Parent Student Handbook

Download the complete 2018-19 Parent Student Handbook for Sharpstown High School below:

Also included below are sections from the handbook in English and Spanish, called What to do if? (remedios y respuestas).

What to do if….

You wish to receive up-to-the-minute announcements from the school?

Be sure that we have the correct phone number for you on file here at the school.  Next, for school updates, follow us on Remind by texting @cc3kbe to 81010.  Follow us on Twitter at SharpstownApollos@iamsharpstown.

You are out of dress code?

If you are out of dress code, you must go to the School Climate Deans’ office (D126) to discuss the reason for your dress code violation.  Your parent may be called to bring you a change of clothing, or you may be issued a disciplinary referral, and/or you may spend the day in Reflection (Sharpstown’s In-School Suspension program).

You are late for first period?

If you arrive late for first period (after 8:30 am), you should go to the front area, main office to obtain a pass to class.

You are a parent or student and would like to track your student’s (or your own) attendance and progress?

Parent Student Connect (PSC) allows registered users (i.e., parents and students) to log in to access a variety of student information, see class assignments and school calendars, and even communicate electronically with teachers. Users can also choose to have an e-mail or text message sent if a child's grades drop below a selected average or is absent or tardy to class.

Information that PSC provides access to includes:

• Period and Daily Attendance
• Class Schedules and Assignments
• Progress Reports
• Report Cards
• Standardized Test Results
• Curriculum Resources
• Parent and Student Resources

To get started, log in or register at www.houstonisd.org/PSC. Parents will need the following information to complete registration:

• Student ID number (HISD)
• Student date of birth
• Last five digits of student’s Social Security number if on file with HISD. If not on file, use the last five digits of the “S-Number” provided to your child by HISD. Please call the school if you do not know this number.

Students may use this service as well.

You are returning after an absence?

Go to the Attendance Office in the Main Office immediately upon your return to school with a note explaining the reason for your absence written by and signed by your parent or guardian.  Your student ID number should also be on the note, as well as your name and the date of your absence.  If you do not follow this procedure, you may be in danger of losing class credit because of your absences. 

You wish to leave campus for lunch?

Sharpstown HS is a closed campus.  You should not leave the campus without the permission of a Dean.

You need to leave school early?

Your parent or guardian, or another person who is designated by your parent or guardian on the enrollment form, may pick you up.  They should go to the Main Office.  Only a person designated on the enrollment sheet at the beginning of the year (or updated by the parent or guardian later) is authorized to check out any student.

You need to use a telephone?

Cell phones are allowed on campus but may not be used during the school’s instructional hours without the permission of a faculty or staff member. Lunch time is not an instructional time. 

If you are ill, you should see the Grade Level Dean or the School Climate Deans who may refer you to Nurse Coleman.

You have lost a computer or a personal item?

You may report all thefts to the School Climate Deans’ office (D126) and to one of the HISD Police Officers.  An incident report must be completed to properly document stolen items.  Please keep a copy of the incident report for your records.  This will serve as proof of theft. We devote every possible human resource to teaching and learning.  While theft is an important issue, we must limit the time devoted to investigating a report, unless there is timely and factual information associated with the potential culprit.

You need to leave your classroom?

Ask for permission from your teacher and obtain a hall pass.  No students are allowed in the hallways without a hall pass that has your name, date, time and destination. In addition, students are not allowed outside of the class for any reason other than legitimate emergency situations during the first or last 10 minutes of class time. Students in hallways without hall passes are subject to disciplinary action.

You have questions, concerns or need advice?

Go to your Grade Level Dean’s Office and make an appointment.  Return to class and the Dean will send for you.  Your Grade Level Dean will hear your concerns and decide who might be best able to offer you help; whether that is the School Climate Dean’s Office, Communities in Schools (CIS), our school psychologist, or some other caring adult.

You become ill or injured during school?

Obtain a permit from your teacher and go to the clinic to see Nurse Coleman. Once you arrive at the clinic, you must sign in and wait for the nurse to address you. If the nurse is not present, go to your Grade Level Dean.

You need to take medication during school?

If your doctor has prescribed medication for you that must be taken during the school day, you must make arrangements with Nurse Coleman to keep and administer your medication.  The clinic will need a written permission form from your Doctor on file in the clinic office.

You have a conflict with another student?

Seek immediate assistance from a teacher, School Climate Dean, Grade Level Dean or another caring adult.  Do not take matters into your own hands.

You experience difficulty due to someone committing an illegal act against you, another student, or the school?

Seek immediate assistance from a teacher, School Climate Dean, Grade Level Dean or another caring adult. File a report with the HISD Police Department officers assigned to the Sharpstown HS campus.

You are experiencing bullying or sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment of a student, including harassment committed by another student, includes unwelcome sexual advances; requests for sexual favors; or sexually motivated physical, verbal, or nonverbal conduct.

Prohibited harassment (bullying) of a student is defined as physical, verbal, or nonverbal conduct based on the student’s race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression, or on any other basis prohibited by law that is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that the conduct:

1. Affects a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program or activity, or creates an intimidating, threatening, hostile, or offensive educational environment;
2. Has the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with the student’s academic performance; or
3. Otherwise adversely affects the student’s educational opportunities.

Examples of prohibited harassment may include offensive or derogatory language directed at another person’s religious beliefs or practices, accent, skin color, or need for accommodation; threatening or intimidating conduct; offensive jokes, name-calling, slurs, or rumors; physical aggression or assault; display of graffiti or printed material promoting racial, ethnic, or other negative stereotypes; or other kinds of aggressive conduct such as theft or damage to property.

Any student who believes that he or she has experienced prohibited conduct or believes that another student has experienced prohibited conduct should immediately report the alleged acts to a teacher, Principal, Grade Level Dean, School Climate Dean or other District employee.

You need to withdraw from school?

Visit with your Grade Level Dean and Officer Ugalde prior to making this decision.  They can help you find appropriate educational opportunities if your circumstances have changed.  Remember that a parent or guardian must be present, and identification must be verified.  Please bring all books, PowerUp computer, etc. belonging to Sharpstown HS to when you checkout.

You need information about HISD buses?

Call HISD transportation at 713-613-3040 or see Ms. Nahomy Hernandez.

You need to know more about your rights and responsibilities at Sharpstown HS?

Read this handbook carefully. It contains much of the information you will need as a student during your attendance at Sharpstown HS.  School officials at Sharpstown HS have made every effort to include useful and accurate information for you.  Also, consult the HISD Student Code of Conduct which is available at: http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/7905/2018-19CodeofConduct_English.pdf.

The Code governs student conduct and discipline throughout the district. In searching for additional avenues of communication, you can talk with your School Climate Dean or your Grade Level Dean about issues important to you.  Teachers are available as well. 

You have a question or concern about residency?

Students must live in the Sharpstown HS attendance zone with their parent(s) or legal guardian. When a student enrolls in an HISD school, the principal of the school or the principal’s designee should determine if the student is eligible to enroll. The following documentation is utilized in the enrollment process: 1) Proof of Identity of Parent or Legal Guardian 2) Proof of Residence of Parent or Legal Guardian 3) Proof of Age or Identity of Student (Birth Certificate)

4) Immunization Records 5) School Records from Last School Attended 6) Social Security Card/PEIMS number

You are a person whose family is experiencing a housing problem (lack of a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence) and have a question or concern about residency?

The education provisions of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which are now incorporated within the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA), ensure educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness.  The law directly applies to homeless unaccompanied youth who also receive some special attention within the Act.

The Act's Key Provisions

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Section 725) specifies and protects the rights of children and youth in homeless situations.  Highlights include:

• Immediate Enrollment - The right to be enrolled immediately in school, without immunization or academic records, and birth certificate, regardless of district policy.
• Choice of Schools - A student experiencing homelessness has two choices in deciding which school to attend:
  • The school of origin (the school the student attended when he/she became homeless).
  • The school in the zone where the student is currently residing.
• Transportation - Students in highly mobile or homeless situations are entitled to transportation to and from the school of origin, if it is feasible, in the student's best interest, and requested by the parent, guardian, or unaccompanied youth.
• Services - Students experiencing homelessness are entitled to the same programs and services that are available to other children in the District, such as gifted and talented education, special education, vocational education, English Language Learner services, and tutoring. Students are automatically eligible for Title I services and Districts must set aside funds as necessary to provide services.
• Dispute Resolution - If problems arise between the school and parents or between districts, the parent shall be referred to the school's homeless liaison.  In the meantime, the student must remain in school and receive transportation.

You are a person whose family is experiencing a housing problem (lack of a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence) and you are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian and have a question or concern about residency?

Unaccompanied youth include young people who have run away from home, been asked to leave their homes, and/or been abandoned by parents or guardians. These young people are separated from their parents for a variety of reasons. The term “unaccompanied youth” includes youth in homeless situations who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. Unaccompanied youth have the same rights as other students experiencing homelessness. Specifically, they have the right to:

• Remain in their school of origin (to the extent feasible)
• Transportation to and from the school of origin
• Immediately enroll in a new school serving the area in which they are currently living even if they don’t have typically required documents (e.g. proof of guardianship)
• Equal access to programs and services such as gifted and talented education, special education, vocational education, and English Language Learner services.

You are a person who is eighteen or older and/or you are married and would like to register or continue to attend high school?

The adult student (over age 18 years and under age 21 years) or the student, who has had the disabilities of minority removed through marriage or as otherwise permitted by law, may enroll without parental involvement. The student must provide proof of residency in the Sharpstown attendance zone (recent utility bill or lease agreement in the student’s name.)

Students who are married may also accept responsibility for themselves.  They must follow the same procedures listed above for eighteen-year-old students.

You have questions about immunizations and health records and wish to enroll?

TEC §38.001 requires students to be fully immunized against specific diseases in accordance with the Department of State Health Services Immunization Schedule described under 25 TAC §97.63. Acceptable proof of vaccination is required prior to entering, attending, enrolling in, and/or transferring to child-care facilities or to any public school. V-16 School Guidelines, 2017-2018 Admission/Withdrawal A student transferring from another public school district within Texas may be enrolled provisionally for 30 days while awaiting transfer of records, if immunization records indicate that the student is on schedule with at least one dose of each specified age appropriate vaccine. TEC§38.001(e) and TEC§25.002 A student entering HISD from out of state or from another country is required to provide proof of required immunizations prior to entering, attending, or enrolling in school (no provisional period is allowed).

You wish to claim an exemption from immunizations and wish to enroll?

Exemption from Immunization Requirements TEC§38.001: Medical Exemptions

To claim an exemption for medical reasons, the student must present a statement signed by the child’s physician duly registered and licensed to practice medicine in the United States, stating that, in the physician's opinion, the vaccine would be medically harmful or injurious or poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of the child or any member of the child’s family or household. Unless it is written in the statement that a lifelong condition exists, the exemption is valid for only one year from the date signed by the physician.

Exemption from Immunization Requirements for Reasons of Conscience TEC§38.001 In order to claim an exemption for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, the parent must present a signed original affidavit which the parent has obtained from the Department of State Health Services (Mail Code 1946, 1100 W. 49th Street, 2013-2014

, TX 78756). HSC§161.0041; TEC§38.001;

• The affidavit must state that the child’s parent or guardian declines vaccinations for reasons of conscience including a religious belief.
• The affidavit will be valid for a two-year period. • The child who has not received the required immunizations for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs, may be excluded from school in time of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health. FAQs: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/docs/faq_exemption.pdf

You are a person with asthma and need to carry medication?

TEC §38.015 allows a parent to give written authorization for his or her child to self-administer prescription asthma and anaphylaxis medicine while on school property or at a school event. The parental authorization must include a written statement from the student’s physician or other licensed health care provider, signed by the physician or provider, which states:

• that the student has asthma or severe allergic reactions and is capable of self-administering the prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medication;
• the name and purpose of the medicine;
• the prescribed dosage for the medicine;
• the time at which or circumstances under which the medicine may be administered; and
• the period for which the medicine is prescribed.

The physician’s statement must be kept on file in Nurse Coleman’s office at Sharpstown, or if she is unavailable, in the office of the principal of Sharpstown.

The weather is changing rapidly, and you don’t know whether school is cancelled?

Call the HISD Weather Hotline at 713-267-1704. Also, see notes above regarding up-to-the-minute announcements.

You are tardy for class?

Tardy Policy

Students are expected to arrive in the classroom before the tardy bell sounds. If a student is absent, then:

1. The teacher records the tardy in GradeSpeed when taking attendance.
2. Teachers meet at weekly cluster meeting to discuss students who were tardy most often during the week.
3. Teachers give the names of students who have been tardy to class to the Deans. For teachers who are not associated with a cluster, chronically tardy students should be referred to their deans using appropriate discipline paperwork.
4. Referred students receive an after-school detention to be held on designated days of the week, as well as certain Saturdays.
5. Students who do not attend after-school detention are assigned time in Reflection (In-School Suspension) as determined by the School Climate or Grade Level Dean.

Hall Sweeps

1. Random hall sweeps will be conducted from time to time.
2. When a hall sweep is announced, students report to D126 for a pass.
3. Students caught up in a hall sweep receive an after-school detention to be held on designated days of the week, as well as certain Saturdays.
4. Students who do not attend after-school detention are assigned time in Reflection (In-School Suspension) as determined by the Dean.