School Policies and Information

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Please refer to the Deep Creek High School Student Handbook for all school policies and student information.
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Bell Schedule

Block or Lunch	Begins	Ends
Block 1	8:40 a.m.	10:12 a.m.
Block 2	10:19 a.m.	11:51 a.m.
Block 3	11:57 a.m.	2:00 p.m.
1st Lunch	11:51 a.m.	12:21 p.m.
2nd Lunch	12:26 p.m.	12:56 p.m.
3rd Lunch	1:01 p.m.	1:31 p.m.
4th Lunch	1:36 p.m.	2:06 p.m.
Block 4	2:06 p.m.	3:38 p.m.

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Academic Program

The grading system used is the 4.0 alphabetical system with the quality points and numerical equivalents distributed as follows:

Letter Grade	Quality Points	Numerical Points
A	4.0	100 - 94
B	3.0	93 - 86
C	2.0	85 - 78
D	1.0	77 - 70
E	0.0	69 - 0

Verified Credits

The 22-credit diploma requires verified SOL credits as follows:

• 2 in English
• 1 in Mathematics
• 1 in a laboratory Science
• 1 in History / Social Science
• 1 of student's choice

The 24-credit diploma requires verified SOL credits as follows:

• 2 in English
• 2 in Mathematics
• 2 in a laboratory Science
• 2 in History / Social Science
• 1 of student's choice

Honor Roll

Honor Roll status represents a 3.0 or "B" average with no grade lower than a 2.0 or "C".

Honors and Advanced Placement Courses

These courses are available for students who are above average learners and who wish to pursue more difficult studies. AP courses cover college-level course content. Upon completion of an AP examination, college credit MAY be awarded. Weighted grades for honors and AP courses are used for college admissions purposes.

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Student Honor Code

Deep Creek High School faculty and administration expect students to demonstrate honesty and integrity in actions and in school work.  A student must submit only his/her original work for evaluation with appropriate documentation justifying resource material(s).  Work which fails this standard, or cheating in any form, is a violation of the Honor Code.  A student who witnesses a violation of the Honor Code may speak to any teacher or administrator.  The student alleged to have violated the Honor Code may be called to appear before the Honor Council.

Honor Offenses:  A violation of the Honor Code is defined as receiving or supplying illegal assistance on assigned work.  Violations include: 

• Copying someone else's classwork, homework, quiz, composition, or test by manual OR electronic means (i.e. computer, data disk, print out or any process of duplication
• Having someone else do his/her work by manual OR electronic means
• Allowing someone to copy his/her work by manual OR electronic means
• Looking at someone else's paper or computer screen during a quiz, test, or exam, allowing another student to look at his/her work, or making a copy/printout for another person
• Using a textbook, class notes, or prepared "cheat notes" on a closed book test.
• Exchanging papers with another student during a test
• Giving or receiving written or oral answers during a test
• Securing a copy of a test prior to taking it
• Failing to turn in a test or quiz paper at the teacher's designated time during class
• Removing a test paper from the classroom without permission
• Relaying information or accepting information concerning test items and/or format
• Plagiarizing- - Using or copying material or ideas from another source and submitting it as his/her own without giving proper credit to the source
• Taking a test for another student
• Falsifying data or information (scientific, experimental, bibliographic, etc.)
• Communicating in any form to a fellow student during a test or quiz without prior permission from the class teacher
• Changing a student's name on a printout/hard copy
• Other offenses not previously mentioned

Evidence:  Evidence may include one or more of the following examples:

• The student's papers, either handwritten or printout, where similarities exceed the probability of chance
• Handwriting comparisons
• Eye witness (must be willing to testify)
• Cheat notes
• Unauthorized possession or a test or practice sets
• The original source (i.e. books, magazines, websites)
• Unauthorized possession of computer diskettes
• Duplicate copies of files from computer directories
• Duplicate copies of hard copy

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Study Hall

Monday through Friday, Study Hall is provided for students who are experiencing difficulty in their classes or just want a quiet place to study. Teachers from all subject areas remain after school to offer assistance. Study Hall is held from 3:45 to 4:35 p.m. in room 204 and 205. School bus #40 and #33 provide transportation home. Kim Woodhouse is the Study Hall Advisor.

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Attendance Policy

Students must be regular and punctual in attendance. Excessive unexcused absence from school is harmful to academic development. On days when it is necessary for a student to be absent, parents are requested to call the school that morning. The attendance office will accept telephone calls beginning at 7:20 a.m. each morning. All parents will be notified by a computerized telephone call in the evening of the day of a student's absence. The attendance office telephone number is 494-7523.

A secondary student shall not be granted credit for a course if absences from class total more than nine (9) class periods for an annual course regardless of the reason unless extenuating circumstances are established.

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Attendance Procedures

Written notes are required for an absence to be excused. If a student does not present a valid parent/guardian note, then the absence is considered unexcused.  Phone calls cannot be used as a substitute for a written note.  When a student returns to school after an absence, they must have a written note, which states:

1. Student's name
2. Reason for the absence
3. Signature of parent or guardian
4. Phone number where the parent or guardian can be reached

This note is to be given to the first block teacher who will then issue a class admittance slip. All the student's teacher must sign this class admittance slip.  If there are questions about an attendance problem, call the attendance office at 558-5311.

Excused absences include:

• Sickness of student
• Severe illness or death in the immediate family
• Exposure to a contagious disease
• Religious holiday
• Subpoenaed for a court appearance
• Severe inclement weather

Absence for any reason other than those stated above must be with advance permission from the Principal.

Request for an excused absence should be submitted in writing three (3) days prior to the absence.  The parent / guardian will be required to state the reason and times of the pending absence(s). Class work should be completed before the absences.

A student must be in a class a minimum of sixty (60) minutes to be considered in attendance.  A secondary student shall NOT earn credit for a course if absences from a class total more than nine (9) class periods for a course in any one term.  A notice will be given to the student when he or she reaches three (3) class absences.  Notices will be sent to parents/guardians when a student reaches their 6th and 9th class absence.  On the 10th class absence, the parent/guardian will receive notice that the student will fail the class unless he or she participates in the Extended Day Program.

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Signing In / Out During School Hours

Students arriving late to school during first block (8:40-9:00) will report directly to the commons area.  After 9:00 a.m., students should report to the attendance office, present a written excuse from a parent or guardian, obtain an admittance slip, and then go directly to first block.  The attendance clerk will issue an "excused or unexcused" admittance slip.

Any student who needs to leave school prior to dismissal must bring a note from a parent or guardian indicating the time, reason, and means of transportation.  This note must be submitted to the student's homeroom teacher at he beginning of first block.  The teacher will provide the student with a "Permission to Leave School" slip.  This form must be shown to the attendance clerk before leaving school.  Students who do not submit a note from a parent or guardian will not be permitted to leave school unless the parent/guardian contacts the attendance office and requests an early dismissal.  Students are not permitted to sign out early on exam days.

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Make-Up Work Policy

The student is responsible for requesting and completing all work missed in a timely manner. Timeliness shall be determined by the nature of the assignments missed, the number of days of absence, and the grade level of the student. Any work not made up will result in a zero. Work assigned during the time the student is absent will be made-up according to the following schedule:

• One days' absence - two days will be allowed to make-up work.
• Two days' absences - three days will be allowed for make-up work.
• Three days' absences - four days will be allowed to make-up work.
• Four or more days' absences - a conference will be held between teacher and student immediately upon the student's return to school to discuss a make-up work schedule.

Work missed which cannot be made up at home (e.g. laboratory experiments, laboratory experience, direct teaching) shall be made up at the discretion of the teacher through alternative assessment or during time provided before and after school or during lunch. In some cases, it may be necessary to allow the work to remain ungraded and to average the student's nine-week, semester, or annual grade based on the work submitted. In such cases, the student's grade shall reflect the degree to which the student met the aims and objectives of the course.

In the case of intentional absences (e.g., skipping an individual class or an entire school day), students shall not be permitted to make up work for credit and shall receive a zero for any graded work assigned on the day of the absence. A maximum of ten school days will be allowed for a student to make-up work when he/she has been absent four or more consecutive days.

Students who are absent unexcused from school for reasons such as in-school suspension will be allowed to make-up work only within a reasonable period of time.

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Extended Day Program

The Extended Day Program has been established to help students who could fail due to absences.  Students who are close to nine days absence from any one class may choose to attend the Extended Day Program to redeem a maximum of 5 days per course during a term. A student may redeem one class for one extended day period. Mrs. Metzger will track students' attendance, and provide documentation for the appropriate teacher and the Assistant Principal. The 90-minute period will be from 3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m. in Mrs. Metzger's classroom (702) on the following dates:

Students who have excessive absences and have not attended any extended day programs may not be considered for extenuating circumstances by the principal. Students may not redeem days in any other teacher's classroom other than the designated room for the Extended Day Program. If a student fails to report on time or leave early, the time will not be counted. Students must bring assignments to work on or they will be asked to leave. Students must provide their own transportation home from school. A student may not redeem a day for a class which he/she has cut or skipped.

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Discipline Policies

The administration of Deep Creek High School does not tolerate any disruption of the educational process.  Any student who repeatedly fails to comply with directions of teachers or other authorized school personnel may not remain in school.  The following is a list of discipline offenses and possible penalties.  This list is designed to assist staff, students, and parents in understanding what is expected if these infractions occur.  The infractions listed are not intended to be all-inclusive and modifications may be made at the discretion of the Principal.  Each individual administrator can modify penalties whenever extenuating circumstances are present.  

Student Conduct

School Board policies outline certain rights and responsibilities that students must observe at all times. Regulations control misconduct and ensure the safety of each student. Students are to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the educational purpose of the school. The following is a list of topics related to student conduct.

In School Suspension (ISS)

When a student earns in-school suspension, he/she will be assigned work that is designed to provide a positive learning and educational experience.  No regular class grade credit is awarded for these assignments.  On the day of suspension, the student arrives at school and reports directly to the suspension room instead of regular class.  To be readmitted to regular class, the student must satisfactorily complete all assignments.  After the second all-day ISS, students will be assigned OSS for additional offenses.  ISS does not count as an absence from school.

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Dress Code

A proper educational climate requires appropriate appearance, fragrance, and self respect of the part of all pupils and faculty.  Teachers will not tolerate conduct in dress or appearance, which is disrespectful, dangerous to the health and welfare of the student, or disruptive to classroom decorum.  Schools have the responsibility to guide students so that they may become employable in the future.  Students attend school to prepare themselves for an occupation and future employment.  Personal appearance may often affect the ability to be employed.  Violations of the Deep Creek High School dress code will not be tolerated and students may be subject to suspension.  Chesapeake School board policy 9-33 supports each school the development of a dress code.

Regarding Male Students:

• Young men must wear shirts, trousers, walking shorts, shoes, or sandals with socks.
• Walking shorts can be worn, but short shorts may not be worn.
• Shirts are not to be worn opened so as to expose the chest. Tank tops are not permitted.
• Pants must be buckled or fastened around the waist.
• Hats or head covering must not be worn inside the building before, during, or after school hours.
• Belts must be buckled or fastened.
• Shirttails must be worn inside unless the shirt was designed to be worn outside.
• Dress jeans may be worn; however, no slacks or jeans with holes, slits, or tears may be worn. All pants and shirts must be hemmed.
• Hair care devices such as rakes, hats, and/or combs are not to be worn in school. Sunglasses are prohibited.

Regarding Female Students

• Young ladies may wear blouses, skirts, dresses, slacks or walking shorts.
• Dresses, skirts and shorts must be of sufficient length to avoid distraction or embarrassment. Rule of thumb: Length should be at least "finger tip."
• Backless dresses and short shorts are not be worn in school.
• Complete blouses must be worn which do not expose the back and/or midriff.
• See-through blouses must not be worn. Low neck tank tops and spaghetti straps may NOT be worn.
• Young ladies must wear shoes or sandals. Bare feet are not permitted.
• Hair setting devices, rakes, hats, and/or combs are not to be worn in school. Sunglasses are prohibited.
• Jeans may be worn, however, no jeans or slacks with holes, slits, or tears may be worn. All pants and shirts must be hemmed.

No student is allowed to wear inappropriate clothing, which would include an apparel which may be revealing or that portrays any lewd, immoral, offensive, racial, or sexual message(s). This includes words, pictures, flags, emblems, or symbols.  Clothing should not be altered so as to draw attention.  This included rolled up pants leg or legs.

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Lockout Policy

Students who are not in class and prepared for instruction when the bell sounds are considered tardy to class.  Students who are tardy must report to an administrator in the commons area.  The administrator will record the student's tardy, and will provide the student with a pass to enter class.

1. First tardy - warning
2. Second tardy - warning
3. Third tardy - warning
4. Fourth tardy - ISS for one block
5. Fifth tardy _ ISS for full day
6. Six or more tardies - OSS

This policy is repeated for every nine (9) weeks period.

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