The administrative team has been hard at work to ensure the Student Handbook coincides with the mission, purpose and culture we wish to cultivate at CAC. After much prayer and discussion, updates to the Student Handbook have been finalized and will be implemented beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. These changes are representative of feedback from multiple constituents, including faculty, students, parents, and board members.
In keeping with the school’s mission, it is the administration’s goal to partner with parents to provide a distinctively Christian education that inspires excellence, independence, and a transforming faith in God. Every summer we take the time to reevaluate, update and adjust our policies as we strive toward continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence.
We believe it is important for all CAC parents and students to read the Student Handbook in order to familiarize (or re-familiarize) themselves with important policies and expectations.
Below are Four Key Handbook Changes. Though we have selected these four areas, please be aware this does not reflect all changes made to the Student Handbook, and the CAC Administration plans to address all changes with the student body during the first week of school.
| Four Key Handbook Changes | |
|---|---|
| 1. Student-Owned Technology | We are implementing a zero-tolerance personal electronic device policy (cell phones, smart watches, etc) between 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. We believe limiting the access to personal electronic devices during the school day will promote educational excellence in the classroom, communication among our student body and the ability to connect with one another without distraction. We believe this change will enhance the effectiveness of educational time spent with teachers and encourage students to focus on the lesson at hand. To aid in this change and to provide the needed technology for educational instruction, we added over 100 Chromebooks to our campus this summer. Consequently, the need for cell phones as an educational tool has been negated. We understand parents and students will need to contact each other during the day for a variety of reasons (family emergency, change of plans etc.). Parents will always be able to contact the Secondary Campus Office to communicate with their student. Similarly, students are welcome to use the office phones to contact parents during the day. Again, to encourage students to focus throughout the day, the zero-tolerance personal electronic device policy includes smart watches. Similar to cell phones, smart watch capabilities (text, phone calls, notes) can cause a significant distraction to a student’s educational experience. For further policy information refer to page 19 of the handbook. |
| 2. Attendance / Tardiness/ Absence Policy | Attendance will be taken digitally at the beginning of each class period. This method of attendance-taking will allow the office and administration to know the location and attendance of each student throughout the day. Similar to previous attendance policies, students will be held accountable for any tardiness and will be required to provide official documentation (admit slip) to enter class. Multiple tardies will equate to an absence, which encourages students to be punctual and responsible when moving from one class to the next. The new documentation policy will increase student accountability, campus safety, and will aid in maintaining accurate attendance records. Additionally, the maximum absence count for each class remains the same (10) however, after 10 absences students will not receive the full academic credit. CAC values instructional class time, consequently, disciplinary measures will be administered to encourage classroom attendance. |
| 3. Student Planners | We have removed the need for school-issued student planners by implementing a streamlined documentation system to record tardies and absences (RenWeb) and act as hall passes. In lieu of planners, students will be required to show a form of documentation (hall pass, teacher pass, admit slip) if they are in the hallway during class time. These passes will provide administration and faculty a clear way to communicate time/place/expectation for the student’s intentions and will provide accountability and clarity for both teachers and students. (All 6th grade students will receive a school-issued planner to aid in organization.) Though we still advocate for student organization and the potential use of the planner, an official hallway documentation system will remove the expectation for students to constantly carry a planner. Ultimately, it is our desire to implement a system that clearly communicates the location of all students and promotes student accountability. |
| 4. Dress Code | Providing an excellent education is one of our faculty's top priorities. Any time the teacher spends correcting dress code could be spent providing instruction. In an effort to simplify the dress code, two changes have been made: hoodies and open-toed shoes are no longer permitted to be worn during regular school hours. The decision to remove hoodies was made so collared shirts can be seen easily, to promote a professional look, and for school safety so individuals cannot easily mask their identity. Similar to the removal of hoodies, the removal of closed toe-shoes promotes dress code clarity and school safety. |