Current Policies & Procedures

Barbara Bush Middle School complies with C-FB ISD District Policies. 
VIEW C-FB DISTRICT STUDENT HANDBOOK
 

The following policies are specific to our campus and are printed in the Student Planner. You may want to print out an MS Word document of the Student Planner Policies.

ACADEMIC POLICIES
Includes Attendance, Computer Use, Grading, Homework, Progress, Testing, Promotion

   ATTENDANCE / ABSENCES / WORK SENT HOME

Make-up Work Due to Student Absence
Students shall have a time equal to the number of days absent from class to complete all missed assignments. For example, if a student is absent two days, he receives 2 extra days to complete the work missed during the two-day absence.
 

   COMPUTER USE

Barbara Bush Middle School provides students with networked computer labs & Internet access.  District policy forbids students from using the Internet unless immediately supervised by an adult. Students may only access sites approved by a teacher; a district filter limits access to inappropriate sites.  Student accounts may be suspended for improper use.

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   GRADING POLICY

• 60% of grade is based on summative activities such as major projects & tests.
• 40% of grade is based on formative activities such as homework, classwork, quizzes & class participation.
• A minimum of 9 grades are used to assess student performance & at least 3 are summative grades.
• Semester exams are 20% of the final semester average.
• Teachers do not assign a summative assessment project during the last week of a grading period.

Follow this link to the BBMS Grading Policy in MSWord format for more details on grading.
 

   HOMEWORK PROGRAM

Regular homework assignments are expected to be finished & ready to hand in for the next class day.

• Students receive a 0 (zero) for a missing assignment.
• Everyone turns something in.  Students without assigned homework write an explanation on a sheet of paper about why the assignment is missing.
• Project assignments have progressive deadlines and grades for various activities.

Follow this link to the BBMS Homework Program in MSWord format for complete details.
 

   LATE WORK POLICY - None Accepted

No late work is accepted for formative assignments. Work completed at the end of the period is graded as is & the grade stands.

Summative assignments are accepted one day late with a reduction of 15 points or two days late with a reduction of 30 points.  After the second day, no credit is given for a late summative assignment & a grade of zero is recorded in the grade book.

RETESTS
If a student fails a test or other summative assessment, the student has an opportunity to improve the grade to a maximum grade of 70. It is the student's responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher to retake tests.

Please review the BBMS Grading Policy for details on Late Work.
 

   PROGRESS REPORTS & REPORT CARDS

At the end of every 3-week and 6-week cycle, a computer-generated Progress Report is sent home with every student to notify them & their parents of their status.  Parents sign the report & return it to school. Upon return of a signed report, the student receives a second copy for parents to keep. Dates for sending home Progress Reports are posted on this school website & displayed on the school marquee outside the building.

At the end of every 9-week grading period, each student receives a computer-generated Report Card that contains information for parents regarding their child's academic achievement, conduct & absences. Parents sign the report card & return it to school. Upon return of a signed card, the advisory teacher gives the student a second copy for parents to keep. 

   SEMESTER EXAMS

All semester exams are comprehensive of material covered on major assessments & tests throughout the semester & count 20% of the semester grade. Exams are given in all subjects, including electives.  Because of the difficulty of these exams, no more than 3 are given in one day. Students are released early from school during these exam days.

It is important that students not be absent for any reason during these exam dates:
     January 14, 15, 16, 2009 and June 2, 3, 4, 2009.

Students must be clear of all fees or outstanding money/materials, including textbooks & library books, owed the school before being able to take their final exams.
 

   TAKS TESTING

• 7^th grade Writing - March 3, 2009
• 8^th grade Reading – March 3, 2009
• 8^th grade Math - April 7, 2009
• 6^th & 7^th grade Math - April 28, 2009
• 6^th & 7^th grade Reading - April 29, 2009
• 8^th grade Science - April 30, 2009
• 8^th grade US History - May 1, 2009 

Students who do not pass any single TAKS test are required to attend Summer School.
 

   PROMOTION, RETENTION & AWARD OF CREDIT

In grades 6-8, promotion to the next grade is based on the following three criteria:

• A student must maintain an overall average of 70% in three core subjects (math, science, language arts, social studies).
• A student must pass all TAKS tests.
• A student must be present for 90% of the school year.

Summer school is mandatory for students who do not meet these requirements.

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BEHAVIOR POLICIES
Includes Make Your Day, Bus, Cafeteria, Citations, Planners, Tardies

   MAKE YOUR DAY SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Make Your Day is a citizenship and discipline program which encourages everyone to become responsible for their own behavior. The Make Your Day philosophy is based on one premise: no one has the right to interfere with the learning, safety, or well being of others.

The foundation of Make Your Day is:

1. All students are capable of success.
2. Making appropriate choices at school, and open communication between home & school generates student success.
3. Parents must be directly involved in their students' behavioral & academic process.

Each day, students are asked to follow school expectations so all students have the opportunity to learn in a positive, caring atmosphere. Students are given the opportunity to make choices, to take responsibility for their choices, to self-evaluate and self-correct. Students reflect upon and evaluate their choices at the end of each class period. At the end of each day, students review their daily progress.

Students make choices at several levels to redirect their behavior towards more positive actions. When a student chooses, a parent is asked to come to the school & offer assistance.

Make Your Day gives students the opportunity to develop their decision making skills & experience the consequences of their own actions. The program is divided into two parts:  points (citizenship) and steps (discipline).

POINTS - Students have the opportunity to earn points in each class period.  Students must earn about 95% of the total points for one day in order to Make their Day. Students earn points by not interfering with the learning, safety, or well-being of others & by doing what is expected. Students self-assess during each class & verbally award themselves points, then record the points in their planners.

On a regular-schedule day, 460 points are possible. In order to Make their Day students must earn 450 of the 460 points. Students who do not earn enough points to Make their Day take home a notice with an explanation as to why they did not Make their Day. Each morning offers a student the opportunity to start fresh; every day is a new day.

STEPS - Steps provide the student a place to reflect on the behavior that allowed them to choose Steps.

Step 1:  While on Step 1, a student sits in a chair facing away from the learning activity & is asked to reflect on the misbehavior for a few minutes. 

Step 2:  While on Step 2, a student stands facing away from the learning activity & is expected to reflect upon & communicate the effect of their misbehavior on others.

Step 3:  While on Step 3, a student stands facing away from the learning activity while reading the school expectation.

Step 4:  Student has requested an immediate conference with his/her parent & teacher. Student is removed from the learning environment, calls a parent & requests to conference immediately at school. Student remains in an alternate classroom (Buddy Room) until parent arrives. Students in Buddy Rooms cannot do class work; they are reflecting upon their behavior. When the parent arrives, student, teacher & parent discuss student actions which led to Step 4. The parent decides if the student is ready to return to class. 

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS

• Concerns - An opportunity for students & teachers to help other students address behaviors.  Concerns are designed to assess citizenship and to let students & teachers non-judgmentally address interfering behaviors in others. Teachers may address students who are not meeting expectations.
• Recourse - When a student feels a teacher has mistakenly allowed them to choose steps, recourse is an opportunity for the student to share his/her perspective on how he/she did meet expectations to avoid interfering with another person's learning.
• Shadowing - If a student chooses to tease, talk to, or otherwise interact with another student who is on steps, that student has chosen to join the student on that particular step.
• Automatic Step 4 - Behaviors that indicate a student's choice for an Automatic Step 4 include:
  • Dress code violations & ID badge violations
  • Leaving steps without an exit conference
  • Walking away from staff when asked to choose steps
  • Offensive language
  • Public display of affection
  • Interfering with a Step 4 conference, or shadowing a Step 4
• Step 5 / Automatic Step 5 - Any student who violates a CFB District policy that results in suspension.  These are outlined in the Student Handbook. Behaviors that indicate a student's choice for a Step 5/Automatic Step 5 include:
  • Horseplay or any "games" that results in physical contact, including hitting, slapping, flicking, play fighting, slap boxing, knuckle games, "licks," "lashes," "necks," pushing, shoving, kicking, or tripping. Keep hands & feet to yourself!
  • Verbal confrontation when aggressive or directed at a person
  • Drug, alcohol, and weapon offenses
  • Extreme tardiness regarded as truancy
  • Student becomes uncooperative or disruptive in a Buddy Room. Parent or guardian is requested to immediately pick up their child at school. Student cannot return to school without a Step 4 conference.

For more information about the Make Your Day Program at BBMS, please email Mrs. Rhonda Shepard or call the MYD office at 972-968-3726.
 

   BUS RULES

The following are inappropriate behaviors on the bus subject to disciplinary action:

1. Disrespectful or uncooperative behavior towards driver
2. Boarding or departing the bus at a stop other than the assigned stop
   (based on where the student resides)
3. Refusing to sit in assigned seat or denying another person a place to sit
4. Refusing to remain seated while bus is moving; failing to follow safety rules concerning sitting properly on bus (feet on floor & out of bus aisle)
5. Throwing items in bus or through bus window; extending items or body parts out of window
6. Taking or handling emergency equipment or door handle; exiting through emergency door
7. Distracting driver with screaming, whistling, shouting, or any loud noise making
8. Writing on, destroying, or disfiguring any part of school bus
9. Scuffling or fighting on bus
10. Using profanity,  inappropriate language, or gestures
11. Striking matches or using any form of tobacco
12. Littering, eating or drinking on the bus

Consequences of improper conduct on bus:
Step 1 & 2  - Warning, Conduct Report signed by parent
Step 3 - Bus privileges denied for 5 days
Step 4 - Bus privileges denied for 10 days
Step 5 - Bus privileges denied for 20 days
Step 6 - Bus privileges denied for remainder of year

(These consequences may have been amended by C-FB ISD Transportation following publication of our school handbook.) The building administrator has the authority to skip steps for serious violations.

Students bus-riders who need to ride a different bus for a one-time situation may do so with a note from a parent & signed by an administrator. This must be done prior to 3:00 pm. Students who are not eligible to ride a bus (based on their address) may not ride any bus, for any reason, at any time. This is an insurance & liability issue for the district's transportation department.
 

   CAFETERIA GUIDELINES:  Breakfast & Lunch

LUNCH PARTIES - Lunch parties are not typical in middle school; parents are discouraged from having parties during lunch. It causes disruption to an already challenging environment  & causes students not involved in the celebration to feel left out. 

Convenience foods brought for students remain in the office & are not delivered to the student in the classroom. It is the student’s responsibility to come to the office to obtain the meal at lunchtime.  This should only occur on special occasions & not on a frequent basis.

No open food/drink items are allowed in classrooms or hallways, and will be confiscated & thrown away. It is not necessary for students to be actually eating or drinking these items; it is the mere possession of these open items that is in violation of school policy.
 

   DISORDERLY CONDUCT & CITATIONS

DISORDERLY CONDUCT - DISRUPTION OF LEARNING
Students found guilty of behavior that constitutes disorderly conduct or disruption of learning may be subject to a citation by our Irving Police Dept School Resource Officer. Disorderly conduct is defined as any behavior that is non-compliant, may be verbally abusive, and causes a disruption of the school environment (cafe, gym, hall, or classroom). This includes a student yelling or screaming in anger at another person, the use of profanity, behavior that repeatedly disrupts classroom instruction, or a physical altercation. This behavior may be between student & adult or student & student.

TICKETS - The following offenses may be referred to the School Resource Officer for recommendation of issuance of a citation (ticket) as they are criminal offenses. At BBMS these behaviors are not tolerated in the school environment and have school consequences in addition to the citation.

• Classroom Disruption (see above)
• Criminal Mischief (vandalism)
• Disruption of school transportation
• Fighting or Assault
• Possession of tobacco/alcohol/drugs
• Profanity
• Theft or Robbery
• Any other criminal offense deemed inappropriate

   FIGHTING

Students fighting on campus are subject to a minimum of 2 days home suspension as well as referral to the Irving Police Department for possible issuance of a citation. Citations range from $400-$500. BOTH PARTIES ARE PENALIZED regardless of who initiated contact. One person hitting first does not give the other student the right to hit back.
 

   HALL PASSES

TEACHERS decide whether a student leaves the classroom for any reason. Students are expected to take care of personal needs during pass periods, including restroom visits & getting materials from lockers. Students in hallways without a hall pass are considered to be skipping class & have chosen Step 5.
 

   PLANNER GUIDELINES

Barbara Bush Middle School provides the Student Planner as a means of assisting parents, teachers & students to increase communication and to work together to improve student responsibility. The Planner allows students to keep up with assignment due dates, allows teachers to communicate with parents, and allows parents to write notes to teachers to create two-way communication. We ask parents to periodically review planners with their children to discuss areas that can be worked on, and to give rewards & praise to students who are meeting goals. Students are expected to have their own planner in their possession AT ALL TIMES. 

ASSIGNMENTS - Students are expected to write down all homework & project assignments & due dates in their planners. Teachers provide a portion of class time for students to complete this task.

MAKE YOUR DAY POINTS - The Student Planner provides an area to tally points earned in each class through the Make Your Day Program. We ask parents to periodically review that their child is Making His/Her Day through responsible behavior.

LOST PLANNERS - Students are expected to purchase another planner within a week after their planner is lost.
 

   TARDIES

• Doctor/dentist appointment (with doctor's note)
• Student illness (with note from parent)

The following reasons are considered an unexcused tardies even if they are out of the student’s control:

• Traffic
• Carpool/ride late picking up
• Car trouble
• Oversleeping

Attendance is taken 8 times per day, during the first 5 minutes of each class period, are tardies are a disruption to the classroom. Students are tardy if not inside the classroom when the bell rings. Students are also considered tardy for not returning from lunch with the rest of the class.

Students tardy to class are choosing Step 1. Habitual tardies result in Step Conferences. Students tardy more than 5 minutes into class are considered truant and and are choosing an Automatic Step 5.

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DRESS CODE
Includes Standardized Dress, Grooming, ID Badges

   STANDARDIZED DRESS

All clothing items and student grooming must meet the district’s dress and grooming policy, which can be found online in the C-FB STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT.

Barbara Bush Middle School follows a "standardized" dress code.

• Solid, long or short sleeved Red, White or Navy Blue shirts:
  1. T-shirts, collared Polo style shirts, or hoodless sweatshirts; no tank tops or sleeveless shirts permitted.
  2. Must overlap waistband by at least 4" but not longer than fingers when extended down leg.  Oversized or extra long shirts, including Tall-T's are not permitted.
  3. No non-Bush logos larger than 2 x 2 inches
  4. Any shirt worn under a standard shirt must be red, white, or navy-blue. Sweaters or hoodless sweatshirts worn over a standard shirt must be solid red, white or navy-blue.
• Navy Blue or Khaki pants, capris, shorts, or skirts:
  1. Fit at waist & crotch. Oversized, baggy, or saggy pants, not worn at waist are not permitted.
  2. Properly hemmed, cuffed, or stitched.
  3. Not longer than bottom of shoe's heel; pant legs may not drag the floor.
  4. Not shorter than 4" from top of knee. This includes the highest point of slits in skirts. Pulling down skirts or shorts to meet the length requirement at a standing still position is not accepted if at any point in the day movement causes the attire to rise to a point above acceptable limits.
  5. NO large outside pockets stitched to the outside of the pants, such as cargo pants.

Administrator decisions regarding appropriateness of items worn to school is final, including color, style, & length of item. Parents with questions about dress or families who may need financial assistance can call the school @ 972-968-3700.

Students may NOT wear the following items:

1. Clothing that is lewd, offensive, vulgar, obscene, or that promotes violence, death, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
2. Grooming or attire that disrupts learning, or that could cause injury, or that could be used as a weapon.
3. Ripped, torn, frayed, or cut-off clothing.
4. See-through, tight or revealing clothing.  Students with stomach, cleavage, or undergarments exposed, including visible bra straps, are in violation even if it can be "covered up" after the fact; mere exposure during school is cause for violation.
5. Items not worn as intended, such as pant legs pushed up under the knee rather than down at the ankles, pant legs folded up in a large cuff, not "even" on both sides (ex: pant legs and shirt sleeves must be BOTH up or down), or clothes worn backwards.
6. Hats, caps, bandanas, skull caps, sweatbands, head scarves (with religious exceptions) and other head dress of any nature are not permitted. Bandanas or items made of bandana patterns are forbidden, & will be confiscated and not returned.
7. Extreme or overly long jewelry including medallions larger than a quarter, multiple chains, or utility chains used as jewelry or attached to clothing for other purposes, such as securing wallets. Earrings may not be worn in the gym during athletic activities, including athletic team practices & games, and physical education classes.
8. Belts worn outside of belt loops or with the end not secured within the belt loops, extending below the waist area.
9. Items inappropriate to be worn inside such as coats, jackets, hooded sweatshirts, gloves or sunglasses. These items must remain in lockers during school hours. Long trench-style coats or oversized bulky coats are prohibited on campus.
10. Mismatched shoes or shoe laces.
11. Items not intended to be worn to school such as house shoes, slippers, flip flops, or pajamas.

GROOMING GUIDELINES:

1. Hair must be clean, neat & a natural color, including streaks (no purple, orange, etc.). Hair must be evenly cut, not covering the eyes, and not excessively tall in height. Boys' hair may not be longer than the shoulders. Symbols, shapes, numbers, or letters may not be shaved or cut into hair or eyebrows.
2. "Loose" items such as combs, picks, and pencils may not be worn inserted into the hair. This includes glasses not worn on top of the head.
3. No lipstick, eye or facial make-up that is extreme or distracting (i.e. black lipstick, glitter, etc.). No items applied to facial area, tongue, or any visible body area, such as safety pins, nose/eyebrow rings, spacers, decals, stickers, temporary tattoos, or decorative "stones". No writing on hands, arms, or facial area (except for religious reasons).

Athletic uniforms that are temporarily issued to students & are the property of the school can only be worn  during competition games or special recognition spirit days. School items such as warm ups & jerseys are not intended to be worn during a normal school day.

Students not compliant with dress code are choosing a Step 4 and are not allowed to attend class until a parent brings an appropriate change of clothes. Students with questionable dress code violations are sent to Administration where the final decision is made.
 

   ID BADGES

For safety and security purposes, the district requires all middle school students to wear a school-issued picture ID Badge & lanyard on campus at all times. Badges must be worn with the picture visible to others & cannot be altered in any fashion with drawings, stickers, or other added items. Badges may not be damaged in any manner, including holes, bent corners or chew marks. Students may not wear another student's ID badge.

Students without their ID Badge for the day are expected to report to the Temporary ID Badge Station in the morning between 8:00-8:30.  Temporary ID badges cost $1.00.  After 4 temporary ID badges are charged, students are choosing Step 4 & parents are called to clear the student's account. 

Lost badges/lanyards should be paid for & replaced before the start of the next school day.  Replacement ID Badges are $3 and lanyards are $2.

ID Badge violations or students without an ID Badge at any time during the day are choosing an Automatic Step 4.

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SAFETY & SECURITY POLICIES
Includes Arrival at School, Backpacks, Phones, Lockers, Medication, Prohibited Items, Skateboards, Supervision, Visitors

   ARRIVING AT SCHOOL & BREAKFAST

The building is not open until 7:45 a.m.  Students arriving at school enter the building through the cafeteria patio door--not the front door.  At 8:00 the cafeteria begins serving breakfast & non-breakfast students move from the cafeteria to the gym. Breakfast students move immediately to the gym after completing breakfast.  Breakfast is served 8:00 - 8:30am.

Students who need to attend 8:00-8:30am tutorials must have a tutorial stamp in their planner to be allowed into classroom hallways (admittance only from 8:00 tp 8:20am). Students cannot go to lockers & must remain in the tutorial room until 8:30 am.

Once students report to the gym, they are not allowed to leave. Students remain in the gym until dismissed at 8:30, when they proceed to their locker & then to their first class. 
 

   BACKPACKS / BOOKBAGS

Due to safety issues, book bags, shoe bags, sling bags & backpacks cannot be taken into classrooms, media center, or cafeteria during lunch. Purses must be carried, not worn across the back. 
 

   CELLULAR PHONES / SCHOOL TELEPHONES

Students are not allowed to use the office phone for personal calls except in cases of emergency or with permission from a staff member.  Students must have a pass from a teacher to use the office phone during class time. 

Students are not allowed to use the office phone between classes. Transportation arrangements should be made prior to coming to school; therefore, students should not need to use the office phone after school.
 

   DELIVERIES AT SCHOOL

Only school related items are delivered immediately to students. Lunch items such as convenience foods or birthday cakes are kept in the office for the student to pick up at lunch time. 

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   LEAVING SCHOOL (prior to 3:55)

It is against the law to release students to any person who is not a legal guardian. Students are not allowed to leave with an adult not listed on the student’s registration card unless the attendance office is notified by the parent/guardian.
 

   LOCKERS

Students should use only  the locker they have been assigned. Do not allow other students to have access to your locker or locker combination. In athletic/PE locker rooms, students must use the combination locker provided by the coaches.

Problems with hallway lockers should be reported immediately to the Reception/Attendance area; report athletic locker problems to a coach.

In order to maintain their good condition, no items are to be attached to or displayed on the inside or outside walls of the locker.  Decorating lockers is an inappropriate use of school property.  This includes items such as posters, signs, stickers, pictures, hooks, mirrors and tape.

Lockers are the sole property of Barbara Bush Middle School & under the jurisdiction of the school, notwithstanding the fact that they are assigned to individual students. The school retains all rights and privileges to open, inspect, reassign, & to confiscate contraband which may be in violation of school policies or state law.
 

   MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

   PROHIBITED ITEMS

• Aerosol cans
• Bandanas/skull caps/hats
• Cameras
• Utility chains – wallet or necklaces
• Communication devices (pagers/cell phones)
• Glass-contained items (like perfume/nail polish)
• Laser pointers
• Lighters, matches, or flammable/incendiary devices
• Magazines, photo albums, or other personal items nonessential to learning that may cause disruption
• Music players (CD/tape/radio players, MP3s, iPods)
• Skateboards or Rollerblades or Scooters - District policy also prohibits use of these items on school property before & after school hours.
• Spiked wristbands, necklaces or chains
• Toys, games, stuffed animals, cards, cars, balls, yo-yos, or dice.

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   SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO)

Parents are not required to be notified prior to any questioning of students by the SRO. The SRO has the same authority to question students about events as an Administrator or teacher. It is improper for any Administrator or teacher to interfere with a police investigation. Citations issued by the SRO are independent & separate from school consequences and authority.
 

   SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS

Students are under district supervision from 8:00 am to 4:10 pm, or until the last public school bus picks up students. Supervision for after-school and weekend campus-sponsored activities ends 15 minutes after the activity ends. Parents are expected to pick up their students immediately after the end of the activity. Students on campus later than 15 minutes after an event will be banned from all future after-school activities, even if a participant.
 

   VISITORS

• Visitors must report to the office & have their driver's license or state-issued ID scanned for security purposes.
• Visitors approved to be in the building are issued a Visitor Badge to be displayed at all times. Visitors without district- or schoolissued ID will not be allowed in the building.
• Parents must have prior approval by Administration or the teacher before entering classroom areas.
• Non-family members/friends are not allowed to visit a student during the school day or lunch time for social purposes.

To maintain building security & student safety, faculty and students must NOT open any outside door for any person attempting to enter the building.  Before 8:40am, entry is through the cafeteria patio doors; after 8:40am, persons must enter the building through the front entry and check in at the office.