Student Responsibilities

A. Introduction
Minuteman is a career-focused high school. Each student is expected to assume that he or she is an employee in an important company and is expected to follow the workplace standards of this company. This is a part of the career training program of the school and will affect the “pay” (the marks, effort and attitude grades, privileges, and staff recommendations) issued to the student. Every standard or rule applies to each student unless he or she is specifically excluded from a selected requirement in some plan approved in advance and in writing by the school.

Students who do not fulfill defined responsibilities may be removed from instructional teams and assigned to the student service center or even excluded from the school on a temporary or permanent basis with, in the latter case, access to a “due process” review that can be requested from the Dean or the Principal.

B. Basic Chart of Responsibilities
Listed below is a basic chart of student responsibilities and related consequences for any failure to fulfill same. Each student and his or her parent or guardian is expected to study and sign a copy of this BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES document and then to ensure its return to a homeroom teacher by a date that this teacher will announce. Failure to do this can result in removal from classes or, eventually, the school. We are very serious about workplace standards and every student being required to demonstrate the ability to fulfill such standards. Serious student failure or irresponsibility in this area will result in ineligibility for certification and a diploma from Minuteman.
  1. POSITIVE TREATMENT OF SELF AND OTHERS
  2. GOOD ATTENDANCE
  3. IDENTIFICATION
  4. GOOD DRESS AND APPEARANCE
  5. OBSERVING ROUTINE RULES
  6. DOING ONE’S BEST ON ASSIGNED WORK

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. POSITIVE TREATMENT OF SELF AND OTHERS: Exhibits emotional intelligence.* Talks courteously and constructively to others. Shows clear respect for all persons (including self) and property at all times. Avoids all harassing, threatening, and derogatory behavior toward others. Uses modulated and dignified language. Works at learning from and using principles in the school’s special guidance program on personal behavior and responsibility.

*NOTE: Emotional intelligence is explained in a special guidance program.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Exhibits threatening, harassing, hazing, abusive, or disrespectful action toward others - - either verbal or physical*, on school property or buses, or even off school property.Engages in racial, ethnic, religious, or community slurs of any kind.
  • Engages in sexual harassment or name-calling of any kind. See the full section in the Student Handbook on this.
  • Fighting or encouraging same, hitting, throwing items or other dangerous horseplay, ignoring safety standards.
  • Involvement in any off campus violent or threatening activity which is determined to be related to an on campus event.
  • Use of obscenities and/or yelling (lack of self control).
  • Theft, arson, damaging property, drug or alcohol or “paraphernalia” possession or use, causing a false fire or bomb alarm, having or using a weapon of any type (including a pocketknife).
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
The middle column describes actions that come under the school’s ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. Actions of this type will lead to immediate removal from classes and/or buses, possible suspension and/or exclusion, and wherever feasible legal action against offenders. There is no place in our school for this type of irresponsibility. Employers have no interest in such offenders.

*NOTE: Assault or carrying/ using weapons of any kind on staff, students, or others will be grounds for exclusion and prosecution. Felony charges or conviction will also result in suspension or exclusion. See General Laws, Chapter 71, Sections 37H and 37H1/2.

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

2. GOOD ATTENDANCE: Present between 100% and 92% per marking term. No cuts. No tardiness. See the full section in the Student Handbook.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Unexcused absence on 9% or more of class or school days per marking term.
  • Any class cut
  • Any tardiness

NOTE: On a day of absence or tardiness to school, a student cannot then attend an after-school event or a trip without the Dean’s permission.
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
  • Detention
  • Make-up of lost time and work at school specified times.
  • Lowered mark or “no credit” status
  • Parent fines under the law
  • If necessary, removal from the school as ineligible for graduation.

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

3. IDENTIFICATION: Once issued, carries school ID card at all times; presents same to a staff member in a courteous manner when so requested. Promptly provides other accurate and full identification if without an ID card, again in a prompt and courteous manner if requested by a staff member.e the full section in the Student Handbook.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Failure to provide full identification promptly and courteously when requested by a staff member.
  • Fails to seek and pay for a new ID card if one is lost.
  • Provides false identification.
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
  • Detention
  • Suspension*
  • Impact on grades
  • Possible expulsion and/or legal action in the case of false identification.

* NOTE: Suspension may be in-house or out-of-school at school authorities’ discretion.

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

4. GOOD DRESS AND APPEARANCE: Neat, clean, dignified, modest appearance at all times. Proper safety clothes and/or shoes as prescribed in any shop or lab. Removal of hat when entering and until leaving the building; no carrying of a hat after the pre-homeroom period. Avoidance of distracting devices that have no place in our work environment.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Poor hygiene
  • Dirty or torn clothes
  • Wearing non-work clothes (very short shorts or skirts, bare midriffs, see-through or low-cut clothes, offensive words or symbols on clothing, wearing “gang” symbols).
  • Wearing or carrying hats in school except when part of an in-shop or lab uniform.
  • Using radios, portable telephones, beepers, earphone devices, skateboards, scooters, game boards or other devices that distract from a work environment and attention to safety and procedural announcements.
  • Wearing opaque contact lenses or other distracting items.
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
  • Detention
  • Suspension
  • Loss of hat or distracting device for part or all of the school year (stored in Dean’s Office).
  • Possible loss of privileges such as trips, clubs, use of cafeteria, athletic participation, etc.

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

5. OBSERVING ROUTINE RULES: Observance of announced rules on - -

  1. Authorized and unauthorized locations (See Student Handbook)
  2. No smoking on school grounds or buses.
  3. Use of timed passes.
  4. Use of the west student parking area if ( no other areas) authorized by the Dean.
  5. Slow, safe driving on campus and to and from school.
  6. Proper care of school property including no graffiti.
  7. Keeping food and drinks in the cafeteria except for transparent bottles of plain water.
  8. Avoiding litter.
  9. Safe use of school property and equipment (See shop and lab safety procedures.)
  10. Licensed use of the Internet.
  11. Attending assigned detention and help sessions. (See BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF STAFF MEMBERS in the Student Handbook.)
  12. Procedures described in the Student Handbook and in special announcements.
  13. Avoiding unauthorized distribution or use of medicine on school grounds or buses. See the Student Handbook.
  14. Immediate and courteous compliance with staff directions (even when you plan to appeal those directions to another level.
  15. Failure to fully complete the certification of this document by a school specified date.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Deliberate or thoughtless disregard of any routine rule or procedure. For example, so called “accidents” are usually exercises in carelessness. Smoking in school is not something “to get away with”; it is something to avoid imposing on others. Not following routine rules is a way to show lack of concern for others.
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
  • Loss of privileges such as eligibility to use passes, eligibility to eat in the cafeteria, etc.
  • Loss of vehicle privileges on campus (if no permit, parked in unauthorized location, or dangerous driving).
  • Assignments to clean-up work
  • Temporary loss of class or shop membership (in-house suspension)
  • Lowered marks
  • Detention

NOTE: Failure to serve detention will result in increased detention time or, if repeated, a greater penalty.

  • Make-up of time and/or work
  • Loss of certification eligibility
  • In the most serious cases, suspension and/or expulsion.

PROPER EXERCISE OF RESPONSIBILITY

6. DOING ONE’S BEST ON ASSIGNED WORK: Investing your “best try” and serious effort on all assigned work and tests. Working to capitalize on your strengths and reduce or eliminate your weaknesses. NOTE: Read and follow the homework policy section in the Student Handbook.
SAMPLE FAILURES IN RESPONSIBILITY
  • Not investing time and effort in doing your best on assigned tasks.
  • Refusing to take the state MCAS tests.
  • Ignoring recommendations to take advantage of extra help sessions.
POTENTIAL SCHOOL ACTION ON FAILURES
  • Lowered or failing grades.
  • Consideration for removal from the school on any student who is consistently not serious about investing effort in the development of personal career power (automatic if effort is not expended on MCAS since a student is then not eligible for graduation.)