2023-2024 Expectations for Student Contact

Parents, please make sure you review expectations with your student. 

In addition to Hillsdale’s cornerstones of equity, personalization, rigor, and shared decision-making, we focus heavily on student safety.  It is our goal to make sure that we know where our students are at any given time and that they are safe from harm.  To that end, we create these Behavior Expectations in an effort to provide a safe and drug-free learning environment.  

1. Closed Campus/Permit to Leave

• The campus is CLOSED from the beginning of a student's first class to the end of the student's scheduled school day.  A student may not leave campus until after her/his last class of the day has been dismissed, unless PRIOR written permission is granted and a permit to leave is issued by the Administration, Attendance Office, or Health Aide (after a parent has been contacted).  
• During brunch, lunch, or ‘open’ periods, students must remain on the school grounds- the buildings and courtyards (See campus map.)  Students may not congregate in parking lot areas or loiter in their cars.
• Students on a reduced class schedule must show their ID card with an appropriate sticker (stickers can be obtained from the Main Office) in order to leave campus before the end of the school day.  Students identified as off-campus/leaving campus during the school day without permission will be assigned in-house suspension, Saturday Community Study or other consequence. Students who are repeatedly caught off campus may be assigned multiple day suspensions to be documented in the student’s permanent record.

NOTE:  After the school day students may not loiter on the balcony, in the courtyards, or in the parking lots.  Unless participating in an after-school supervised activity (sports, tutoring, etc.), students have fifteen minutes to leave campus at the conclusion of the school day. 

     2. Visitors On Campus

• All visitors to campus must be approved by the Principal or designee.  In the interest of student & staff safety the school exercises the right to refuse campus access to any person with no legal business on campus or whose behavior warrants exclusion. 
• Student visitors—please see The Student Essentials Handbook for the requirements for student visitors.
• Door Dash, Grub Hub and any other delivery service cannot have legal contact with any student while under school supervision and so may not enter the parking lots or the campus for that purpose. Students who order food from any of these delivery services will be assigned to Saturday Community Study or other potential consequences will be assigned.

      3. Cell Phones & Electronic Listening or Recording Devices

• Students are allowed to cell phones, IPODS, headphones / earbud or other electronic devices for personal use ONLY before and after school and during brunch, lunch and passing periods, OR at the discretion of the teacher as the Principal’s designee.  
• Students who are found with any of these items audible or visible during class time or when / where use is not allowed by staff / faculty will be required to surrender the item(s).  The property will be held in the Main Office, to be picked up by a parent or guardian.  Repeat offenders will face additional disciplinary action.  
• HILLSDALE HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR STOLEN ELECTRONIC DEVICES.  IF STUDENTS CHOOSE TO BRING THESE ITEMS TO SCHOOL, THEY DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK.  

NOTE: We highly suggest you bring a low cost cell phone to school. The more valuable your cell phone, the greater the chance of theft.  DO NOT BRING YOUR CELL PHONE TO THE P.E. LOCKER-ROOM. PLEASE STORE YOUR CELL PHONE IN YOUR SCHOOL ISSUED LOCKER FOR THE P.E. PERIOD.

4. Athletic & Academic Eligibility

• To be eligible for participation in the school's athletic, co-curricular and extracurricular programs, a student must have earned 25 credits (passed 5 courses), earned a 2.0 or better grade point average during the previous grading period with no more than one “F”, and have good attendance.  [Note: A Student Aide and Study Hall course earns a grade of Credit/No Credit only, with “Credit” counting as a “C” toward eligibility.]

• An athlete must have a current clearance card & emergency information card to be eligible to participate in any school-sponsored sports activity.

 5. “Mutual Respect” Policy (Includes Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, Threats and/or Intimidation)

• Students are expected to respect others in word, deed, and digital communication (Internet/social media platforms) both on and off campus. Hillsdale has no tolerance for hate speech, actions, insults, or language that may be interpreted as an insult toward any person based on the following (but not limited to): race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or appearance.
• Any act directed against a pupil or groups of pupils that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, and invading the rights of that pupil or groups of pupils by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment will be subject to investigation and possible disciplinary consequences including expulsion. If in doubt, students should consult a parent or legal or guardian on the appropriateness of a social media post BEFORE POSTING. 
• Harassment may be nonverbal, verbal or written and includes delivery via text messaging and the Internet/social media platforms.  Individuals involved will be subject to counsel and/or disciplinary procedures such as suspension and/or expulsion.  Police involvement may accompany any of these consequences.

6. "Maximum Safety" Policy

• Any student who assaults another student and/or causes severe injury (regardless of intent), who carries an instrument construed, by the school, to be a weapon, who brings to school a blade of any size, or who provides or sells drugs will be recommended for expulsion.
• If two students participate in a fight, they are considered to be mutual combatants. BOTH students will be suspended regardless of which one started the fight. ANY contact made in the form of a push, slap, kick or punch constitutes physical contact and is subject to disciplinary consequences as fighting. This includes any form of play fighting.

NOTE: A weapon is defined as any object which can be used to hurt another person or which causes that person to believe that he/she will be harmed in some way.  Included in the gun category is any imitation or replica (e.g., a toy pistol, pellet gun, forced air gun, starter pistol, or paint ball gun.)  It makes no difference whether the gun is loaded or unloaded or whether it can be fired or not.  Additionally, every blade, regardless of its size, will be viewed as a weapon, including any pocket knife, penknife, Swiss Army knife or other utility blade.

7. Smoking- Drugs- Alcohol

• All forms of nicotine and tobacco are prohibited in the possession of students on campus as well as any associated paraphernalia.  This includes any vaping devices and components and tobacco products as well as lighters of matches. Students in possession of ANY vaping device, including a battery, will be assigned to the district VAPE or SUP Awareness classes and will also be assigned to multiple Saturday Community Study days. Repeat offenders will receive increased consequences. 
• Per SMUHSD guidelines and for safety reasons, we have the right to question a student and will test for drugs and alcohol if there is probable cause to suspect that s/he is under the influence or in possession of a controlled substance.  Hillsdale will use the following instruments to test for drugs or alcohol:

∙         SalivaConfirm™ 5: Five Panel Drug of Abuse Screening using a Saliva Sample

∙         The Alco-Sensor FST®, an evidential grade breath alcohol testing instrument, offers both direct and passive sampling. 

       *To ensure student safety, Hillsdale will contact SMPD assess students possibly under the influence as deemed necessary.

• When it has been established by administration that any student has USED, POSSESSED, PROVIDED, IS or HAS BEEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE of any dangerous substance listed in Education Code 10603 or other State laws, on the school campus or during a school sponsored activity, Hillsdale will take the following steps:
• 1st Offense for being under the influence: In lieu of suspension, the school will require mandatory Drug and Alcohol Counseling, police contact AND volunteer to submit to six months of drug testing.

• 2nd Offense for being under the influence: Student will be suspended immediately pending further action, SMUHSD Formal Reprimand Contract, twelve months of drug testing and police contact.
• 3rd Offense for being under the influence: Expulsion Referral

     8. Other Serious Infractions

    These infractions are punishable by detention, suspension, and/or, in extreme cases, by police intervention and/or expulsion referral:  

9.    Autos

• Any student who drives to school must register his/her car in the Main Office in order to receive a parking permit sticker.  Students with permits may park in the Del Monte St., 31st Avenue or Alameda De Las Pulgas parking lots.
• Students who drive to school must park in school parking lots or on the sides of the streets adjacent to the school.  Students may be allowed to go to their cars parked in a campus lot during the school day.  Any other trips to cars, including any car parked on the street, will not be allowed and may result in detention and/or in-house suspension. 
• Once a student parks a vehicle at school, it may not be moved until the student is scheduled to leave for the day.  Movement of the car is considered leaving campus and will result in in-house suspension.  Repeat offenders will lose the right to park their cars at school.  
• Cars parked off-campus cannot be visited during the school day unless the student has prior approval, written or verbal, from an administrator/dean. Students who leave campus to visit their cars during the school day without permission will be assigned in-house suspension.  Cars should not be used as lockers.
• Students driving to school who cannot find on-campus parking may park on the school side of Del Monte Street or on the school side of 31st Avenue.   
• The south parking lot (near the turf soccer field) is closed to students.

Driving to school is considered a privilege which can be lost if any of the above rules are violated.

SMUHSD Suspension and Alternatives to Suspension for Ed. Code Violations

Suspension from school means removal of a student from ongoing instruction for adjustment purpose. A principal or the principal’s designee may suspend a pupil from the school (not more than five consecutive school days) for any of the reasons in the Educational Code, Section 48900, upon a first offense if the principal or designee determines that the pupil violated Educational Code 48900, or that pupil’s presence causes a danger to persons or property, or threatens to disrupt the educational process. A student may be suspended or expelled for any of the acts listed below if the act is related to a school activity or occurs during school attendance occurring at any District school under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent or principal or within any other school District, including but not limited to the following circumstances:

1. While on school grounds; 
2. While going to or coming from school; 
3. During the lunch period, whether on or off the school campus; 
4. During, going to, or coming from a school-sponsored activity; and/or
5. With a nexis or connection to the campus with impact on the school campus.

SMUHSD Incident Statement Form: Students and staff may use this form to make statements for site admin and district admin access.