Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior intervention and support systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. Rather than a prescribed program, PBIS provides systems for schools to design, implement, and evaluate effective school-wide, classroom, non-classroom, and student specific plans. PBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for all students and all staff in all settings, including the Residential Halls and Athletic areas.

We have adopted a unified set of rules. These rules define our expectations for behavior in our school and residential halls. You will see these rules posted throughout the school and residential hall and your child will be learning them during their first days/weeks at school. Our unified rules, found in every classroom and non-classroom setting in the school, will be shared with the families at the beginning of the school year.

Through Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, students enhance their social, emotional and behavior competence by following the positive expectations of SAFETY-OWNERSHIP-ACCEPTANCE-RESPECT.Teachers review the expectations with the students at beginning of the year and when needed through the year to ensure students are able to follow the expectations. The expectations are posted in all areas of the school to help students and staff follow in order to maintain an environment that promotes positive behaviors.

Lockers

Each student in grades 5-12 is issued a hallway locker to store clothes and educational materials/supplies. For safety reasons, students are encouraged to use their lockers with school issued combination locks instead of leaving their belongings around the school environment. Students may bring their own locks but need to provide their department secretary with the lock information. If necessary, ISD has the right to cut personal lock if the combination is not provided. The outside of lockers may be decorated with school-related items only (academic/athletic recognitions or special event materials). Personal pictures, messages, or other information can be posted inside lockers if it is not objectionable or profane. Students can check with the principal for clarification.

Convocations/Field Trips

When trips or convocations are planned and approved, the teacher and residential advisor will schedule all field trips for their class/group at least two weeks in advance. Letters providing information about the trip will be sent to families two weeks prior, explaining the need for permission form signatures, money and/or special clothing needs. Notice and updates of department-wide or individual field trips and convocations will be sent to families through the department principals’ weekly memo via Skyward. Be sure to check your skyward notification/emails for any updates!

Lost and Found

Any lost and found items will be turned into the department secretaries of Middle School, High School, Residential and Athletic Departments. If a student has lost or misplaced item(s), they should check with the department secretary. ISD is not responsible for lost and/or stolen items.

Irene Hodock Media Center

Mission

The Irene Hodock Media Center strives to promote a culture of literacy and learning to enhance achievement and foster independent readers, self-directed learners, and responsible digital age learners.

The Irene Hodock Media Center is a part of the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library Shared System. Students and staff can use not only the books and materials available on site at ISD, but also can request to borrow or access any material available at any IMCPL location or shared system branch. Access to both the complete catalog and online resources such as databases and streaming services can be found at www.indypl.org. Some online resources may require the use of your library card and pin number to access.

Procedure for borrowing or accessing Media Center materials

1. Upon entry to ISD, each student must complete an application for a library card.

2. The library card number and pin number can be used to check out physical materials and, in some cases, access digital materials. The library card is valid not only at ISD, but at any IMCPL branch.

3. Materials may be borrowed for a period of two weeks.

4. If an item is lost or damaged, the borrower may be charged a replacement fee.

5. All student Code of Conduct rules apply in the Media Center.

Dress Code

The appearance of any student is the primary responsibility of both the student and their family. Students are expected to display reasonable levels of cleanliness and modesty in the way they choose to dress for school. We do not intend to dictate the type of clothes to be worn to school but ask students to respect themselves and others in their clothing choices.

Keeping consistent with the statements above, and to decrease confusion, inappropriate school attire includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Hats, hoods, bandanas, and/or any other head coverings during the school day. Hats and hoods are permitted outside only.

2. Attire typically worn at the beach or sleepwear is not appropriate for an educational setting. (i.e. slippers, pajamas, flannel sleep pants, and blankets.)

3. Clothing or jewelry that promotes and/ or displays inappropriate messages for school. Examples would be messages containing profanity, sexual innuendos, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, illegal substances, or gang related apparel.

4. Chains (dog/animal chains and collars, wallet, wallet chains, heavy chains around the neck or chains on pants, etc.)

5. Any clothing that reveals undergarments or lack of undergarments. Clothing that exposes excess skin such as jerseys without an undershirt, spaghetti straps, tank tops, cut-off tops, shirts with the sleeves cut off, halter tops, mesh shirts, strapless tops, see-through clothing of any kind, and low-cut shirts are not to be worn.

6. Clothing that exposes the midriff is not acceptable. It is important that blouses and shirts cover both the front and the back of the body and are long enough to be tucked in.

7. Dresses, skirts, and shorts may be no shorter than the tips of the thumb when student is standing with arms extended straight down at the side of the leg with fingers fully extended towards the floor.

8. Sagging or low-rise pants that expose the undergarments or excess skin. Pants and shorts are to be worn at or above the waist. Belts should be worn to prevent pants from sagging.

9. Outerwear such as winter coats and jackets should not be worn during the school day. Students are encouraged to wear sweatshirts and sweaters should they feel cold.

10. Shoes must always be worn. Please look at your child’s schedule regarding course requirements; PE, FACS, and Science classes may have shoe requirements, check the class syllabus for shoe requirements for the courses. Heels that exceed four inches in height are not permitted. Refrain from wearing any shoes that can damage school property (cleats, shoes with rollers, metal spikes, etc.). For elementary students, they may wear closed toed sandals that do not expose toes and wrap around the ankles; flip flops are not permitted.

Please remember all students go outside daily. Middle School and High School students must go between buildings to attend classes. We would greatly appreciate our students being properly dressed for school and activities outside our school buildings. Students participating in or attending other Educational Programs are responsible for following that program’s established dress code (i.e. JEL, public schools, field trips, community work programs).

We reserve the right to control extreme styles of dress and speech which do not comply with the required dress code. Students are here, first and foremost, for academic reasons; if a student chooses to dress in a way that causes a disruption to our educational environment, they will be asked by the classroom teacher, residential advisor or other appropriate staff to remove, change, or cover up the objectional attire. Families may be contacted to bring their student appropriate clothing. Consequences are not given to those who comply with the requests to change, however, students who repeatedly violate the dress code will face disciplinary action. The administrator reserves right to make final decision on consequences if necessary.

Food and Drink Policy

ISD follows the National School Lunch Program and mandates specific guidelines for food and drink during school hours 7:30 to 3:30 at ISD apply: 1.) Bottled waters, Gatorade, Powerade and/or healthy snacks are allowed in classrooms at teacher’s discretion, 2.) Food and drink are NOT allowed in MSM auditorium and Irene Hadock Media Center, and 3.) Glass bottles, soda, powdered/sweetened drink mixes, coffee, coffee mugs, energy drinks, and non-household lunch (fast food or restaurant) are NOT allowed to be brought onto ISD campus at any time, including both cafeterias and student packed lunches from home. Students are not permitted to leave campus during their lunch time.

Student Identification Cards

The ISD campus police issues student identification cards for all Middle School and High School students. All Middle School and High School students MUST carry their student identification cards at all times while on ISD campus. Lanyards and clear hard plastic identification badge holders are available for purchase at the Oriole’s Wing School Store. Loss of the Student identification card must be reported to the Middle School/High School department secretary. If student’s Identification card is lost or damaged, the replacement cost is $5.00.

Student Motor Vehicle and Driver License Invalidation Policy

The following regulations have been adopted by the administration for students who wish to drive to and from school. The ISD does not encourage residential or day students to drive vehicles while at ISD, as the local education agency (LEA) provides transportation to and from school. The ISD administration reserves the right to revoke student-driving privileges at any time.

Requirements for Issuance of a Parking Permit

The student and family must complete and sign an application for the parking permit. The application can be received from the principal or residential dean’s office. The student will return the form for the principal and/or residential dean’s signatures. The permit will be issued and become effective when the chief of campus police receives and signs the application. It is the student’s responsibility to keep the information on the application up to date. No car will be allowed on campus until the application is completed, signed, and on file. Copies will be sent to the ISD campus police, high school principal, residential dean, and other appropriate staff. The vehicle driven on campus must be safe and insured in accordance with Indiana law, and the student must always have the state-required information available, i.e. driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance.

Regulations Governing the Vehicle

1. The vehicle must be in compliance with all Indiana laws.

2. Vehicle maintenance is the sole responsibility of the student and their family.

3. In the event of vehicle failure, the student and their family are responsible for arranging transportation.

4. ISD is not responsible for damage done to the vehicle while on the ISD campus.

5. Repairs performed on the vehicle while on the ISD campus require the permission of the chief of campus police before work is begun.

Regulations Governing Vehicle Use

1. All day students are to park their vehicles in front of Caskey Gym near the tennis courts. All residential students are to park in the northeast parking lot in front of Fair Hall (between the student residence hall and Caskey building).

2. Students must always yield the right of way to school buses and pedestrians.

3. Students may not drive off campus without written permission from their family on file in the principal and/or residential dean’s offices. Permission from ISD staff is also required for each off-campus trip, with a destination and return time to be specified and agreed upon before departure. ISD staff may restrict off-campus driving due to inclement weather, previously scheduled school activities, or inappropriate destinations, etc.

4. The student may not transport any other students in their vehicle without written permission of both families on file with the principal and/or residential dean’s offices.

5. The vehicle is not to be driven to other locations on the ISD campus.

6. Students are not to be in the parking area or in the vehicle without permission.

7. Violations of parking (i.e. handicapped areas, fire lanes, grass) could result in disciplinary action including the vehicle being towed.

Additionally, the following may also be considered grounds for suspension or loss of driving privileges:

• Allowing another student to use the vehicle.

• Tampering with or damaging any vehicle on campus.

• Excessive speed on campus.

• Breaking traffic laws on campus.

• Breaking state motor vehicle laws.

• Using the vehicle while breaking school rules.

Violations of the above or minor traffic regulations will result in disciplinary action being taken according to the following schedule; however, the severity of the offense may result in additional disciplinary action upon review by the chief of campus police:

• First Offense: Loss of driving privileges for 7 days.

• Second Offense: Loss of driving privileges for 30 days.

• Third Offense: Loss of driving privileges for 90 days.

The ISD campus police are empowered to issue traffic citations for any violation of Indiana state motor vehicle laws.

DRIVER LICENSE INVALIDATION POLICY

The following information is from the Indiana Code and explains that a student’s driver’s license will be suspended if the student is habitually truant, suspended out of school, or expelled.

IC 9-24-2-4 Invalidation and revalidation of licenses; suspended, expelled, and withdrawn students

Sec. 4. (a) If a person is less than eighteen (18) years of age and is a habitual truant, is under a suspension or an expulsion or has withdrawn from school as described in this statue, the bureau shall, upon notification by the person’s principal, invalidate the person’s license. A person may appeal the decision of a principal under subdivision (1) to the governing body of the school corporation where the principal’s school is located. As added by P.L. 2-1991, Sec.12. Amended by P.L.131-1995, Sec. 2; P.L. 132-1995, Sec. 2.

Student Organization and Meetings

ISD offers opportunities for students to participate in organizations and class meetings through activity period that are scheduled and coordinated through the high school principal during school hours. All meetings are lead, monitored or facilitated by a staff. Any organization wanting to distribute materials to the student body needs to get permission from the principal.

Afterschool clubs are coordinated through student life staff and various opportunities are offered to students afterschool and communicated through families through skyward.

Distribution of Non-School Materials by Students:

Students seeking to distribute non-school materials to the student body shall provide a copy of the material to the principal prior to its distribution. The principal, residential dean or their designee(s) will approve the distribution unless the material is libelous, invades the privacy of others, is obscene or pornographic, is pervasively indecent and vulgar, causes material and substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation of the school and school activities, or advertises a product or service not permitted under the law for use by minors. If distribution is approved, students will be allowed to distribute such material at any school exit at the end of the school day.

Students shall not distribute materials in a manner that disrupts any school activity or blocks/impedes the safe flow of traffic within corridors and entranceways of the school. Students who distribute materials shall be responsible for cleaning up any materials. Students violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action by the principal, and/or residential dean.

High School Prom

The prom location must be approved by the administration each year. All school rules apply. No middle school students are allowed at this activity. Students attending the prom must be in school the day of the prom for the full school session unless excused by the principal or designee. Students absent the day of the prom and not excused by the principal or designee, will not be permitted to attend the activity, and will forfeit the cost of tickets and any other expenses. Students will be removed from the activity if they receive an out-of-school suspension from the school.

Technology Use Policy

Technology Goals

• Equip all stakeholders to use technology to interact with, and impact, the world around them.

• Teach digital citizenship.

• Integrate technology seamlessly in the teaching and learning process while ensuring that the use of technology adds value to learning.

• Develop a new set of knowledge and skills for the 21stcentury learner.

• Provide greater access to educational opportunities and differentiated instruction by utilizing access to technology for anytime, anywhere learning.

• Improve communication and widen our sense of community by expanding the way teachers, students, and families are able to interact with each other.

• Integrate digital tools for students to develop products that demonstrate their understanding.

• Provide greater access to digital content in a variety of formats and modes.

Responsible Use Agreement

Introduction

The Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) recognizes that access to technology in school gives students greater opportunities to learn, engage, communicate, and develop skills that will prepare them for work, life, and citizenship. We are committed to helping students develop progressive technology and communication skills. ISD is committed to providing educational opportunities for all students and maintains compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.). To that end, we provide the privilege of access to technologies for student and staff use.

This Responsible Use Policy outlines the guidelines and behaviors that all users are expected to follow when using school technologies or when using personally owned devices on the school campus, including:

• The ISD network is intended for educational purposes.

• All activity over the network or using district technologies may be monitored, documented, and retained.

• Access to online content via the network may be restricted in accordance with our policies and federal regulations, such as the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

• Students are expected to follow the same rules for good behavior and respectful conduct online as offline.

• Misuse of school resources can result in disciplinary action.

• Using an internet filter and other technologies, ISD makes a reasonable effort to ensure students’ safety and security online but will not be held accountable for any harm or damages that result from use of school technologies.

• Users of the district network or other technologies are expected to alert the technology staff immediately of any concerns for safety or security.

Technologies Covered

ISD may provide the privilege of internet access, desktop computers, mobile computers or devices, videoconferencing capabilities, online collaboration capabilities, message boards, email, and more.

This Responsible Use Policy applies to both school-owned technology equipment utilizing the ISD network, the ISD internet connection, and/or private networks/internet connections accessed from school-owned devices at any time. This Responsible Use Policy also applies to privately owned devices accessing the ISD network, the ISD internet connection, and/or private networks/internet connections while on school property. As relevant new technologies emerge, ISD will seek to provide access to them. The policies outlined in this document cover all available technologies now and, in the future, not just those specifically listed or currently available.

Usage Policies

All technologies provided by the district are intended for education purposes. All users are expected to use good judgment by following the ISD student code of conduct and social media policy. Users should be safe, appropriate, careful, and kind; not try to get around technological protection measures; use good common sense; and ask if they do not know.

Internet Access

ISD provides its users the privilege of access to the internet, including web sites, resources, content, and online tools. Access to the internet will be restricted as required to comply with CIPA regulations and school policies. Web browsing may be monitored, and web activity records may be retained indefinitely.

Users are expected to respect the web filter as a safety precaution and shall not attempt to circumvent the web filter when browsing the internet. The determination of whether material is appropriate or inappropriate is based solely on the content of the material and the intended use of the material, not on whether a website has been blocked or not.

Email

ISD may provide users with the privilege of email accounts for the purpose of school-related communication. Availability and use may be restricted based on school policies.

If users are provided with email accounts, the account(s) should be used with care. Users should not send personal information and should not attempt to open files or follow links from unknown or untrusted origins. Users should use appropriate language and should only communicate with other people as allowed by the district policy or the teacher.

Users are expected to communicate with the same appropriate, safe, mindful, courteous conduct online as offline. Email usage may be monitored and archived.

Web 2.0 (Email, Social, Collaborative Content)

Recognizing the benefits collaboration brings to education, ISD may provide users with access to web sites or tools that allow communication, collaboration, sharing, and messaging among users.

Users are expected to communicate with the same appropriate, safe, mindful, courteous conduct online as offline. Posts, chats, sharing, and messaging may be monitored. Users should be careful not to share personally identifying information online.

Mobile Devices Policy

ISD may provide users with mobile computers or other devices to promote learning outside of the classroom. Users should abide by the same Responsible Use Policies when using school devices off the school network as on the school network.

Users are expected to treat these devices with extreme care and caution; these are expensive devices that the school is entrusting to users’ care. Users should immediately report any loss, damage, or malfunction to IT staff. Users may be financially accountable for any damage resulting from negligence or misuse.

Use of school-issued mobile devices off the school network may be monitored. ISD technology staff and administration reserve the right to monitor and/or search the content and browsing history of school owned technology at any time.

Security

Users are expected to take reasonable safeguards against the transmission of security threats over the school network. This includes not opening or distributing infected files or programs and not opening files or programs of unknown or untrusted origin. Users should never share personal information.

If users believe a computer or mobile device they are using might be infected with a virus, they should alert IT. Users should not attempt to remove the virus themselves or download any programs to help remove the virus.

Downloads

Users are not permitted to download or run programs over the school network while at or off campus, onto school equipment, without express permission from IT staff.

Users may be able to download other file types, such as images of videos. For the security of the network user downloads should come from known or trusted sites, and only for education purposes.

Netiquette

Users should always use the internet, network resources, and online sites in a courteous and respectful manner.

Users should recognize that among the valuable content online there is also unverified, incorrect, or inappropriate content. 

Users should only use known or trusted sources when conducting research via the internet. Users should remember not to post anything online that they would not want students, families, teachers, or future colleges or employers to see. Once something is online, it cannot be completely retracted and can sometimes be shared and spread in ways the user never intended.

Plagiarism

Users should not plagiarize (or use as their own, without citing the original creator) content, including words or images, from the internet. Users should not take credit for things they did not create themselves or misrepresent themselves as an author or creator of something found online. Information obtained via the internet should be appropriately cited, giving credit to the original author.

Personal Safety

Users should never share personal information, including phone number, address, social security number, birthday, or financial information, over the internet without adult permission. Users should recognize that communicating over the internet brings anonymity and associated risks and should carefully safeguard the personal information of themselves and others. Users should never agree to meet in real life someone they meet online without parental permission.

If users see a message, comment, image, or anything else online that makes them concerned for their personal safety, they should immediately bring it to the attention of an adult (teacher or staff if at school, parent if using the device at home).

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, including but not limited to harassing, flaming, denigrating, impersonating, outing, tricking, excluding, and cyberstalking will not be tolerated. Users should not be mean or send emails or post comments with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school or residential environment.

Engaging in these behaviors, or any online activities intended to harm (physically or emotionally) another person, will result in severe disciplinary action and loss of privileges. In some cases, cyberbullying can be a crime. Users should remember that online activities may be monitored and retained.

All students will be educated about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Social Media Guidelines

• Be aware of what you post online. Social media venues, including wikis, blogs, photo, and video sharing sites are very public. Do not post anything you would not want friends, enemies, families, teachers, or a future employer to see.

• Follow the school and residential hall's code of conduct when writing online. It is acceptable to disagree with someone else's opinions; however, do it in a respectful way. Make sure that criticism is constructive and not hurtful. What is inappropriate in the classroom and residential hall is inappropriate online.

• Be safe online. Never give out personal information, including, but not limited to, last names, phone numbers, addresses, birth dates, and pictures. Do not share your password with anyone besides your teachers and families.

• Linking to other websites to support your thoughts and ideas is recommended. However, be sure to read the entire article prior to linking to ensure that all information is appropriate for a school setting.

• Do your own work! Do not use other people's intellectual property without their permission. It is a violation of copyright law to copy and paste others’ thoughts without giving credit. When paraphrasing another's idea(s) be sure to cite your source with the URL. It is good practice to hyperlink to your sources.

• Be aware that pictures may also be protected under copyright laws. Verify you have permission to use the image or it is under Creative Commons attribution.

• How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself. Do not misrepresent yourself by using someone else's identity.

• Blog and wiki posts should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. If you edit someone else's work, be sure it is in the spirit of improving the writing.

• If you run across inappropriate material that makes you feel uncomfortable or is not respectful, tell your teacher right away.

• Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in the project and/or access to future use of online tools.

Limitation of Liability

ISD will not be responsible for damage or harm to persons, files, data, or hardware.

While ISD employs filtering and other safety and security mechanisms, and attempts to ensure their proper function, it makes no guarantees as to their effectiveness.

ISD will not be responsible, financially, or otherwise, for unauthorized transactions conducted over the school network.

Violations of this policy may have disciplinary consequences, including:

• Suspension of network, technology, or computer privileges;

• Notification of family;

• • Detention or suspension

• Legal action and/or prosecution.

Staff, students, and families/guardians shall be required to sign the Indiana School for the Deaf’s Responsible Use Agreement annually before internet or network access shall be allowed.

iPad Policy

Terms

Users will always comply with the ISD Student Technology Handbook policies. Any failure to comply may terminate user rights of possession effective immediately and the district may repossess the iPad. Any lost, stolen, and damaged iPads must be reported to school authorities immediately.

Students in grades K-5 will use the iPads during school hours and teachers will send iPads home when needed.

Students in grades 6-12 will be allowed to use iPads at school, at the residential hall and at home.

Title

Indiana School for the Deaf always has legal title to the property. The user’s right of possession and use is limited to and conditioned upon full and complete compliance with this agreement and the student handbook technology policy.

Loss, Theft or Damage

Should an iPad be damaged, lost, or stolen the student or parent/guardian should immediately notify the school administration. If an iPad is stolen the student/guardian should file a police report as soon as possible. If the iPad is lost, stolen, or totally damaged as a result of irresponsible behavior, the parent may be responsible for the full replacement cost.

In the event of a lost or stolen iPad and once a police report is filed, the Indiana School for the Deaf, in conjunction and with police, may deploy location software which may aid the police in recovering the iPad.

Students who cease to be enrolled in the Indiana School for the Deaf must return the iPad, along with any other accessories, at the time they leave the school. The iPad and all accessories should be returned to the ISD Technology Center. Any fees collected as a part of this initiative will not be refunded.

Repossession

If the user does not fully comply with all terms of this Agreement and the ISD Student Technology Handbook, including the timely return of the property, ISD shall be entitled to declare the user in default and come to the user’s place of residence, or other location of the property, to take possession of the property.

Terms of Agreement

The user’s right to use and possession of the property terminates not later than the last day of the school year unless earlier terminated by ISD or upon withdrawal from ISD.

Unlawful Appropriation/Theft

Failure to timely return the property or the continued use of it for non-school purposes without ISD’s consent is considered unlawful appropriation of ISD’s property. This may constitute theft, a felony, or conversion, for which families and students could be liable for three times the cost of the property plus attorney’s fees.

Financial Terms of Mobile Technology Use

Use and Maintenance Fees

Annual Technology Fee

Students in grades K-12 must pay a $40 technology fee at the beginning of the school year. This fee helps ISD offset the cost of insurance policies and keep our technology up-to-date. It may be paid in cash, check, or credit/debit card (through PayPal). Links to pay online can be found on the Educational Technology page of the ISD school website. Students will not receive their iPad until the fee is paid.

*Seniors must clear all records and pay all fees before participating in commencement exercises.

iPad Charging Cords

Students will receive one charging/sync cord with their iPad. It is the responsibility of the student to care for that cord for the life of his/her device (estimated: 4 years if the cord is lost or worn out, it is the student’s responsibility to replace the cord. There will be affordable options available for sale in the Oriole Wing store, or you may purchase a replacement of your choosing. ISD will no longer collect and redistribute charging cords.

iPad Costs – for Lost, Stolen or Full-Cost Damage

If the iPad is lost, stolen, or totally damaged as a result of irresponsible behavior, the parent may be responsible for the full replacement cost.

Cost to the district:

• iPad (32GB) - $299.00

• Power adapters - $40.00

• iPad case - $45

Damaged iPads

Any damage must be reported to school authorities immediately. At that time school authorities will determine if damage is accidental or due to irresponsible behavior.

Insurance Policy

iPads that are taken home by students are covered under an accidental damage insurance policy. The policy covers accidental damages and theft (if forced entry was required). If an iPad is accidentally damaged, it should be brought to the technology office so a claim can be made.  If the iPad was stolen, please obtain a copy of the police report including the serial number of the iPad. (Contact ISD Technology to get the serial number if needed.) The student will receive a temporary replacement device until their device can be repaired or replaced at no cost to the student.

Mobile Technology Precautions

Handling and Care of the iPad

• Keep the iPad in the district-issued or approved case.

• Keep iPads and cases free of any writing, drawing, stickers, or labels that are not applied by ISD.

• Use the iPad on a flat, stable surface.

• Do not set books on the iPad.

• Do not have food or drinks around the iPad.

• Wipe surfaces with a clean, dry soft cloth.

• Avoid touching the screen with pens or pencils.

• Do not leave the iPad exposed to direct sunlight or near any heat or moisture sources for extended periods of time.

• Find my iPad must be turned on at all times.

Power Management

• It is the user’s responsibility to recharge the iPad’s battery, so it is fully charged by the start of the next school day. Charging cords should NOT be brought to school and the opportunity to charge an iPad at school may not be available. Charging cords will be needed at the residential hall to charge after school hours.

• All class work missed because of uncharged batteries must be made up on students’ own time.

• The iPad must remain on (awake or sleep mode) at school at all times, with no exceptions.

• Failure to bring a fully charged device to school on a regular basis may result in the loss of take-home privileges.

Transport

• Transport iPad in its protective case.

• Do not leave the iPad in a vehicle for extended periods of time or overnight.

• Do not leave the iPad in visible sight when left in a vehicle.

Monitoring and Supervision

• Do not leave the iPad unattended in an unlocked room or during an extracurricular activity.

• Do not lend the iPad to a classmate, friend, or family member.

• Any attempt to “jailbreak” or remove the ISD profile could result in suspension.

• Students are expected to respect the web filter as a safety precaution and shall not attempt to circumvent the web filter.

• Students are responsible for the safety and security of the iPad and any activity on the device.

• District may disable the iPad remotely to protect the device and/or data on the device.

• Students must sign into iCloud and turn on the “Find my iPad” feature. This must be on at all times.

• Families wanting to install additional restrictions on their student’s iPad should contact the child’s classroom teacher.

NOTE: Failure to follow these precautions could result in a student being charged full replacement cost in the event of a lost, stolen, or damaged iPad.

Memory Space Management

• All ISD issue iPads have 32GB of storage space.

• Students must ensure that there is always adequate space for installing required apps, creating required projects, and storing required materials (such as digital textbooks).

• If a student is unable to complete an assignment or class requirement due to lack of space on the iPad, the iPad will be reformatted and wiped clean.

• Students will be provided with additional cloud storage space for backing up and storing educational content.

Student Content and App Restrictions

• Students in grades K-8 will not have access to the App Store. All needed apps will be installed by ISD.

• Students in grades 9-12 may install apps with a rating of 12+.

• Books and Music with a rating of “explicit” are not allowed.

• Game Center is not permitted on iPads.

• ISD administration and IT department reserve the right to ask a student to remove any app or content found to be in violation of the student handbook policy from an iPad at any time. 

Removal is to take place immediately following the request. Failure to remove content upon request will result in confiscation of the iPad and possibly further disciplinary action.

Technology Usage Expectations

• Students are only to use ISD provided technology during the school day. No personal devices may be used in the classroom or during school hours.

• Use of both personal and school-issued smartphones or electronic devices (including anything with camera or video capability) in the residential hall bedroom, locker rooms or bathrooms is not allowed for the safety and protection of student's privacy.

• ISD iPads and computers are to be used strictly for educational purposes during the school day. Violation may result in additional restrictions being added to the device.

• Students are expected to cooperate with staff at all times. If a staff requests the iPad, it must be given to them, no questions asked.

• Do not take photos or videos of others without their permission.

Residential Program

Program Overview

The ISD supports students from all over Indiana by providing a bilingual residential program as determined through a case conference committee to support the district in offering an educational programming during the school day utilizing a bilingual approach of ASL and English. The residential program’s mission is to provide a positive home away from home developmental experiences and activities for all residential students through American Sign Language. The residential staff in this program are fluent in ASL and can communicate to meet student’s needs directly. As outlined in the school’s vision and mission, the residential program ensures as a part of this developmental process, that all residential staff members are required to participate in each child’s life by providing meaningful experiences in place of families during the child’s residence on ISD’s campus. The residential staff, by providing such activities, will help students achieve independence prior to graduation.

The Residential Program hours are from 3:15 pm to 7:50 am. Residential deans oversee the program and the residential advisors are responsible for the care of groups of students under their care. Residential deans, advisors and students follow the established rules for all of the areas to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residential students. The residential program follows the evidence based Positive Behavior Intervention and Support in which includes a broad range of proactive, systematic, and individualized strategies through daily activities for achieving important social & learning outcomes in safe & effective environment. Expectations are shared and discussed with the students and sent out to the families by the residential staff. The residential staff is available to support student to become independent with their daily living, hygiene, homework, and wellbeing.

Residential advisors will send home information on daily routine and schedule of activities and events. Residential advisors also encourage students to call home through use of a video phone to allow students to stay connected with their families through the week. All students who stay in the dorm are required a quiet time every night and this can include homework, quiet reading, drawing, coloring, or any other mindfulness options to reduce stress and self-care and to increase independency with time management and staying organized.

Residential advisors and teachers work with families together to ensure that students are keeping up with their schoolwork and receive help if needed from a teacher or staff available after school when needed.

For students who have ongoing behavior, or social/emotional concerns, the residential dean may request consult of a counselor and behavior specialist when needed to support a student. The school counselors and behavior specialists work during the school day and may see residential students during the day for any support that is needed. If further support is needed it is recommended that the family and residential/school staff set up a meeting to establish a plan in supporting the student’s social/emotional needs in the residential halls.

For any academic, behavior and social/emotional concerns, families are encouraged to reach out to both the residential advisor and classroom teacher to request a meeting and/or to discuss ideas for supporting the child in the residential setting.

Few things to keep in mind when staying in the residential hall:

• All student-athletes who stay in residential hall are expected to follow the daily routines and rules posted in the residential area and follow the student-family handbook policy and procedures.

• Prior to staying in the residential hall at any time or just for one night, all families of day students are encouraged to fill out appropriate paperwork ahead of time prior to staying in the residential hall.

• The student’s family must communicate any change in transportation plans for after schoolwith the school department secretary or residential dean. Day students planning to spend the night or weekend with another day student must have written email or note from both families with details of the changes (include date of change, bus number and names of students with parent signature).

• Weekend transportation changes for Friday/Sunday with residential students will need the weekend transportation change form filled out. The form may be obtained from the residential advisor or dean and must be filled and given back to the residential dean before Wednesday night by 10 pm for any Friday and/or Sunday transportation changes. Parents of the student inviting another student to ride home must contact their home district to check for local policy/rules with students from different district riding with the student.

• All snacks, food items and drinks kept in the residential area must be contained in an airtight storage bin.

• Eating and drinking in the dorm is allowed in the common area (water only allowed in the bedrooms).

Residential Hall Visitations

1. Families need to contact the residential dean to arrange the visit or child pick up/drop off.

2. All families are required to stop at the residential dean’s office to check-in. Families need to stay in the main floor lobby, or an area approved by the residential dean on duty.

3. A staff will accompany the visiting family to the student’s room from the main lobby or residential dean on duty’s office.

4. When visiting the residential halls, we ask that families and visitors adhere to the rule and conduct established in the designated areas to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. All families and visitors are expected to follow all ISD policies and procedures such as driving (speed limit), parking, and there is no smoking on campus. Campus Police have the right to ask any individual to leave the premises.

5. Please adhere to the curfew for residential students when taking your child off campus.

Student-Athlete Information

Please refer to the Student-Athlete Handbook. The handbook is located on the Deaf Hoosiers website at this link.