Policies and Procedures

School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support

Emerson Community Charter School uses the Positive Behavior Support program as defined by the LAUSD Discipline Foundation Policy. All decisions concerning discipline are made to promote the best opportunity for student learning.

Positive Behavior Support at Emerson Community Charter means Emerson will:

Provide and teach clear student expectations.
Use a progressive approach to student discipline.
Use alternatives to out of school suspensions.
Provide interventions for students who struggle to meet expectations.
Use data (from MiSiS and My Data) to measure the success of discipline interventions.
Meet regularly to discuss students in need of intervention (Discipline Review Committee).

Uniform Policy and Dress Code

All students are expected to wear the approved school uniform to school each day.
Pants, Shorts, Skirts, Skorts Must be solid navy blue or black No jeans, sweatpants, nylon or stretch pants Must be worn at the waist and remain at the waist if the belt is removed Shorts, skirts, and skorts must meet the length requirement Shirts White or grey polo shirts with or without the Emerson logo (2 or 3 buttons only) Must be long or short sleeved Undershirt may be white, black, grey or navy only Jackets/Coats/Sweaters/Sweatshirts Must be solid navy blue, tan, brown, grey, or black only May not have any patterns, logos, or designs except the Emerson logo Vests are permitted as long as they meet these requirements Shoes Must be primarily black, navy blue, or white with only a small accent of color Must not have any patterns Must have closed toe Must have white or black laces Boots black, navy blue, white or natural (MUST have shoes for PE) No slippers, sandals, open toes, backless, or slip ons Accessories Belts should be solid black, navy blue, or brown with a small unadorned belt buckle Hats, scarves, or gloves to be worn outside in cold weather during school hours No wallet chains or accessories that hang from the body No sunglasses Ear piercing only, should be posts only - no hoops or dangles Solid leggings or knee socks navy/dark blue, or black only Jewelry and accessories must be of neutral colors (e.g. black, blue, silver, brown, or white). They should not be distracting to the class or be unsafe to the student (e.g. bangle bracelets, long necklaces, large belt buckles, long chains, inappropriate logos, etc.) Student clothing should be in good repair and of appropriate size. Clothing should not be excessively large or tight. Clothing should not contain any pattern, design, or logo that is disruptive or inappropriate, vulgar, violent, or discriminatory. Students should dress in a way that is appropriate to the learning environment, is safe, and does not cause them to stand out.

Cell phone policy

Emerson Community Charter does not allow students to use cellphones, personal electronic devices, headphones, and other devices, capable of communication through radio frequency, from the time students arrive on campus until dismissal. This includes bluetooth enable devices such as ear pods and smart watches, etc.

Students are able to bring their devices to school, but must be powered off and out of sight.
Students using these devices will have their devices confiscated that may only be picked up by a parent or guardian after school. Students may be subject to Emerson's progressive discipline policy should they continue to break this policy.
If you need to communicate with your student during the school day, please DO NOT contact them on their personal device as this encourages them to use their phones. Instead, call the main office and we will get a message to them (310) 234-3100.
Should your student need to communicate with a parent or guardian, they must go to the main office.
If you have any questions regarding this policy, please call the school.

Attendance

LAUSD’s goal is for all students to have 96-100% attendance. That means that each student would miss less than 7 school days over the course of the school year. In order for our students to achieve this goal, please make sure your child arrives to school, and goes to each class, every day on time.

In order to achieve this goal, Emerson will be implementing Perfect Attendance Awards. More information will come soon.

Benefits of Attendance	Consequences of Absence
Increased school funding	The school loses money that could go to support the students
Better grades and test scores	Lower grades and test scores
Students are less likely to need intervention	Students who miss lessons often struggle and get behind
Students are more likely to have higher self-esteem, more friends, and participate in school activities	Allows students time to engage in negative activities
Students are more likely to complete college prep courses	Students get behind in courses and don’t graduate on time
Students are less likely to drop out of school	Increased school drop out rates
A high school graduate will earn about $300,000 more than a high school dropout over a lifetime	Students without a high school education earn less money over time.
A college graduate will earn about $1,000,000 more than a high school dropout over a lifetime	Students without a high school diploma are not college or career ready.
	Parents who don’t take their child to school are at risk of receiving a letter from the court and facing legal consequences

What can parents do to help improve student attendance?

Discuss with your children the importance of going to school every day and on time.
Make sure your child gets to school on time.
Develop a daily schedule and adhere to it.
Encourage and help your child prepare for school each evening.
Don’t plan family vacations and non-emergency doctor/dentist appointments for times when your child should be in school.

What should you do if your child is absent?

DO NOT CALL. Instead, send a signed and dated note to the Student Services Office.

Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures

Student safety is everyone’s responsibility! To help keep everyone safe and to avoid a costly ticket, please note the following rules that apply to both drop-off and pick-up:

Pull up to the curb in front of school (east side of Selby Ave.) during drop off and pickup. If you double park and your child gets in/out of your car, you may get a double-parking ticket (Parking enforcement just jots down your license plate number, and you will get a ticket in the mail).
If you drop your student off across the street from school, your student should walk to the nearest crosswalk. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD CROSS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET! It is dangerous and YOU may receive a ticket.
Read/observe the posted parking restrictions. If you park and leave your car during restricted hours, you may receive a ticket

Bullying

What Can You Do If You Get Bullied

Tell your parents or other trusted adults. They can help stop the bullying.
If you are bullied at school, tell your teacher, school counselor, or principal. Telling is not tattling.
Don't fight back. Don't try to bully those who bully you.
Try not to show anger or fear. Students who bully like to see that they can upset you.
Calmly tell the student to stop...or say nothing and then walk away.
Use humor, if this is easy for you to do. (For example; if a student makes fun of your clothing, laugh and say, “Yeah, I think this shirt is kind of funny looking, too.”)

Try to avoid situations in which bullying is may happen.

You might want to avoid areas of the school where there are not many students or teachers around.
Make sure you aren't alone in the bathroom or locker room.
Sit near the front of the bus.
Don't bring expensive things or lots of money to school. Sit with a group of friends at lunch.
Take a different route through hallways or walk with friends or a teacher to your classes.

DON'T...

Think it's your fault. Nobody deserves to be bullied!
Fight back or bully a person back. This probably won't make things any better and it might get you into big trouble. Besides, you should try to act better than the person who bullies you.
Keep it to yourself and just hope the bullying will "go away." It's normal to want to try to ignore bullying and hope that it will stop–or hope that the person will start to pick on someone else. But, often, bullying won't stop until adults and other kids get involved. So, be sure to report the bullying.
Skip school or avoid clubs or sports because you're afraid of being bullied. Missing out on school or activities that you enjoy isn't the answer. You have a right to be there!
Think that you're a "tattle tale" if you tell an adult that you've been bullied. Telling is NOT tattling! It's the right thing to do.
Hurt yourself. Some kids who are bullied get so sad and depressed that they may try to hurt themselves because they think there is nothing else they can do. This definitely isn't the answer. Talk with an adult immediately and tell them how you are feeling. They can help stop the bullying.

Title IX

Emerson Community Charter School adheres to SB1375, the Sex Equity in Education Act, which states the policy of the state that elementary and secondary school classes and courses, including nonacademic and elective classes and courses, be conducted without regard to the sex of the pupil enrolled in these classes or courses. Existing federal law, known as Title IX, prohibits a person, on the basis of sex, from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination under, any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Complaint resolution for students with disabilities

The Los Angeles Unified School District established the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to join the Division of Special Education to respond to concerns of parents of students with disabilities. CRU services may be accessed by calling (800) 933-8133 or by visiting the unit at the administrative offices of the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at 333 South Beaudry, 18th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90017. For more information click HERE to go to their website.

Nutrition and Lunch

Grubhub, Postmates, Doordash, and all other food delivery orders are not allowed and will be refused at the front door. Please make sure your student comes to school with their lunch or is prepared to eat in the cafeteria.

Students are to eat in the designated lunch areas only. There is absolutely no food and drink, other than water, allowed past the gate to the athletic field. Please speak with your student about adhering to this rule to protect the integrity of our courts, turf, and gymnasium. Student bringing food, candy, gum, and drinks (other than water) may be subject to Emerson's progressive discipline plan.