Corporation Policies

 

 
This Directory Information is used for a variety of purposes such as yearbook or student newspaper, printed programs for extracurricular activities, news releases to the local media, corporation publications, and interviews with local news media. It can also be used on the corporation website, corporation videos, podcasts, and interviews with local news media for broadcast on TV or radio. In the case of high school students, information can be released to colleges.
 
Please know that you have the right to request that the school not disclose any or all directory information. Please consider very carefully your decision to request the school not to disclose directory information. This information is typically used in news stories about our students’ achievements and classroom activities, honor roll lists, the yearbook, and school directories, and school and corporation newsletters. Should you deny permission for the release of information, any future requests for such information from news media and other individuals will be refused for the duration of the school year.
 
To request that the school not disclose directory information, please notify your child’s school in writing within 14 days of the start of the school year or within 14 days of enrolling your child. Otherwise, your student’s directory information may be released without further permission.
 
Also, please note that United States armed forces recruiters also have a right to a student’s name, address and phone number unless the student’s parent or the adult student specifically requests in writing that this information is not released to the armed forces recruiters.
 
FUNDRAISING POLICY
Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ Fundraising Policy states that no student will be required to participate in any fundraising activity as an expectation for team or club membership nor penalized for not participating in a fundraising activity.
 
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES/INCLEMENT WEATHER - DELAYS/CLOSING
The cancellation of after school activities will be determined on a case by case basis as weather conditions evolve. Parents/Guardians and students will receive communications via the school website, or emergency notification system.
 
NON-DISCRIMINATION & NON-HARASSMENT STATEMENT
It is the policy of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its educational programs or employment policies as required by the Indiana Civil Rights Act (IC 22-9-1), (IC 20-33-1), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (1972 educational amendment), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
 
Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation will not discriminate or tolerate any form of discrimination in its educational or employment activities for any reason or on any basis prohibited by applicable federal and state laws, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability. This includes but is not limited to a characteristic, trait, belief, practice, association or other attribute. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will foster a culture and environment that does not marginalize, treat unfairly or disrespect any member of our school community and will recognize the uniqueness and individuality of all students, educators, staff and administrators, so they have an opportunity to succeed.
 
This commitment applies to all School Corporation operations, programs, and activities. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and all other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of harassment or discrimination. This policy applies to conduct occurring on school grounds immediately before, during, or immediately after school hours; in any school program or activity taking place in school facilities, on school transportation, or at other off-campus locations, such as at school-sponsored field trips or a training program; or using property or equipment provided by the school, including school-owned computers and the school’s computer network.
 
The immediate remedy for any act of discrimination shall be to end it, treat the individuals involved equitably, and, as much as practically possible, eradicate any effects of discrimination. The school corporation may impose discipline as appropriate.

If you feel you have experienced or witnessed a violation of the HSE non-discrimination policy, please Click Here.

Inquiries regarding compliance with, Section 504, or the Americans with disabilities Act should be directed to Tom Bell, Director of Exceptional Learners, Hamilton Southeastern Schools 13485 Cumberland Road, Fishers, Indiana 46038 or the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington D.C.

Inquiries regarding compliance with Title IX and Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 should be directed to Ryan Taylor, Hamilton Southeastern Schools, 13485 Cumberland Road, Fishers, Indiana 46038 the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington D.C.

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
The Board of School Trustees of Hamilton Southeastern Schools recognizes the importance of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation, Incorporated in providing financial support for the educational purposes of the school corporation.
The Board will:

• encourage the community to support and participate with the Board of Directors of the Foundation;
• annually appoint an ex-officio member to the Board of Directors of the Foundation;
• operate within the policy guidelines of the school corporation while on school premises in fund-raising activities;
• ensure coordination, avoid confusion and duplication in developing proposals and making application for specially funded programs by having the corporation treasurer review and sign all proposals; and
• review and accept all grant proposals/donations as referred to in policy Public Gifts/Donations to Schools

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOLS INTERNET USE AGREEMENT

**Please read this carefully**
 
USE OF PERSONAL COMPUTING DEVICES
Hamilton Southeastern Schools (HSE) permits student to bring personal laptops or other computing devices to school for academic purposes. 

• HSE accepts no responsibility or financial liability for personal laptops or other computing devices that are brought to school by students
• Laptops or other devices that are lost, stolen, or damaged are the responsibility of the student and their parents/guardians, regardless of how the loss, theft, or damage occurs
• Students are advised to take steps to guard against damage, loss, or theft
• HSE’s technology department will not provide technical support for any personal laptop or other computing device
• Social Media & Electronic Communication
  • The use of social media, on or off campus, by a student that causes any substantial disruption to the academic or athletic environment may result in discipline including suspension or removal from the activity, group, leadership position, or team.  

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOLS - STUDENT OFFICE 365 ACCOUNTS
Hamilton Southeastern Schools has the ability to create Office 365 accounts for all students to allow for collaborative sharing using our custom implementation. These accounts will be used for school related projects. The rules governing proper electronic communications by students are included in the Technology Acceptable Use Policy.
 
Students will be assigned a hsestudents.org account. This will be considered the student's official Office 365 account until such time as the student is no longer enrolled in Hamilton Southeastern Schools. The naming convention will be Skyward Name Key (excluding spaces) followed by @hsestudents.org (i.e. harrijef000@hsestudents.org). All students will have access to the features within Office 365 including but not limited to, Mail (email), OneDrive (cloud storage), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Conduct: Students are responsible for appropriate, online behavior just as they are in a traditional school building. Students should inform their teacher of inappropriate use. Any disciplinary actions taken pursuant to the Board Policy shall incorporate the procedural due process rights of the student and/or parent/guardian as provided by law, Board policy, and the Student Rights Handbook.  Please refer to Board HSE Procedure: I05.3.1 Technology Usage Guidelines URL: http://www.boarddocs.com/in/hses/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=86X5PF6D71E7
 
Access Restriction: The district maintains the right to immediately withdraw the access and use of the account when there is reason to believe that violations of law or school board policies have occurred. In such cases, the alleged violation will be referred to the principal for further investigation and application of necessary consequences.
 
Security: Hamilton Southeastern Schools cannot and does not guarantee the security of electronic files located on any of its technology or on Microsoft systems. Although a powerful content filter is in place, the school board cannot assure that users will not be exposed to non-educational material. We encourage parents/guardians and students to review Office 365’s privacy policy.
 
Privacy: Hamilton Southeastern Schools reserves the right to access and review content in the student’s Office 365 account at any time. Hamilton Southeastern Schools complies with all state and federal privacy laws. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to know how to access their student’s Office 365 account. 
 
If a parent wishes for their child(ren) to not have access to Mail (email), please contact the Director of Educational Technologies (jharrison@hse.k12.in.us) in writing within 14 days of the start of the school year or enrolling your child. However, these students will still retain access to the other features within their Office 365 account.
 
STUDENT COMPUTING RESOURCES AND INTERNET ACCESS
Hamilton Southeastern Schools desires to fairly and consistently address the issues that arise with student technology usage. While it is recognized that students have freedom of expression, it is not absolute. In the interest of preserving school order and safety, the HSE School Board has established a policy (I05.03) and guidelines (I05.3.1) for technology usage. The goal of these guidelines is to inform students, parents, and educators how the Board of School Trustees and the school corporation will define student conduct with respect to the use of technology that could result in denial, suspension or expulsion. Indiana State statute, Indiana Criminal Code, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions are used in establishing these guidelines.
 
Computing resources and Internet access is provided to facilitate communications in support of research and education both curricular and extracurricular. To maintain eligibility to this access, students and parents/guardians must be in support of, and consistent with, the educational objectives and policies established by Hamilton Southeastern Schools.
 
The use of any technology resources in Hamilton Southeastern Schools is subject to regulation and monitoring. Violation of any school rules and corporation policy may result in denial and disciplinary actions. Students and parents will be informed about disciplinary action to be taken in cases of misuse and/or abuse of technology.
 
Situations which will be considered in determining if an individual has violated the technology usage policy are as follows:
A student shall not create or otherwise access technology content that:

• violates any school rule, including any student discipline rule and any school policy;
• causes or is likely to cause a substantial and material disruption to the school;
• is a “true threat”;
• is considered as lewd, vulgar, indecent or plainly offensive;
• generates a legitimate educational concern; or
• is considered an unlawful activity.

Details and definition to the above situations are found in HSE Technology Usage Policy I05.03 and Guidelines I05.3.1.
 
Students should not have any expectation of privacy with respect to files stored on school-based computing equipment. Hamilton Southeastern Schools reserves the right to monitor Internet access or other network or computer-related activities, engage in routine computer maintenance and housekeeping, carry out internal investigations, prepare responses to request for public records, or disclose messages, data, or files to law enforcement or other legal authorities.
 
The Corporation recognizes the need to educate students regarding appropriate behavior on social networking and sites about cyber bullying. The Corporation recognizes the need to education students regarding appropriate behavior on social networking and internet application including cyber bullying awareness and response.
 
Hamilton Southeastern Schools makes no warranties of any kind, neither expressed nor implied, for the computing resources and Internet access it provides. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will not be responsible for any damages students suffer, including, but not limited to, loss or corruption of data resulting from delays or interruptions in Internet or computing services. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will not be responsible for the accuracy, nature, or quality of information stored on portable media, hard drives, file servers, or other computing resources; nor for the accuracy, nature, or quality of information gathered through corporation provided computing resources and Internet access.
 
Hamilton Southeastern Schools will not be responsible for personal property used to access corporation computers or networks or for corporation provided computing resources and Internet access. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from corporation-provided access to computing resources and the Internet.
 
Students utilizing corporation-provided computing resources and Internet are responsible for good online behavior similar to the good behavior expected in a classroom or other area of school. Students' use of corporation or personal technology including computing resources, internet access, and communication devices is subject to the conditions as found in Guidelines I05.3.1 and student handbooks. Inappropriate use of such technology may result in disciplinary action.
 
Families should be aware that some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are tasteless, illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive to some people. In addition, it is possible to purchase goods and services via the Internet, which could result in unwanted financial obligations for which a student's parent or guardian would be liable.
 
While Hamilton Southeastern Schools' intent is to make Internet access available in order to further educational goals and objectives, students may find ways to access other materials as well. Any Hamilton Southeastern Schools device used by students will have an Internet filtering process in place when accessing the Internet through HSE school corporation network. Nevertheless, the HSE School Board recognizes that no current technology will prevent all abuses or improper use.
 
Ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media, computing, and information sources. There is a fine balance between encouraging autonomous learning and maintaining adequate supervision. Hamilton Southeastern makes the corporation's complete Technology Usage Policy I05.03 and Guidelines I05.3.1 available online on the HSE's website (https://www.hseschools.org/) for review by all parents, guardians, and other member of the community.
 
Corporation-provided computing resources and Internet access is designed for educational purposes only, curricular or extracurricular. It is impossible for Hamilton Southeastern Schools to completely restrict access to controversial materials, and HSE will not be held responsible for materials acquired on Hamilton Southeastern School’s computing resources or over the Internet.
 
Students and parents understand and will abide by the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Technology Usage Policy I05.03 and Guidelines I05.3.1. And further understand that should they commit any violation, their access and /or privileges may be revoked and disciplinary action (up to suspension or expulsion) may be taken as deemed necessary by the Superintendent/designee. This may include legal action. There is no expectation of privacy in respect to the use of electronic information, resources, data files, or other records generated, stored, or maintained on Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ computer resources. This also applies to the use of personal technology.
 
Parents and guardians may request alternative activities not requiring computing resources and/or Internet use for their minor children by contacting their school principal in writing within 14 days of the start of the school year or enrolling your child.
 
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION OF STUDENTS
Hamilton Southeastern Schools has adopted a plan for the restraint and seclusion of students. The plan is available via the HSE web-site under Board Docs policy J10.00. Here is the link to the board policy J10.00: http://www.boarddocs.com/in/hses/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=8CYJMS4DE57B

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHS/FILMS/VIDEOS
Media Interviews and Photographs
Members of the public news media wishing to conduct interviews or take photographs at school during regular school hours in which students would (or could) be individually identified, need the prior permission of the central office administration.
Each year parents/guardians will be given the opportunity to indicate if they do not want public news media to interview or photograph their child at school.
Using Schools or Students for Publicity Purposes
Partisan, sectarian, or denominational doctrines may not be advocated in a public school during the hours the school is in session. This includes filming of campaign advertisements or other spots which advocate a certain position or opinion.  This policy is not intended to limit the use of debates for instructional purposes, nor is it intended to limit the use of school facilities for organized debates.
 
TOBACCO FREE SCHOOLS
The Board of School Trustees declares all school buildings and grounds, including athletic facilities to be smoke-free environments. Staff, students and members of the public are expected to observe this restriction at all times. Notices will be posted indicating that all Hamilton Southeastern School buildings and grounds are smoke-free.
 
VIDEO SURVEILLANCE
The Board of School Trustees authorizes the use of video cameras on corporation property to assist in protecting the health, welfare, and safety of all staff, students, and visitors and to safeguard corporation facilities and equipment. Video cameras may be used in locations deemed appropriate by the Superintendent or their designee.
Recorded information from these cameras (“security videos”) showing identifiable students will be treated as an “education record” and will not be produced outside of the corporation except pursuant to a subpoena, court order, or release in accordance with the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (“FERPA”, 20 United States Code 1233 (g), 34 CFR Part 99.)
For the purpose of these policy restrooms, locker rooms, and areas reserved exclusively for staff use shall be considered a “private area” of the facility and shall not be equipped with video security equipment. The term “non-private area” shall therefore mean any area on school corporation property not meeting the definition of a “private area”.
All speech and conduct in the non-private areas of the school corporation facilities is subject to being observed, recorded, preserved, and examined by means of security video equipment. No person will have a legitimate expectation of privacy with respect to their conduct or speech in the non-private area of a school corporation property.
By this policy, the Board does not mandate or warrant that every non-private location in every school corporation facility will be equipped with security video equipment, nor that the security video equipment will record specific conduct or expression.
 

LOST OR STOLEN ITEMS

The school is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. Any item on school premises or brought to a school function that is considered inappropriate, misused, or prohibited may be confiscated by school personnel. 
 

DELIVERIES FROM OUTSIDE VENDORS

The school will not accept flowers, balloons, or gift deliveries of any kind for students.

CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS
Hamilton Southeastern Schools prohibits criminal organizations and criminal organization activity. "Criminal Organization" means a formal or informal group with at least three members that specifically either:  
(1) promotes, sponsors, or assists in; or participates in;  
(2) requires as a condition of membership or continued membership; or  
(3) has as one of its goals;  
the commission of a felony or an act that would be a felony if committed by an adult or the offense of battery.   
  
For more details, HSE’s Criminal Organization Policy is available via the HSE website under Board Docs policy J05.11  
  
INSURANCE
Hamilton Southeastern Schools do not insure students for personal injury or for loss or damage to their property. Each family should obtain its own insurance to cover such risks.

PETS
Per Board Policy, animals are not permitted in school unless approved either by a teacher in connection with a class assignment, project or demonstration, or by the building principal.  Animals can be prohibited from school for various reasons including possible attacks, allergies, and communicable diseases.  This includes bringing animals to car rider drop off and pick up.  Animals can be unpredictable, even those with the most extensive training.

REPORTING CHILD ABUSE
It is a felony for school officials to fail to report suspected child abuse to the proper authorities.  School personnel will report suspected child neglect as well.