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Dr. Jordan outlines handbook changes: cell‑phone rules, grade weighting, attendance and open‑container ban
Summary
Dr. Jordan presented multiple handbook revisions at the June 13 workshop, including a new rule that students must use the nurse/office to contact parents, applying weighted grades at year end because Focus reweights quarter inputs, attendance flowchart clarifications, and a ban on open containers while allowing sealed water bottles.
Dr. Jordan reviewed proposed edits to several student and staff handbooks at the Allegheny‑Clarion Valley School Board's June 13 workshop, explaining the rationale for changes to athletics, attendance, grading and conduct policies.
On athletics, Dr. Jordan told the board that coaches must meet Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and Pennsylvania Department of Education coaching education requirements each year and supply a hard copy of completion to the athletic director by Aug. 1. "All coaches must complete the required PIAA and PDE coaching education requirements... these should be complete by August 1 of each year with a hard copy provided to the athletic director," he said.
Dr. Jordan recommended a new sentence in the student handbook to prevent students from bypassing the nurse/office process to contact parents directly. "Students are not permitted to contact parents in violation of this policy," he said, noting parents have shown up unexpectedly when students contact them directly. The board discussed clarifying language to explicitly allow refillable water bottles brought empty and used at refill stations; Dr. Jordan agreed to add that sentence and to emphasize it to students.
On grades and records, Dr. Jordan said the district will apply weighted grades at the end of the school year rather than each quarter because Focus, the grade‑reporting system, sometimes reweights earlier inputs inconsistently. For students needing transcripts earlier for college verification, staff will hand‑calculate final weighted grades. "This past graduating class... we had to hand calculate and hand add all of those scores onto the transcripts that we sent to students," he said.
Other handbook changes include an updated attendance flowchart detailing disciplinary thresholds (for example, ten parent excuses allowed before doctor notes are required for additional absences), refined harassment language to distinguish harassment from bullying, and updated references to policy 236.1 for handling terroristic threats. Dr. Jordan also said the drug and alcohol policy has been clarified, and a highlighted change bans open containers on campus while permitting sealed drinks for lunch and sealed water bottles.
Board members asked clarifying questions about timing for transcript verification and requested explicit handbook language permitting refillable bottles; Dr. Jordan said he would add the clarifying sentence and communicate it at the start of school.
The board did not take final votes on handbook revisions at the workshop.
