School Board Policies
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Composition of the School Board
Interrelationship of Faculty and School Board
Archdiocesan Policies
The Elementary School Policies of the Archdiocese of Chicago ("Archdiocesan Policies") are hereby incorporated into the School Board Policies by reference. The Archdiocesan Policies shall take precedence in any perceived conflict with the School Board Policies.
Policy-Making Body
The School Board is a policy-making body. As warranted, the School Board may adopt policies on issues not specifically addressed by the Archdiocesan Policies, or may expand upon certain Archdiocesan Policies in order to best ensure that the spirit of the Archdiocesan Policies is applied to St. Cletus School.
School Policies
The School Board Policies contained in this document represent the core policies of St. Cletus School. The principal shall implement and enforce ancillary school policies, rules, and procedures based on the School Board Policies and on the principal’s general authority as conferred by the Archdiocese. These ancillary policies, rules, and procedures shall be published in the St. Cletus School Parent-Student Handbook ("the Handbook") and distributed to all school families on an annual basis.
Advisory Role
The School Board acts in an advisory capacity to the pastor. Accordingly, no policy may be adopted by the School Board without consent of the pastor.
Composition of the School Board
The composition and activities of the School Board shall be governed by the St. Cletus School Board Constitution. The School Board shall consist of:
- The pastor
- No less than 8 and no more than 12 elected members
- A representative of the Family School Association
- A representative of the Athletic Association
The principal shall be the executive officer of the School Board and have voice, but no vote, in its deliberation.
Interrelationship of Faculty and School Board
Faculty members shall relate to the School Board through the principal, and the School Board shall relate to the faculty through the principal. (Archdiocesan Policy #188). In the interest of fostering a sound relationship with the school faculty, the School Board shall sponsor at least one social event annually for all faculty members.
School Environment
General environment: St. Cletus School shall provide an environment of academic excellence, and one in which the children learn to interact successfully in group situations guided by Christian principles.
Health and safety: St. Cletus School shall use its best efforts to maintain the health and safety of all persons on school grounds. To that end, St. Cletus School shall:
- Take measures to limit access to the school building during regular school hours.
- Comply with the laws of the State of Illinois which require that all students submit evidence of a current physical examination and immunization against communicable diseases upon entrance to the school for the first time, and every four years thereafter.
- Require parents to report instances of contagious diseases to the school office.
- Forbid medication from being kept in a classroom or in a student’s possession, except as approved by the principal.
- Require parents of students participating in extracurricular sports programs to demonstrate that the student is covered by a health insurance policy.
- Require parents to provide written consent to the school before a student is permitted to go on a field trip with his/her class.
- Take measures to make available modes of transportation for student field trips which, in the judgment of the principal, adhere to reasonable standards of safety.
- Clearly indicate in the Handbook that parents shall be responsible for the safety of students traveling to and from school.
Closed campus: For reasons of student safety and optimal use of the school day and school resources, all students shall remain on school grounds from the time school starts at 8:15 A.M. until dismissal at 2:45 P.M. The principal may approve absences and early dismissals as described in the Archdiocesan Policies and the Handbook.
Evaluation of the Instructional Program
The principal shall be responsible for evaluating the various elements of the instructional program on a continuing basis. At a minimum, the principal shall apprise the School Board of the progress and the results of the evaluation at one School Board meeting during each school year.
School Admissions
St. Cletus School admits students of any race, color, sex, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of St. Cletus School. When considering applicants for admission to St. Cletus School, the following order of acceptance shall be used:
- Children of parishioners with siblings already enrolled at St. Cletus School
- Children of parishioners now reaching school age with no siblings enrolled at St. Cletus School
- Children from families newly moved into the parish and whose children have been in Catholic schools
- Children of parishioners who are transferring from public schools.
- All other applicants, evaluated on a case-by-case basis
Tuition
Tuition amount: St. Cletus School shall charge an appropriate tuition determined by the following factors:
- the cost of operating the school
- the willingness and ability of the parish and the Archdiocese to continue to support the ministry of education
- the need to minimize financial support from the parish and/or Archdiocese
- the tuition charged by local schools of similar vocation
In light of the significant financial support provided by the parish to the school, a higher tuition shall be charged for students enrolled at St. Cletus School whose families are not participating parishioners of St. Cletus Parish. The annual tuition rate for students whose families are not participating parishioners shall be equal to the annual per-capita cost of operating St. Cletus School.
Tuition collection: When enrolling children at St. Cletus School, families explicitly accept responsibility for paying tuition at the published rates and schedules which are distributed to all school families. Families who anticipate being unable to pay tuition at the published rates and schedules are expected to disclose this fact to the principal as early as possible. Upon such disclosure, families may apply for tuition assistance. A Tuition Assistance Committee consisting of the pastor, the principal, and a designated representative of the School Board shall determine whether, and to what extent, tuition assistance may be available for families who have a demonstrated need for such assistance. All applications for tuition assistance must be accompanied by the applicant’s most recent federal tax return. The principal shall inform the School Board Finance Committee of all tuition assistance granted. St. Cletus School shall take the following action when tuition is not paid as agreed within 30 days of the required payment date, the term "as agreed" meaning at the published rates/schedules modified in specific cases by the Tuition Assistance Committee.
- The principal shall send a reminder letter to the family. When a tuition payment is past due by more than 60 days, either the principal, the pastor, or a designated representative of the School Board shall contact the family by phone in order to determine a course of corrective action to bring the tuition obligation current.
- Interest shall be charged at a rate of 1% per month on the amount past due. If the calculation of the monthly interest charge at the 1% rate totals less than $10, then a minimum fee of $10 will be charged for that month.
- Student report cards shall be made available only upon a meeting between the parents and the principal to determine a course of corrective action to bring the tuition obligation current.
- Students shall not be permitted to register for a new school year or to graduate.
Student Issues
Attire: Students at St. Cletus School shall wear uniforms. The principal shall be responsible for selecting the style of uniforms and for implementing and enforcing procedures governing proper attire. Prior to making any material change in the style of attire or procedures regarding attire, the principal shall present the matter to the School Board for review and recommendation.
Class size: St. Cletus School shall endeavor to limit K-8 class size to no more than 32 students and no less than 16 students. When the principal deems it necessary to reduce class size by dividing the class, the principal shall present the matter to the School Board for review and recommendation.
Absences: All student absences must be excused by the principal. Extended student absence is discouraged, but the final decision shall be the responsibility of the parents. (Archdiocesan Policy #319)
Physical Activities: St. Cletus School shall provide a balanced physical activities program including physical education, intramural sports, and interscholastic sports. The entire program shall be designed to afford participation for interested students, and shall be governed by the principal.
Probation/Suspension/Expulsion: The principal may put a student on probation and/or remove the student from participation in any school-related activities for academic or behavioral problems. The principal may suspend or expel a student from school for a serious breach of conduct or unwillingness to conform to the rules and procedures contained in the Handbook.
Parent Issues
General communication with parents: The School Board, in conjunction with the school, shall issue a newsletter to parents at least twice each year. In addition, the School Board shall annually review the need for a questionnaire to be distributed to all parents to solicit their opinion on school policies and programs. The School Board shall approve the content of any such questionnaire and shall appoint a committee to review the responses and present its evaluation of such responses to the School Board.
Individual communication with parents: Report cards shall be issued for grades 1-8 four times annually. The school shall provide two formal opportunities for parent-teacher conferences annually. In order to minimize learning or disciplinary problems among the student body, the appropriate school representative (faculty member or principal) shall notify parents about developing problems as soon as practicable. Parent interviews shall be scheduled if the problems are potentially serious.
Involvement of parents: In order to promote an enriched curriculum, the school shall seek qualified volunteers to provide instruction and guidance in subject areas not covered by the general curriculum. This instruction or guidance may take the form of seminars or mini-courses and may be available during or outside school hours. All such programs shall be under the direction of the principal.
Issues raised by parents: Parents with concerns specific to their child but not necessarily relating to the school policies and procedures as laid out in the Handbook and the School Board Policies are encouraged to voice such concerns to the most appropriate school representative, be it a faculty member or the principal. Concerns not resolved by a faculty member or to the satisfaction of a parent may be raised with the principal. All issues regarding school policy and procedures should be raised with the principal. Parents are always invited to put their concerns in writing to the School Board chairperson. The School Board chairperson will ensure that all such letters are reviewed by the School Board and receive an appropriate response. The disposition of such matters shall be included in the permanent record of the School Board.
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