Student Body Policies

Bullying, teen dating violence, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student's ability to learn and a school's ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal. Teen dating violence occurs whenever a student who is 13 to 19 years of age uses or threatens to use physical, mental or emotional abuse to control an individual in the dating relationship, or uses or threatens to use sexual violence in the dating relationship. The District will fully implement and enforce board policies prohibiting bullying, teen dating violence intimidation and harassment, including Policy 7:180, Preventing Bullying Intimidation, and Harassment; Policy 7:190, Student Discipline; 7:310, Restrictions on Publications and Written or Electronic Material; 7:20 Harassment of Students Prohibited, and 7:185 Teen Dating Violence Prohibited. Copies of those policies are available on the Argo website.

The District’s Policy on Bullying (7:180) is as follows:

Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal.

Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, military status, unfavorable discharge status from military services, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender-related identity or expression, ancestry, age, religion, physical or mental disability, order of protection status, or actual or potential marital status, association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing characteristic is prohibited. No student shall be subjected to bullying:

1. During any school sponsored education program or activity.
2. While in school, on school property, on school buses or other school vehicles, at designated school bus stops waiting for the school bus, or at school sponsored or school sanctioned events or activities.
3. Through the transmission of information from a school computer, a school computer network, or other similar electronic school equipment.
4. Through the transmission of information from a computer that is accessed at non-school-related location, activity, function, or program or from the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by the School District or school if the bullying causes a substantial disruption to the educational process or orderly operation of a school. This paragraph (#4) applies only when a school administrator or teacher receives a report that bullying through this means has occurred; it does not require staff members to monitor any non-school-related activity, function, or program.

For purposes of this policy, the term bullying includes cyberbullying and means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

1. Placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property;
2. Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health;
3. Substantially interfering with the student’s academic performance; or
4. Substantially interfering with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
5. Bullying, intimidation, and/or harassment may take various forms, including without limitation one or more of the following: threats, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. For purposes of this policy, the term bullying includes harassment, intimidation, retaliation, and school violence.

Bullying Prevention and Response Plan

The Superintendent or designee shall develop and maintain a program that fully implements and enforces each of the following Board policies:

• 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure. This policy contains the process for an individual to seek resolution of a complaint. A student may use this policy to complain about bullying. The District Complaint Manager shall address the complaint promptly and equitably. After an investigation, the Complaint Manager shall file a written report of his or her findings with the Superintendent for his or her action. The student may appeal any decision to the Board.
• Where appropriate in the staff development program, providing strategies to staff members to effectively prevent bullying and intervene when it occurs.
• Establishing a process for staff members to fulfill their obligation to report alleged acts of bullying.
• The Superintendent or designee will encourage all members of the school community, including students, parents, volunteers, and visitors, to report: (a) alleged acts of bullying, intimidation, harassment, and other acts of actual or threatened violence, and (b) locations on school grounds where additional supervision or monitoring may be needed to prevent bullying.
• The Superintendent or designee will communicate the District’s expectation that all students conduct themselves with a proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students. This includes a process for commending or acknowledging students for demonstrating appropriate behavior.
• The Superintendent or designee will annually communicate this policy to students and their parents/guardians. This includes annually disseminating information to all students and parents/guardians explaining the serious disruption caused by bullying, intimidation, or harassment and that these behaviors will be taken seriously and are not acceptable in any form.
• The District will engage in ongoing monitoring that includes collecting and analyzing appropriate data on the nature and extent of bullying in the District’s schools and, after identifying appropriate indicators, assesses the effectiveness of the various strategies, programs, and procedures and reports the results of this assessment to the Board along with recommendations to enhance effectiveness. The District will post this information on the website.
• The District will ensure that this policy complies with State and federal law and is in alignment with Board policies. This includes prompting the Board to update the policy beginning every 2 years after its initial adoption and filing this policy with the Illinois State Board of Education after the Board adopts or updates it.

Bullying is contrary to State law and the policy of the District. This policy is not intended, however, to infringe upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise of religion or religiously based views protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or under Section 3 or 4 of Article 1 of the Ill. Constitution.

LEGAL REF.:

405 ILS 49/, Children's Mental Health Act. 105 ILCS 5/10-20.14, 5/24-24, and 5/27-23.7. 23 Ill. Admin. Code §§1.240 and §1.280.

CROSS REF.: 2:240 (Board Policy Development), 2:260 (Uniform Grievance Procedure), 4:170 (Safety), 5:230 (Maintaining Student Discipline), 6:60 (Curriculum Content), 6:65 (Student Social and Emotional Development), 6:235 (Access to Electronic Networks), 7:20 (Harassment of Stu- dents Prohibited), 7:185 (Teen Dating Violence Prohibited), 7:190 (Student Discipline), 7:220 (Bus Conduct), 7:230 (Misconduct by Students with Disabilities), 7:240 (Conduct Code for Participants in Extracurricular Activities), 7:285 (Food Allergy Management Program), 7:310 (Restrictions on Publications)

Argo Community High School expects that all students will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or for any school sponsored event. Student dress choices should respect the District’s intent to sustain a community that is inclusive of a diverse range of identities. The primary responsibility for a student’s attire resides with the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s). The school district is responsible for seeing that student attire does not interfere with the educational environment, health or safety of any student, and that student attire does not contribute to a hostile or intimidating atmosphere. Ensure that all students are treated equitably regardless of race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religion.

Students must be dressed fully from the shoulder to the mid-thigh; this clothing cannot be see-through or reveal undergarments. Slits or splits in clothing should be modest and appropriate for an academic setting.    Students shall not wear halter tops, garments with spaghetti straps, or strapless garments. Garments that are “see-through”, cut low, or expose one’s midriff or undergarments, are not acceptable. Sleeveless garments must extend from the neck to the end of the shoulder cap and fit closely under the arms. Undergarments must not be visible, when either standing or sitting. Sleepwear and/or pajamas are not to be worn unless on designated spirit days.

STUDENTS CANNOT WEAR:

• Violent language or images.
• Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol (or any illegal item or activity).
• Hate speech, profanity, pornography.
• Images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment.
• Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon.
• Any item that obscures the face or ears (except as a religious observance) including hoods, baseball caps, and do-rags. Headbands are permitted as long as they do not obscure the face or ears.
• Outwear (coats, gloves, hats, scarves, jackets and sunglasses)
• Any item of clothing or accessory which suggests or reflects gang affiliation.

DRESS CODE ENFORCEMENT:

• Students in violation of this policy will be provided options to be dressed to code during the school day:
• Students will be asked to put on their own alternative clothing, if already available at school, to be dressed to code for the remainder of the day.
• Students will be provided with temporary school clothing to be dressed more to code for the remainder of the day.

These dress code guidelines shall apply to regular school days and summer school days, as well as any school-related events and activities, such as graduation ceremonies, dances and prom.

For the safety and security of the school community, all members of the Argo community must wear an ID on them at all times in the building and must carry their ID at school related events. Students may be required to scan their ID to gain entrance to the school building, to check into a common location in the building (IT Help, LRC, Nurse, etc.), to attend school events, to board a school bus, or to pay for a meal in the Cafeteria. Consequences for not wearing an ID will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Students are required to present an ID to any staff member who asks for it.

Students without IDs must report to the Main Entrance to receive a temporary ID for the day.  A fee will be assessed for a new ID after a student has requested 5 temporary IDs.

It is against school policy to be in possession of or use of any tobacco products (cigarette, e-cigarettes/vape pens, vape cartridges loose tobacco, chewing tobacco, liquid tobacco, vape paraphernalia, etc.) or paraphernalia (lighters, matches, and rolling papers, etc.), regardless of the age of the student, on school grounds, on property adjacent to the school, or at any school function.  Vape detectors are used on school grounds. Tobacco products and paraphernalia will be confiscated and not returned.

Substance Abuse Referral

Students who demonstrate behaviors in school, at school-related activities, or on school property, that suggest or indicate possible substance use/abuse may be required to participate in a district approved substance abuse program for an initial screening. Students who fail to comply with the initial screening may be subject to disciplinary action.