• Electronics Policy

     
    MP3s, iPods, cameras, electronic games (Nintendo, DS), toys, or other electronic items that interfere with the educational process are not should be brought to school.  Cellular phones are permitted on campus; however, they must be concealed and turned off at all times.  Any cellular phones that are confiscated will be released only to the parents.  A $15.00 fine will be assessed before the cellular phone is released to parents.  Cellular phones can be picked up by parents only after arrangements have been made with an administrator; thereafter, you will need to pay the $15 fine to Mr. Cabello, finance clerk, in the main office.  Electronic devices taken up during the year may be picked up by parents at the end of each semester (December and May).
     
    Electronic devices not picked up on or before the last day of the school year will be discarded.
     
    Code of Student Conduct, New Cell-Phone Policy Approved July 20, 2009
     
    HISD strives to make sure schools are safe, orderly places where the highest levels of teaching and learning can happen.  On July 16, 2009, the Board of Education strengthened the Code of Student Conduct, which outlines student rights and responsibilities and the district’s expectations regarding student conduct.  The trustees also revised the district’s policy regarding telecommunications devices, to establish clearer guidelines for their use at school or school functions.
     
    The new edition of the Code was printed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese and distributed at the start of the 2010–2011 school year.  At the beginning of this school year, all students will receive their own copy, and both students and parents are required to sign a form indicating they have received it.  The new provisions made were:
    • Ban “cyberbullying” (using the Internet or other technologies to harass, threaten, or humiliate another student) both on-campus and, when it could have a direct and substantial impact on the educational environment or the rights of students or teachers, off-campus
    • Prohibit “sexting” or using a cell phone or other personal communication device to send text or e-mail messages or possessing text or e-mail messages containing images reasonably interpreted as indecent or sexually suggestive while at school or a school-related event
    • Include provisions regarding gang-free school zones and enhanced criminal penalties for engaging in gang activity on or within 1,000 feet of property that the district owns or leases
    • Clarify the factors that must be considered in determining appropriate punishments for violations of the Code
    • Unclaimed phones will be disposed of after legally required notice is provided.