A letter from Amy Jo Rehder, Dean of Students
Dear Driscoll Family,
Hard to believe there is less than a semester left in the 2008-2009 school year. The long cold winter has made us all anxious for warm weather. This time of year can be particularly hard to stay focused on projects that lie ahead of us. Keep in mind young people also struggle with the anticipation of the spring and the school year coming to an end. This is the time to hold steady and maintain the course we have set out on. With this in mind, I have highlighted some areas that we need to continue to address.
Dress Code: Our students have been doing a great job, while we continue to be vigilant.
Tardy to School: The tardy policy has been changed this semester. It is as follows:
All tardies will be recorded. Students who arrive any time after the bell are to report to the office where they will be given an admit slip. On the fifth tardy, students will receive a discipline referral and a detention, for the 7th tardy 2 detentions, 10th tardy 3 detentions. All tardies count toward the total of ten with the exception of medical appointments, for which verification from the physician or dentist is mandatory (i.e.: a written statement). On the occurrence of the eleventh tardy, a student will be suspended from his/her first hour class and other classes affected by the tardiness (with loss of credit) until a conference is held with the parent, student and the Dean of Students. If a suitable solution cannot be found, the student will be removed from the class, and he/she will be assigned to the main office during class time; all subsequent tardies will be assigned a detention.
Cell Phone Use: Cell phone use by our students is under control. Please call the main office if you need to get a message to your child.
Drug Testing: How It Works!
All students are randomly selected and tested for drug use at least once a year. Once a student is selected and tested, his or her name is returned to the collective pool for further selections. Typically, after the entire student body will be tested a second time. The test involves using a small sample of hair, 1.5 inches long and about the width of the tip of a shoelace. If a student tests positive, the family is contacted by the Dean of Students to schedule a confidential conference that addresses the following:
- Explanation of test results including type of drug, level of use, and window of time of use
- Counseling Options to assess level of intervention if counseling is appropriate
- Retesting at the student’s expense, required 100 days after a positive test result
- Consequences of a second positive test, anytime within a typical 4 year high school career
Decisions in all matters are reserved to the review of the Discipline Board.
I thank all of you for your dedication to making Driscoll Catholic the best it can be. Continue to expect excellence in our children and they will not disappoint.
Go Highlanders!
Amy Jo Rehder
Dean of Students