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 member 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.

Video Security

Please be aware that security cameras are in all PWCS buildings and will be used to promote the safety and security of all PWCS students, staff, and property.

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.

Types of Excused Absences

• Students experiencing mental and/or behavioral health issues, disorders, or disturbances in accordance with established school guidelines provided by the VDOE.
• Personal illness of the student.
• Medical and dental examination and/or treatment of the student when such appointments cannot be scheduled outside school hours.
• Student participation in school-sponsored activities taking place during school hours.
• With prior approval of the principal, seniors may be excused for college admission visitations or to apply for post-graduation jobs.
• Death in the student’s immediate family or household.
• Required court appearance.
• Observation of a religious holiday (Students should not be denied any award, eligibility, or the opportunity to compete for an award, nor should they be deprived of the right to take an alternative test or examination because of their absence).
• Emergency conditions in the student’s home that require special help from the student in caring for the sick or injured; however, repeated use of this excuse or requests for absences for more than five consecutive days must be referred to the Student Health and Wellness Department for approval.
• Per Regulation 724-1, preapproved absences are discouraged and will only be granted on a case-by-case basis by the principal or designee. Family trips are encouraged to be scheduled during school holidays and over summer break. Absences for family trips will not be excused unless accompanied by extraordinary circumstances. A determination of whether extraordinary circumstances exist lies at the discretion of the principal, in collaboration with the Student Health and Wellness Department. Such factors as the reason for the absence, the educational value of the proposed experience, and the impact of the absence on the student’s academic progress will be considered in determining whether a prearranged absence is approved or disapproved.
• Pre-approved absence for certain reasons pertaining to a parent’s military deployment.
• Any student who is a member of a state-recognized or federally recognized tribal nation that is headquartered in the Commonwealth and who is absent from school to attend such tribal nation’s pow-wow gathering shall be granted one excused absence per academic year, provided that the student’s parent provides advance notice to the student’s school.
• Reasons of extenuating circumstances as judged by the principal.
• Students experiencing homelessness who are awaiting transportation arrangements.
• Parents/guardians retain the option of not permitting their child to attend school in circumstances when, in the judgment of the parent/guardian, the roads or walkways in their neighborhood are too hazardous to use.
• Engaging in a civic event (middle and high school students only).
• Out-of-school suspension. When a school administrator places a student on out-of-school suspension, the absence from school shall be classified as excused.

Types of Unexcused Absences

• All-day truancy.
• Class truancy.
• Missing a ride, or a bus, or car trouble.
• A virtual-only student who does not sign in for live instruction for the class or school day using Canvas.
• A virtual-only student who has not requested and been approved by the teacher and/or administrator for alternate attendance/participation procedure due to unique circumstances and does not turn on the camera or cannot be seen by the teacher during instruction and learning activities for the class or school day.
• Failure to produce an appropriate explanation or requested documentation for an absence.
• Prearranged absences without prior approval of the school principal.

Per Virginia Code, the VDOE, and PWCS Regulation 724-1, “Attendance, Absences, Excuses, and Tardies,” schools will convene attendance intervention meetings and develop attendance improvement plans for students who accumulate five or more unexcused absences. Parents may be required to participate in attendance intervention meetings. Parents of severely truant students may be subject to legal action for not complying with compulsory attendance laws.

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 which 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 and 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.