTENT / DATA OWNERSHIPSystem users and parents of students with access to the District’s system should be aware that use of the system may provide access to other electronic communications systems in the global electronic network that may contain inaccurate and/or objectionable material. A student knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school’s electronic environment will be subject to a suspension and/or a revocation of privileges on the District’s system and will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. An employee knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school’s electronic environment will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with District policies and/or procedures. All data entered into the data systems or created by an employee during their employment is the property of Willis ISD. Data that is produced in any form and saved to disk(s), hard drives or network storage areas is the property of Willis ISD. All disk(s) or other storage mediums will be surrendered to Willis ISD upon separation of employment. Willis ISD retains the intellectual and property rights to all data.

PARTICIPATION IN CHAT ROOMS AND NEWSGROUPSParticipation in chat rooms and newsgroups accessed on the Internet is permissible for students, under appropriate supervision and in accordance with educational objectives decided upon by the supervising teacher and with approval of their supervisor. No student will identify him or herself by full name or address while in a chat room. The supervising teacher must provide an acceptable name to use in the chat room (i.e. first name only). No student is allowed to enter a chat room that is for anonymous users.

Employees may participate in chat rooms and newsgroups for educational and administrative purposes, as long as the chat room uses traceable email addresses or logons to verify who the actual user is. No access is allowed to anonymous chat rooms where the identity of the end user is unknown. By default, all Internet chat rooms are blocked. Contact the technology office to unblock an appropriate chat room that meets the above requirements.

INTERNET ACCESS (FILTERED)

The District will provide Internet access to all staff and students. Access will be filtered in accordance to applicable rules and laws concerning access of Internet resources by minors. The District will maintain the same standards for adults.

The Technology Director or designee will be the chair of a committee representative of campuses who will review filtering software and pages that are filtered. The committee will decide what categories of pages should be filtered to provide the least restrictive access to the Internet while protecting of students from objectionable materials. Any appeal by an individual to un-block a site will be reviewed by that committee. The committee’s decision will be final.

DEVELOPMENT OF WEB PAGESThe District has created a World Wide Web server that will provide individuals with Internet accounts access to information about the District and programs. The following guidelines will apply to the posting of pages on the District’s web server and are general in nature. A complete and more comprehensive web site guide is also in the technology guidebook for Willis ISD titled “WISD Web Site Development and Implementation Guidelines”.


1) Students may create web pages with teacher review and approval and in accordance with District and campus guidelines.

2) Student web pages may not be posted on school home pages on the District servers without teacher review for content and linkages and approval by the principal and his/her designee.

3) Pictures cannot be posted on student web pages or on class home pages that allow students to be identified individually by name unless the parent has signed the appropriate form authorizing this posting.

4) Student pages will be published only under the direction of the supervising teacher and after written permission is obtained from a parent or guardian.

5) Teachers may create web pages for publishing to the District’s web server using the tools provided by the district. All pages will be in the appropriate template.

6) All pages will be reviewed by the campus webmaster periodically for appropriate content. 7) Each web page subgroup (staff, student, campus subgroups, and organizations) can be no longer

than 8 pages deep. Campus and administrative groups may have unlimited subgroups and/or organizations as long as they are appropriate and approved by the campus principal or appropriate administrator or director.

8) The District Webmaster or Campus Webmaster, as appropriate, will post web pages to the web server for publishing.

9) Campus Webmasters will be appointed by principals and will be trained in appropriate practices. 10) The District Webmaster will be responsible for the maintaining of the overall Willis ISD web site. 11) All Willis ISD clubs and organizations must publish their “Official website” within the Willis ISD

website and on the Willis ISD web server. School clubs and organizations may not host a site on another outside web server. Booster clubs, PTO organizations and other Willis ISD affiliated groups will be given space on the Willis ISD web server to host their site and must abide by all Willis ISD guidelines for their site.

NETWORK ETIQUETTESystem users are expected to observe the following network etiquette:

1) Be polite; messages typed in capital letters are the computer equivalent of shouting and are considered rude.

2) Use appropriate language; swearing, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs and any other inciting language are prohibited.

3) Pretending to be someone else when sending or receiving messages is considered inappropriate. 4) Transmitting obscene messages or pictures is prohibited. 5) Sending electronic messages to all users (“spamming”) is prohibited and is reserved for use by the

System Administrator. (Send to one distribution group per email if needed for the purposes discussed in this paragraph… no fundraisers or announcements of sales, meetings or other unsolicited flyers are allowed) Email shall not be used to announce school events, programs, fundraisers, or any outside activities, sales or fundraisers. The exception to this is administrative use to disseminate information necessary for the administration and efficient operation of a campus/department.

6) Posting to the electronic bulletin board (Announcements / Fundraisers Public Folder) will be for school-related activities and information only. School calendars are provided in the public folders for internal school events. School calendars are also provided on the districts website for events of public interest. Contact your campus administration for details on how to get an event posted.

7) A public folder is provided in the email system for employees to post for sale, for rent, garage sale, and other sale or service messages. These types of messages must be posted in this designated area and not emailed to others via email.

8) Revealing or publishing to outside parties the street and/or email addresses or telephone numbers of others is prohibited. The only information published on the web site without an Open Records Act request will be an email list of WISD email addresses or a WISD phone directory.

9) Using the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users is


prohibited.

TERMINATION/REVOCATION OF SYSTEM USER ACCOUNTThe District may suspend or revoke a system user’s access to the District’s system upon violation of District policy and/or administrative regulations regarding acceptable use. Termination of an employee’s account or of a student’s access will be effective on the date the principal or System Administrator receives notice of student withdrawal or of revocation of system privileges or on a future date if so specified in the notice. Failure to follow all guidelines will result in disciplinary action according to District policy and/or the Student Code of Conduct.

DISCLAIMERThe District’s system is provided on an “as is, as available” basis. The District does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information nor software contained therein. The District does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on, the system will meet the system user’s requirements, or that the system will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that defects will be corrected. Users should be aware that data stored on the system may be lost in a software or hardware failure and should take appropriate steps to backup important data. Opinions, advice, services and all other information expressed by system users, information providers, service providers, or other third party individuals in the system are those of the providers and not the District. The District will cooperate fully with local, state or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the District’s Electronic Communications System.

Acknowledgment of Receipt and Understanding of these guidelines: Your signature in the WISD Employee Manual indicates your receipt of and your agreement to abide by these guidelines.

IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION (ISS)Students may be placed in the on-campus In-School Suspension program by the assistant principal as a disciplinary measure. Work will be sent by teachers and teachers will collect work from the ISS room. Teachers will be given 24 hours notice (when possible) that the student has been assigned to ISS usually via e-mail. You will need to supply class work for the student to complete. Teachers, you are required to visit with your students while in ISS at least one time per student placement in ISS.

LESSON PLANS Teachers will turn in lesson plans my Monday morning at 7:00 am to the dean of curriculum. Protocol will be finalized during PLCs.

LIBRARY HOURS:The library is open from 6:45 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and 6:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. During the school day, students must have a pass to enter the library. This includes the lunch period. Passes should be left at the desk and students must sign in when arriving and/or leaving the library. It is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to check passes for discrepancies. During pep rally assemblies, TAKS etc. the library will be closed to students.

CHECK OUT SYSTEM:Teachers: All materials (equipment, videos, books, etc.) should be checked out personally. Students will not be able to check out for you without a signed note. Teachers will be held responsible for all materials checked out in their names. Students: School ID numbers are required for check out. Notices for overdue items will be sent regularly. Students will not be able to check out additional materials until overdue fines are cleared.


RESERVATIONS: Assignments requiring books or materials from the library should be reported to the librarian, whether the class goes to the library as a group or the assignment is done outside of class. This information allows the librarian to put materials on reserve to provide access for all students. It also serves as a guide for purchasing to match resources to class needs. Teachers may:

1. Bring an entire class to the library by reserving space in advance and planning with the librarian. The teacher must stay with the class in the library. 2. Send a group of students (no more than 5) with purpose of visit noted on passes. 3. Send an individual student with a pass.

Before planning research units, teachers should consult with the librarians to determine availability of materials to support the topics. Librarians will be available to collaborate with teachers to develop library related units for curriculum-integration and enrichment. Teachers may NOT:

1. Send a class to the library with a substitute teacher. 2. Write passes for more than one day at a time (i.e. weekly passes, etc.)

BOOK ORDERS: The library staff orders books throughout the school year for student and teacher use. Suggestions for purchases are welcome.

COPY MACHINE: Copies are 5 cents a page. Teachers need to remind students in advance about the charge. Classes in the library will have priority over drop-in students for use of the copier.

A.V. EQUIPMENT: Some equipment (i.e. overhead projectors) will be checked out for the entire year. Most equipment is checked out on a daily basis. For availability of equipment, you may check with the Pam Lane, WHS Librarian or Larry Moore, WHS ITS.

A.V. MATERIALS: A.V. materials are available for classroom use - videos, CDs, filmstrips, kits and cassette recordings.

COMPUTERS: Library computers may be used to search for books, to search the internet and specialized electronic databases and to do word processing. All computer use must be for an academic purpose. Games, personal e-mail and/or “surfing the web” are NOT allowed. Priority is given to students in the library as a class. Students on passes from other teachers may use the computers, if they are not being used by the visiting class.

Large Group Instruction (LGI)The LGI may be reserved by contacting the principal’s secretary.

MAILOutgoing mail with postage should be placed in the outgoing mail tray at the counter in the main office. Inter-school mail envelopes are available in the front office. When the envelopes are ready to be sent, they may be placed in the tray located in the front office. Incoming mail will be placed in the appropriate teacher’s mailbox. Please check your mailbox at the beginning of each day, during your conference period or lunch and at the end of the day. Please empty your mailbox every day.


PLEASE CHECK YOUR MAILBOX AND E-MAIL FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND MESSAGES AT LEAST TWO TIMES A DAY!!

MEDIA APPROVAL Media approval must be requested before showing any media longer than 20 minutes. Approval forms can be found with department chairs and/or on the campus shared folder. Media forms will be kept my appraisers.

PARTIES Do not use instructional time for parties. Food/cultural days must be approved by the Dean of Instruction at least one week in advance. All food and drink must be consumed in the cafeteria area.

PHONE-EMAIL CONTACT LOGSYour parent contact documentation list must be turned in to the Dean of Instruction, at the end of each six week period.

REPORTS It is necessary for offices to request information from teachers at times when data must be compiled to aid in efficient operation of the school, or when information is needed to be included in a report requested by personnel at the Administration Building. Since reports are requested only when necessary, deadlines are specified and are to be taken literally. Professionalism dictates promptness and accuracy in the matter of reports.

SMOKING/TOBACCO PRODUCTS The use of all smoking or tobacco products is prohibited on all district property.

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES Campus-based Special Education is a term that describes the flexible individual services/programs designed by ARD committees to meet the needs of children with disabilities on the campus. Those services/programs include:

Regular Classroom Instruction with Modifications: Modifications recommended by the ARD committee are implemented by the regular classroom teacher to ensure the child’s participation in that program.

Instructional Support Teacher: Instructional support teacher is an instructional service model where a certified special education teacher works in a regular education classroom with the cooperation of the regular educator to support Special Education students in a mainstream placement. The instructional support teacher may provide direct instruction, re-teaching, modifications, collaboration, assistance or other services that provide support to student(s) with disabilities and to the regular classroom teacher.

Redirect Program: The Redirect Program is designed for Special Education students whose behavior patterns may interfere with their educational performance and the traditional discipline methods are ineffective. The goal of this program is to redirect the student to the appropriate way to handle situations which occur in the classroom/educational setting.

SPECIAL SCHOOL EVENTS In conjunction with professional responsibilities, staff will be expected to attend designated special events outside of the school day such as WHS Open House. Such dates will be given in advance; any staff member who cannot attend must receive prior approval from the principal.


STAFF APPEARANCE/DRESS

It creates a professional atmosphere among students and teachers if staff members are concerned about their personal appearance. All staff members should be neat, clean, professional and wear clothing that is appropriate for their job assignment. The following denotes expectations of staff appearance/dress:

District employees are expected to dress in a manner that projects a professional image. The following are not considered appropriate/professional attire and therefore SHOULD NOT be

worn: Jeans, unless on designated Fridays. Tennis shoes Spandex or similar tight outfits (leggings or low-cut necklines) Warm-ups, sweat suits or wind suits (Exception: PE teacher that is required to teach an academic class

outside of the PE area during the regular school day) Thong shoes

No visible tattoos Days, which are exempt from the employee dress code, must be designated by the campus principal

or supervisor (i.e. Friday “spirit” days or special activities) The campus principal and/or supervisor shall have discretionary authority to exempt employees

from compliance with the rules due to unusual requirements of the job such as special activities planned for that day and/or medical reasons.

PE teachers and coaches may wear shorts in the designated PE/athletic areas only (i.e. gyms, track, playing fields, etc.)

STAFF PARKING Because of limited student parking, all staff should park in the staff parking lot in front of the building. Staff parking permits must be used to identify authorized vehicles. If a special circumstance arises and you have to bring an alternate vehicle (without a staff parking permit), please email C. Courtney, 11th & 12th AP Secretary or B. Green, 11th AP.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES WILLIS HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR: Activities, which have been approved by sponsors and the principal, are entered on the campus activity calendar. This calendar is maintained in Microsoft Outlook by Sharon Walsh. Please adhere to the following procedures for placing activities on the calendar:

• Step 1 – Check the Master Activity Calendar in Outlook to verify an available date. • Step 2 – Email the Dean of Students for event approval. • Step 3 – Check with Mike Reyna for facility approval and procedures. • Step 4 – Email Sharon Walsh to have event added to the calendar.

*Any changes/updates regarding event details must be given to Dean of Students, Mr. Reyna and Mrs. Walsh.

CLUB CONSTITUTIONS: Every club must submit a constitution stating the club’s purpose, election process and other procedures to the administration before the club can be formed. Each club must also obtain a sponsor.

DUES: Dues may not be assessed unless approved by the principal.

FORMATION OF STUDENT CLUBS:


All prospective sponsors of student clubs must secure permission from the principal.

PUBLICITY: The principal must approve and sign all posters and/or publicity for clubs after the sponsor has approved them. Signs may only approved by the Dean of Students . Tape, not staples, should be used to hang signs/posters in approved areas only.

USE OF BUILDING: Students may use the building only when the request is made by a teacher-sponsor who will meet with the students and/or supervise them. Arrangements for use of the building must be made with Mike Reyna at least two weeks in advance. Clubs will NOT be allowed meet in the building/on campus without a sponsor present.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT See ‘Student/Parent Handbook’

TEACHER OBSERVATION AND EVALUATION The Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS) is used within WISD and on our campus. Within the first six weeks of school, teachers will be notified of which administrator will be serving as their appraiser for the school year.Walk Throughs: At any time, any campus or district administrator(s) may conduct a walk through in your classroom; this walk through can be used as an evaluation tool for PDAS. Throughout the year, you will receive copies of observations and/or walk throughs conducted by various administrators; copies you receive should be kept for your records.

THE TEACHER AND THE LAW For your own personal protection, you should become informed of your responsibilities to your students and how to protect yourself from litigation. There are several obvious areas in which you will want to exercise extreme caution:

Use extreme discretion when physically touching students. Remember the innocent touch/pat on the back, etc. is open for interpretation of intent by students and parents. Unfortunately, this is reason for teachers to be extremely careful.

Never verbally abuse a student or use profanity Never leave students unattended in your area before, during or after school Never transport a student in your private vehicle; be aware of all regulations regarding the

transportation of students in school-owned/district vehicles Do not allow students to run errands off-campus Never give students your keys Use extreme discretion when using electronic communication; this includes email, social media,

texting, etc.

TELEPHONE CALLS Phones are provided to contact parents and district employees; personal calls are not permitted. Only long distance calls related to school business may be placed when using your assigned long distance code. Abuse of long distance capabilities may result in more restrictive control of long distance accessibility. Telephone messages for staff members will be directed to their voicemail. Staff members are encouraged to check their voicemail, email and mailboxes periodically during the day. Emergency messages will be conveyed immediately.

TEXTBOOKS Distribution: All textbooks will be issued to students unless the teacher informs the textbook coordinator otherwise. Classroom Sets: Teachers may have classroom sets issued to them by the textbook


coordinator. This request can be picked up in the textbook coordinator’s office. All classroom sets will be issued on the teacher workday. Books lost from classroom sets will be replaced using departmental funds.Collection: The textbook coordinator will collect all textbooks. Teachers will turn in classroom sets to the appropriate bookroom. Teacher Editions: All TEs will be issued on the teacher workday.Textbook Coordinator: Ali Parker @ Office A205

TUTORIALS The time before school and after school is ideal for tutoring students who are in need of assistance. Please provide your students and/or parents a schedule of available tutorial sessions; tutorial schedule should also be listed in your course syllabus and posted on your teacher website. WISD personnel will not recommend a public/private school individual or a private school for WISD students. The school may maintain a list of tutors and/or private schools to give to parents, however, a teacher will not provide tutoring services for additional pay to any student assigned to them. Employees may NOT use the building to provide tutorials for pay without prior permission and payment for building use.

VISITORS All visitors are to report to the front office/attendance office. The attendance office will notify staff members when a parent/visitor arrives. Students are not allowed to have visitors at any time during the day.

WITHDRAWAL FORMS Students checking out from Willis High School must complete the withdrawl process and paperwork. On the withdrawl forms, teachers are to complete the following:

Initial Grades: The last grade considered is the withdrawal grade for the current 6-week period. If the

student has been in your class 5 days or less, mark grade as NG. Textbooks will be cleared through the textbook coordinator. If you have issued a book from a

classroom set, you are responsible for recovering that book. A copy of the withdrawl form is sent to the new campus and is used for correct student placement.

If you have any questions, contact the WHS Registrar, Karen Scambray.

Please use this WHS Teacher Handbook as an ongoing resource for the 2012-2013 school year. Information will be given to you as needed for inclusion in this handbook.


Acknowledgement FormI have received the Willis High School 2012-2013 Teacher Handbook, and I agree to follow and abide by all of the rules and regulations set down by the Willis Independent School District and the Willis High School 2012-2013 Teacher Handbook.

Print Name: Date:

Signature

Please complete this sheet and submit this form your appraiser by August 24th at 2:55 pm.


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