Student Handbook - Homewood City Schools

Message from the Principal
This handbook has been written to inform you of our school’s basic policies and
procedures on a variety of school related issues.
Hall-Kent has a rich history of excellence dating back to 1887. Our faculty and
staff are committed to keep this tradition going yet another century.
We ask your help and support as we work together to provide the best education
for the children in our community. Have a great year!
Carol Lord
Principal
ARRIVAL
School begins daily with the first bell at 7:45. The tardy bell rings at 8:00. For
those students whose parents must bring them to school earlier than 7:45
because of work schedules, supervision will not be provided until 7:25. Students
should not arrive earlier than 7:25. Upon arrival, students should be dropped
off at the front or back door and allowed to walk into the building on their own.
The importance of punctual and regular attendance cannot be too greatly
emphasized. Please refer to the tardy section in this handbook. Good attendance
has a direct effect on grades. If a child arrives after 11:30, they are counted
absent for that day. For special guidelines, refer to the Code of Conduct for
Homewood City Schools.
ABSENTEEISM
Students who are ill, running a fever, or have any contagious condition must not
attend school. After an absence, the student must bring a written excuse stating
the reason for the absence signed and dated by the parent or legal guardian.
The student must bring this excuse to his/her teacher in order to have an
excused absence. Prior permission must be obtained by the principal for
absences other than illness. When students are absent, parents may request
assignments by calling the office before 9:00 A.M. Requested work may be
picked up at the end of the day.
BICYCLES
Students may ride their bikes to school. These students must wear helmets.
Parents should discuss bicycle safety and review with their children the safest
route to and from school. Bicycles may not be ridden on school property. When

arriving or leaving the campus, students on bicycles are to walk their bikes.
Children should park their bikes on the bike rack located in front of the school.
BIRTHDAYS/ INVITATIONS/ GIFTS
Party invitations may not be distributed at school unless each child in the class
receives one. Teachers are not allowed to distribute addresses or phone
numbers of students in the class. Birthdays may not be celebrated at school.
Party favors are not allowed. Please do not send gifts such as balloons, flower
arrangements, etc. to the school for delivery. No gifts will be delivered during
school hours.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS/ PHONE NUMBERS
Please notify the office immediately of any change of address and/or phone
numbers for home and work. A new proof of residency (copy of lease or property
deed) and a current utility bill must be brought to the office if there is a change of
address.
CHECKOUT PROCEDURE
Early checkout from school will be permitted upon request of the parent or legal
guardian. The child will remain in class until the parent or authorized person has
signed the child out. Children will not be called to the office prior to being signed
out. There will be consequences for multiple checkouts. The student should
bring a note from home explaining reasons and time of check out. Only the
parent or designee or legal guardian may check a child out of school. Students
who become ill during school hours will be permitted to check out with parental
permission. Students must attend school until 11:30 a.m. to be counted present
for the day. The parent will be notified of the illness by school office personnel.
The parent should then come to the office to sign the checkout sheet before
taking the child home. Checkout during severe weather conditions is
strongly discouraged. Standard emergency procedures will be followed.
Parents should seek safe shelter themselves. Please do not call the school
during these times--the school lines need to stay clear.
CLOTHING
Please mark all clothing with your child’s name, especially sweaters, jackets,
gloves, and caps. A lost-and-found rack is located outside the cafeteria.
Unclaimed items will be donated to charitable organizations several times a year.
Please refer to the Code of Conduct for dress code.

COMMUNICABLE/CONTAGIOUS DISEASES/CONDITIONS
Do not allow your child to attend school when he/she has a known communicable
illness or condition. Children who are ill will not benefit from instruction and will
jeopardize the health of their fellow students and teacher.
Head Lice must be treated immediately. If you suspect your child has head lice,
please have your physician help you take the necessary steps to eliminate the
problem. A child found to have head lice will not be allowed to attend school until
all nits are off the hair. The Jefferson County Health Department has set these
restrictions.
The following guidelines should be followed with children returning to school after
an illness:
1. A child must be fever free for 24 hours without taking Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
2. Any child who vomits the night before or the morning of a school day should
stay home.
3. If a child is diagnosed with a contagious illness such as strep throat, he/she
must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
4. Pink eye: If the whites of the eyes are pink and there is a discharge, tearing,
or itching, antibiotic eye drops should be used for 24 hours before the child
returns to school.
COUNSELING SERVICES
Hall-Kent has a full-time counselor to provide guidance services to students.
Hall-Kent’s guidance counselor works closely with parents, teachers,
administrators, and other professionals to provide students with the best possible
resources and services.
The goals of the guidance program are to help children understand themselves
and others, to prevent problems from developing, to help identify students with
special needs, to develop personalized programs, to provide crisis intervention,
to provide career education activities, and to coordinate or facilitate efforts of
others (social workers, psychologists, paraprofessionals, community agencies,
etc.) with those of parents, teachers, and administrators.
The counselor works with students on an individual, group, or classroom basis.
The counseling method differs with the student, situation, etc. You don’t need to
have a problem or special reason to meet your child’s counselor.
DISCIPLINE POLICY
Refer to the Code of Conduct for Homewood City Schools.

DISMISSAL TIMES
All students are dismissed from school at 3:00. Kindergarten through first grade
students are to be picked up in the back. Second through fifth grade students
are picked up in the front.
Parents are asked not to wait in the hallways, the office or go to the classrooms
to get children. Students must not be left unattended. Children not picked up
from carpool will be sent to E.D.P. at a cost of $14 per child plus a one-time
registration fee of $25 per child for first drop-in. For the safety of your
child, we must enforce this rule.
Students will not be allowed to go back to their classroom after school to retrieve
forgotten items. This policy also applies to students in the Extended Day
Program.
DRESS CODE
Refer to the Code of Conduct for Homewood City Schools.
EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM (E.D.P.)
Hall-Kent provides an Extended Day Program for students from 3:00 until 6:00
P.M. The cost is $35 weekly and a one time registration fee of $25. Extended
Day exists to provide a relaxed, fun atmosphere where caring adults assist
children in building a positive self-image through participation in enriching
activities. Study hall is also provided. For more information, contact Mrs. Teresa
Harris in the E.D.P. office at 423-2435.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips will be planned with the principal’s approval. Written permission from
the parent or legal guardian must be obtained and filed in the principal’s office
before a student participates. Field trips serve to broaden and reinforce learning
with on-site observation in the child’s academic and cultural life. Parents are
encouraged to allow their children to participate in these supervised trips.
Policies regarding transportation of children by parents:
1. Younger siblings will not be allowed on field trips.
2. Parents will not be allowed to ride buses on most field trips and must
take their own cars.
3. Parents transporting students will be required to complete a form. Also,
a copy of driver’s license and insurance card will be required.
4. Parents who transport children should return to school immediately
following a field trip.
5. Parents are asked to refrain from smoking when transporting children.
6. Children must only ride in the back seat of the car and must wear a
seatbelt.

REMINDER
Field trip tickets are purchased in advance. If for any reason your child is
unable to attend, field trip money will not be refunded.
FIRE AND TORNADO DRILLS/ INCLEMENT WEATHER
Fire and tornado instructions are posted in each classroom. The students are
instructed on the procedures to follow in case of fire or tornado. Carefully
planned drills are held periodically to have students and staff practice the
procedures. A civil defense monitoring system is located in the office, which
constantly provides prevailing weather conditions. Teachers are alerted when a
tornado watch is in effect. The emergency drill is called as soon as a tornado
warning is received.
When the National Weather Service issues warnings, students and faculty will
proceed with established safety procedures. For the safety of the children,
parents are requested not to check students out when the school is under
emergency “Warning”. Parents should seek safe shelter. Please help keep
school telephone lines clear at this time.
If inclement weather conditions necessitate the closing of school for the day, an
announcement will be made as early as possible on local television and radio
stations regarding the Homewood City School System. When early dismissal is
necessary due to inclement weather, the same procedure will be followed. The
school’s homepage (www.homewood.k12.al.us/hallkent) will report early
dismissal. Parents should have an emergency pick-up plan for such a dismissal.
LOST AND FOUND
A student’s personal possessions should be labeled very plainly with his/her
name. This is especially important for sweaters, coats, jackets, lunchboxes, and
book bags. The lost and found is located in the hall by the cafeteria. Unclaimed
lost and found articles are donated to charitable organizations several times a
year.
HONOR CODE
In order to help children recognize, understand and practice ethical behavior, the
Hall-Kent counselor, teachers and administrators engage children in character
education conversations and lessons that encourage children to make
appropriate choices. Students, who cheat, plagiarize or claim other individual’s
work as their own will receive a zero on the assignment, parents will be

contacted and appropriate consequences will be taken.
LUNCH/BREAKFAST PROGRAM
Nutritious meals are provided for students each day. Meal prices are set at the
beginning of each school year by the Board of Education. Children must
purchase a full lunch which consists of three out of the five meal
components or they will be charged a la carte prices. The components
include milk, vegetable, fruit, entrée, and grain. Ice cream is offered on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for an extra charge. Please discuss with
your child what “extras” they are allowed to purchase. Items such as ice cream,
and additional milk will be charged to their accounts. Teachers are not
responsible for monitoring these extra purchases. Parents are encouraged to
prepay for meals by Monday or Tuesday of each week. Charge slips are sent
home each Monday. Children may not charge over 3 meals. Unfortunately,
there are times when an account is overdrawn. In this instance, a child is
provided a sandwich and a carton of milk. Every effort will be made to contact
parents when the account is overdrawn.
Parents are welcome to have lunch with their children. Parents do not have to
make reservations in order to have lunch with their child. They must first go to
the office and sign-in before meeting the class in the cafeteria. It is helpful if
parents do not join their children for lunch during the first two weeks of school
until the routine of the cafeteria is established. Visitors need to say goodbye to
students in the cafeteria. Parents are not allowed to return to the classroom or to
follow the class out for recess.
For students who do bring a lunch from home, please remember that no glass
bottles or carbonated drinks are allowed in the cafeteria and no lunches from fast
food establishments are allowed. Lunch items brought from home cannot be
heated.
The federal government provides funds for free or reduced price lunches to those
students whose parents have limited financial resources. Inquiries about this
program can be made through the school office.
MEDIA CENTER
The media center is open each school day from 7:45 - 3:15 P.M. The media
center offers a wide variety of materials for the students to use: books,
magazines, computers, and audio-visual materials. With flexible scheduling,
students may come with their teacher’s permission to the center individually or as
a group at any time during the school day. Students are responsible for the care
and safe return of all books which they borrow from the media center.

Lost books:
When a library book is lost during the school year, a note giving the title of the
lost book is sent to the parents. Parents are asked to sign this note and return it
to the media center. This enables the student to continue checking out books
while the student, the media center, and the classroom teacher continue to look
for the lost book.
Many lost books are found before the end of the school year. After inventory at
the end of the school year, parents of students who have lost books receive a
letter stating the amount they must pay for the lost or damaged book.
MEDICATION
The following guidelines must be followed regarding any medication taken at
school:
Medication, which is to be taken during school hours, must be brought to the
school nurse. A permission slip must be signed by the parent or guardian for
ANY medication to be taken at school. Prescription medication must also have a
signed form from the prescribing doctor. Prescription medication must be in
its original container. If you ask the pharmacist, he/she will split the medication
into two bottles - one to keep at home and one to keep at school. All over-thecounter
medication must be in its original container. Do not send any
medication in plastic baggies.
MONEY COLLECTION
Any money sent to school should be placed in a sealed envelope. To avoid
confusion, the student’s name, teacher’s name, and what the money is to be
used for should be clearly written on the envelope. Please send separate checks
for each item being paid. Checks returned to the school due to insufficient funds
will require a cash reimbursement and a service charge. If sending cash,
please send the exact amount, as we have no means for making change.
PARENT - TEACHER CONFERENCES
Teachers have specific times during which they are available for parent
conferences. Appointments should be made through the school office and
requested at least 24 hours in advance. Teachers are not allowed to take up
instructional time or lunch supervision time for parent conferences. We would
really appreciate your cooperation with this rule. One school day during October
of each year is designated for parent-teacher conferences. You will be contacted
by your child’s teacher to arrange a convenient time for a conference on those
days.

Any grievance or concern should first be addressed to your child’s teacher,
then the principal, and, as a last resort, to the Board of Education. Please
observe this policy.
PARENT - TEACHER ORGANIZATION (P.T.O.)
The P.T.O. is a school service and support organization. Parents are
encouraged to join and actively participate in this worthwhile organization.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Students attend physical education each day for 30 minutes. They are expected
to follow all rules and participate to the best of their ability. If any problems arise,
a Physical Education note will be sent home to notify the student’s parent.
Students are expected to wear shoes and clothing that allow them to run, play,
and sit on the ground or floor. If a student wears dress shoes, boots or sandals
to school, they are expected to bring tennis shoes to change into for P.E.
All students are required to participate in physical fitness testing twice each
school year. The tests are given in the fall and spring. Parents will receive a
note before testing begins. Students are required to bring a note from a parent or
doctor if there is any part of physical education class in which they cannot
participate. When the student cannot participate in P.E., the classroom teacher
will send him/her to the Media Center during P.E. period.
PROGRESS REPORTS AND REPORT CARDS
Report cards are sent home each nine weeks during the school year. Interim
reports are sent at the midpoint of each grading period. Parents are requested
to sign the reports to show that they have examined the grades and remarks.
Interim reports and report cards should then be returned to the child’s
teacher immediately. Newsletters will be sent home with the report cards.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
To register a child for school, the following items must be presented: an original
certified birth certificate, the child’s Social Security card, the child’s immunization
form, and proof of residency in the city of Homewood (copy of lease or property
deed in the custodial parent’s name) as well as a copy of a current utility bill.
Registration folders will be sent home in the spring of each school year so that
registration for the following school year can be made.

SAFETY PATROL
A group of fifth grade students work with the administration and faculty to provide
assistance to students and parents during the heavy traffic times before and after
school. Parents and students are asked to cooperate with the safety patrol in the
performance of their duties.
SCHOOL PICTURES
Individual school pictures are made in the fall. Parents are under no obligation
to purchase these pictures. Class pictures are made second semester of each
year.
SPECIAL and REMEDIAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
SECTION 504 OF THE DISABILITIES ACT
Students with disabilities not covered by Special Education may receive
appropriate accommodations and modifications under Section 504 of the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
See CHILD FIND information on back page.
SPECIAL EDUCATION and GIFTED
SERVICES:
EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION
Children with disabilities may enroll in this program when they reach their third
birthday and have met the eligibility requirements. Referrals may be made by
parents, pediatricians, birth-age 2 programs, or other schools. Our goal is to
provide early intervention which will address specific challenges these children
face.
GIFTED EDUCATION
State guidelines must be followed in the placement of students in gifted
education.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education services are provided to students with the following disabilities:
deaf/blind, hearing impaired, visually impaired, mentally retarded, specific
learning disability, speech and language impaired, other health impaired,
orthopedically impaired, emotional conflict, autism, traumatic brain injury, multiple
disabilities, and developmentally delayed.

TITLE I SERVICES
Hall-Kent is fortunate to be able to offer a Title I Reading Program, which is
funded through a federal grant. The Title I Reading Program is designed to help
children who are below grade level in reading and meet the requirements to
attain grade level performance. Title I Reading is not a special education
program but a remediation program that works in cooperation with the regular
classroom teacher to help students become more successful.
SUPPLIES
Students are expected to arrive at school each day with necessary supplies. No
supplies will be sold at school. If parents must bring forgotten supplies or books
to school, they must leave them in the office.
TARDIES
Teaching begins at 8:00 each day. Any student not in his/her classroom at that
time is registered tardy. A student who arrives late to school must go to the
office to check in. Students without a written doctor’s excuse will be admitted
with an unexcused tardy. If a student has four unexcused tardies in a nine-week
grading period, a letter of notification will be sent to the parents. For students
tardy or checked out five or more times, the following consequences will occur:
4 tardies/check outs = warning
5 tardies/check outs = 1 day of detention hall/recess penalty
6 tardies/check outs = 2 days of detention hall/recess
penalty
7 tardies/check outs = 3 days of detention hall/parental visit to the school
8 tardies/check outs (and each subsequent offense) = in-school
suspension
Repeated offenses may result in suspension from school.
TOYS AT SCHOOL
Please do not allow your child to bring toys and games to school unless
requested to do so by your child’s teacher. These are a distraction in the
classroom and may be lost or damaged. Any inappropriate items, including
electronic games, brought to school without the teacher’s permission will be
taken up by the teacher.
TRAFFIC
Your child will be issued a carpool number at the beginning of the year. You
must have this number to pick-up your child. If you do not have a number
displayed, you will need to park and come to office for a new number.
Kindergarten and through first grade students are dropped off and picked up at

the back entrance. Second through fifth grade students should use the front
door. Students should enter cars from the sidewalk only. They will not be
allowed to meet you at the street. To facilitate a smoother flow of traffic, parents
are requested to cooperate with the safety patrol and teachers on duty. Please
comply with signals to move forward in order to close gaps left by cars having
completed a pickup. Vehicles should never be left unattended in the loading
area.
TELEPHONE
The office telephone number is 423-2430. The telephone is for school business
and emergency use. The telephone may be used by students in case of illness
or emergency. Messages will only be delivered in case of emergency. Please
be sure your child understands any afternoon plans or instructions before you
drop him/her off at school each morning. Students are encouraged to take
responsibility for bringing necessary items to school each day. The use of the
telephone for this purpose is discouraged.
TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks are issued to the students free of charge. Since these books are the
property of the State of Alabama, any damage or loss of the books will result in
liability of the student and the parent.
VISITORS
Visitors must report to the school office and obtain a visitor’s pass to visit in the
school building or other places on the school premises. Remember appointments
to visit the teacher or classroom must be made 24 hours in advance. Under no
circumstances should visitors go to the classroom without checking in through
the office. When checking students in and out of school, parents should leave or
meet their child in the office.
VOLUNTEERS
We are grateful for literally hundreds of volunteer hours given to Hall-Kent School
each year by parents and other volunteers. A register is located on the office
counter for volunteers to sign in and out.

Child Find
Information
Pursuant with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Alabama Act
106, Homewood City Schools offers special programs for children with disabilities
and for children who are gifted. Child Find is an attempt to locate and provide
appropriate educational and related services to all children with disabilities
between birth and age 21 and all school age children who are gifted who reside
within the city limits of Homewood.
Students who are gifted perform at high levels in academic and creative fields
when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. These
students who are found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all
areas of human endeavor, require services not ordinarily provided by the regular
school program. Students are determined eligible either by their full-scale IQ score
or by a matrix of multiple criteria containing aptitude, characteristics, and
performance indicators.
If you are the parent of a child between the ages of 3 and 21 with disabilities or a
gifted child residing within the city limits of Homewood who is not receiving
services, Homewood Board of Education, 870-4203.