Student Health and Safety

STUDENT HEALTH AND SAFETY:

EMERGENCY CARDS: At the beginning of each school year, emergency cards are sent home to be completed and returned as soon as possible. It is critical to have current information for your child(ren)’s  benefit. These cards supply information and permission to treat your child as needed in the event of an emergency.

MEDICATION: If your child needs a prescribed medication during school hours, this will be handled by the school nurse.  No medication may be administered unless a Medical Administration Sheet signed by the parent and the  prescribing physician are first submitted to the school nurse. In all cases, the medication must be clearly and  properly labeled. No other member of the school staff may dispense or authorize the use of any medication. Over-the-counter medications may not be administered unless the  student’s emergency card has been authorized by the  parent and the child’s physician. Students are not allowed to carry medication (prescribed or over-the-counter, and this includes cough drops) to school. Parents should bring it to the office with the proper paperwork.

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS: The Health Department of New York along with the County of  St. Lawrence require  every student to meet specific immunization requirements. (Your child’s pediatrician or Public Health can provide these immunizations.) Due to NYS Law, religious exemptions are no longer accepted.

ILLNESS DURING SCHOOL: If a child becomes ill during school,  he/she will be sent to the office/nurse. No child will be dismissed from school unless the home has been contacted and the parents have made arrangements for the child. Students should be fever-free, without medication, for 24 hours  before returning to school, out of consideration for the   entire school community. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

ATTENDANCE: Education Law requires that the students enrolled in the schools of this district attend school on every school day unless legally excused. The educational program offered by Trinity requires continuity of instruction and classroom  participation. The regular contact of students with one another in the classroom and their participation in well-planned instructional activities, under the instruction of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose. Absences other than legal absences are defined by state regulations to have a highly adverse effect on the student as well as the entire educational program. Therefore, the Advisory Council urges all parents to make every effort for their children to be in attendance. If a child is ill, parents are asked to call the school office to report the absence before 9:00am. If there is no notification, the office will contact the parent/guardian. This is for the protection of Trinity students and is aligned with state statutes. All students who are absent or tardy must have a written excuse from the parent upon their return.

EARLY DISMISSAL:  No student is to leave the school or school grounds before regular  dismissal time unless excused by the principal.  A written request must be presented to the office in the morning.  Parents are asked to come to the office to sign their child out and pick him/her up.  If a child returns to school the same day, he/she is to report to the office again to sign in. Students who are away from school for an appointment for 3 1/2 hours or more will be counted as absent for 1/2 a day. Three (3) early withdrawals each of which are less than 3 1/2 hours are considered a one-half day absence. Please do not take your child/children out of school early,  unless it is for an illness, appointment, or an emergency.

EXCESSIVE ABSENCE: Being absent for 20 days or more throughout the school year can be cause for retention in the  current grade.

ACCIDENTS: All accidents, however minor, occurring during the school day must be reported to the teacher in charge and to the office/nurse. In the case of all accidents, the nurse/teacher will fill out an accident report to be placed on file in the nurse’s office.

ACCIDENT INSURANCE: In the event of an accidental injury while participating in and/or attending any school sponsored and supervised activity, students are covered by accident insurance. This coverage will apply on an excess basis. This means parents’ insurance will pay first and the student accident coverage will pay second. TCS and the diocese pay the cost of this insurance.

BUS STUDENTS: Students who ride buses to and from school should be aware that being able to ride the bus is a privilege. Violation of the rules set by the school district and the bus driver could result in a child being denied bus privileges for a specific period of time. Parents are always notified by the principal if a student receives a bus report from the bus driver.

SCHOOL DELAYS/CLOSING: Announcements of school delays, closings, or early dismissals will be immediately broadcast over local radio and television stations. Additionally, the principal will be send the announcement out via a messaging service to phone numbers parents have provided to the school. Parents can also check our school’s Facebook page.

EARLY ARRIVALS: Since teachers often have meetings or other commitments before school begins, students who arrive before 8:15am will automatically go to our Before Care program.

TARDINESS: Arriving late for school is disruptive to a student’s day. Not only does a student miss announcements and/or class work, the student also gets a hurried and unsettled start to the day.  If a child comes to school late he/she is to bring a written excuse from his/her parent. The child must report to the office to sign in before going to the classroom. A student arriving to school after 8:40 AM will be considered tardy.

FIELD TRIPS: Field trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the curriculum and to introduce students to the resources of the community. Parents will receive notices of field trips in advance of the scheduled date. Parents must sign and return the field trip permission form sent out by the school; a note or phone call from the parent or guardian giving permission will not suffice. If you sign up to drive or chaperone, you will be notified by your room parent or    classroom teacher about the details of the trip. All drivers must be VIRTUS trained. Younger siblings should  not accompany chaperones or drivers on field trips due to insurance and liability issues. When driving students, you may not make any side trips, supply any snacks to or from the field trip due to unknown  allergies, and no DVDs can be shown. One parent’s idea of an appropriate movie does not necessarily agree with another’s.

PESTICIDE NOTIFICATION: NYS Law requires all schools to provide written notification to all parents, faculty, and staff if certain pesticides are used on school grounds.

ASBESTOS:  In compliance with the U.S. EPA, we perform asbestos re-inspections of each of our school buildings for building materials containing asbestos. The inspection findings are in the asbestos management plan on file in the school office. The EPA requires re-inspections of the asbestos materials every three years. All asbestos materials in the school remain in good condition and we will continue to manage them as recommended by EPA  guidelines.

ELECTRONICS: Students are not permitted to bring video games or accessories, MP3 players, DVD  players, iPods, or tablets, such as iPads to school.

CELL PHONES and SMART WATCHES:  It is best if students do not bring any type of electronics to school. In order to keep students focused on their school work, cell phones and smart watches will be monitored very closely. If a parent chooses to allow their child(ren) to bring a cell phone or smart watch to school, it should be with the understanding that he/she will not be allowed to use it at any time on the school grounds.

  • Parents and students should read through, discuss, and sign the Cell Phone Agreement Form. These can be obtained in the main office, and on our website. The classroom teacher will keep all phones and watches stored during the school day and return them at dismissal. If a student does not comply with the CP Agreement, the phone or watch will be taken and held in the main office until a parent can come to collect it.
  • Teachers will also be expected to dock their cell phones as well as their smart watches, unless there is a health or family concern. This means there will be no communication with teachers during the instructional day. If parents, grandparents or other adults need to speak with a student or a teacher during the hours of 8:45am-3pm they are asked to call the office and leave a message, or email that particular teacher.
  • Students may only make phone calls from a school phone with permission from the secretary or under supervision of a teacher. No call may be made for forgotten items.
    Click here to print the Cell Phone Agreement Form: https://www.trinitycatholicschool.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Request-For-Cell-Phone-Permission.pdf

VISITORS: If you wish to visit your child during the school day, please enter by way of the front door, facing Main Street.  You MUST sign in at the office and fill out a visitor’s nametag which will  be worn while you are in the building.

NONCUSTODIAL PARENTS POLICY:
Divorce and separation are realities of contemporary life, which affect the school’s responsibilities to its students. The following guidelines have been adopted to assist the school in situations where a noncustodial parent wishes to be involved in school related activities.

  • Ordinarily, the school will not resist or interfere with a noncustodial parent’s involvement in school-related affairs, or access to the child or the child’s records, unless the school is presented with a court order or comparable legal document which restricts such involvement or access. The school will not otherwise “choose sides” between parents.
  • A noncustodial parent may not take custody of a child or remove the child from the school premises, unless the parent presents either a written court order, or a written authorization signed by the custodial parent which permits such custody.
  • If actions of parent(s) (custodial or non custodial) become disruptive to the operation of the school, the school has the right to restrict access by such parent(s) and take other reasonably necessary action.
  • Concerning student activities that require parental consent, the school will accept consent only from the custodial parent, unless authority to grant consent is given to the noncustodial parent by a court order or comparable legal document.

These guidelines will be applied so as to further the mission of the school and the best interests of its students.

Updated: Aug. 2023