Student Expectations

Student Expectations

Students, staff, and parents share responsibility for an orderly and safe school environment. Information about drugs, weapons, or other factors that may be harmful to others or the school environment must be reported. Any attempted or actual retaliation for the reporting of COB violations shall be addressed by corrective action, up to and including expulsion.

Students who have knowledge of drugs, weapons, violence, or other behaviors that may be harmful to others or to the school environment may be subject to disciplinary action for failure to report such information to school authorities.

Students who discover something in their possession that is not permitted at school must report it to an administrator or other staff members immediately. School staff responsible for initiating follow-up action shall consider that the student voluntarily brought this to the staff's attention. Students should contact an administrator, teacher, counselor, or other trusted adult immediately if they have information about, or believe that they have been, victims of misconduct that violates the COB.

Attendance Policy

Under Virginia law, students are responsible for attending school every day that school is in session. Regulation 724-1, “Attendance, Absences, Excuses, and Tardies,” contains the specific information related to student attendance as summarized here. Absences, tardies, and/or early dismissals must have documented parental and/or school personnel approval. Within five days of the absence from school, the parent shall provide documentation to the appropriate school staff to excuse the absence. Classwork for excused absences may be made up according to Regulation 724-1.

The student or parent is responsible for obtaining assignments. Students arriving late to school should follow the school’s procedures for checking in.

Student Dress and Grooming

Students are urged to dress for success each school day. Their overall appearance, while on school grounds or virtually, should be based on the health and safety of an inclusive school community. It is understood that student dress may reflect outdoor weather conditions throughout the school year; however, students should refrain from wearing any item of clothing that may cause a distraction or disruption to the educational process or compromise the physical and emotional health and safety of the student or others. Students whose appearance disrupts instruction may be asked to change clothing.

The PWCS student dress and grooming guidelines are created to ensure equity in student expression and staff enforcement and are not intended to discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. The dress and grooming standards apply equally to all students regardless of gender, gender identity, or gender expression.

Students are permitted to wear any religiously or ethnically specific or significant head covering or hairstyle.

Permitted head coverings and hairstyles include, but are not limited to:

• Braids
• Cornrows
• Headwraps
• Hijabs
• Locs
• Yarmulkes

Prohibited items of clothing include:

Clothing items which:

• Reveal or expose undergarments.
• Fit in a manner as to reveal or expose undergarments.
• Contain vulgar, discriminatory, lewd, patently offensive, or obscene language or images.
• Contain threats or gang symbols.
• Promote violence or the illegal use of weapons, or the use of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and/or associated paraphernalia.
• Cause or may foreseeably cause a disruption to the learning environment.
• Are accessories that could be regarded as or used as a weapon.
• Headwear that covers one’s entire head or face, unless the headwear is:
  • Worn as part of one’s religion.
  • Worn for medical reasons.
  • Worn for personal prevention practices like in the case of infectious diseases.
  • Worn for an approved school event.
  • Worn as an expression of one’s cultural or ethnic background.

No PWCS employee may enforce the Student Dress and Grooming provisions by direct physical contact with the student or the student’s attire. No student shall be required to undress in front of any individual to comply with these provisions.