Policies - BIA Charter School

Infectious Disease Policy More Information

Nut Policy In light of the number of our students with significant nut allergies, BIA has elected to be a nut free school so that we can ensure the safety of all of our students. Please do not send your children to school with any nut products in their lunches or snacks. For more information about food allergies, please go to the following website for additional information. FARE – Food, Allergy, Research, Education

Parent Grievance Policy More Information

Promotion and Retention Policy More Information

Report Inappropriate Staff Behavior Policy More Information

BIA Parent Engagement Policy BIA Parent Engagement Policy

BIA Sick Policy More Information

Student Rights More Information

Volunteer Policy More Information

Attendance Policy

Your child(ren) must be in school every day according to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A) code section 20-2-690.1, titled “Compulsory School Attendance Law.” Teachers, the school counselor and/or administrators will make contact with parents/guardians regarding excessive absences, but it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that their child(ren) attend(s) school each day.

A very important part of our Charter Contract is the Performance-Based Goals and Measurable Objectives section as it relates to attendance. When we report our student attendance to the Georgia Department of Education each year, we must have less than 10% of our students missing 10 days or more throughout the school in order to keep our Charter. More importantly, when students are not at school, they are missing the information they need in order to learn.

Tardy and Early Checkout

Tardy and Early Checkout

When a student is late to school/class or is dismissed early from school/class , it creates an interruption in instruction and is disruptive to the entire class. We understand that students do have issues that will require them to be late periodically.

Our tardy policy is as follows:

Students arriving after 7:45 am will be counted tardy. They must be escorted into the building by a parent/guardian and signed in at the front desk.
Students arriving after 9:00 am will be considered absent for half of the school day.
Excused tardies are given for documented doctor’s appointments, which must be presented upon arrival.
5 unexcused tardies equals one unexcused absence.
Students signing out before 2:00 pm will be considered absent for half of the school day.
Students arriving late or leaving early for reasons other than those listed as excused absences will be considered as having an unexcused tardy. Please see above information regarding excused/unexcused absences. Documentation should be given to the office staff upon checking into school.

Repeated tardiness will be addressed with the parent. If it is determined that student behavior is causing the tardies, the student will be required to participate in an attendance support conference with the Head of School or designee.

In the event a parent needs to take their child out of school before the end of the school day, the parent should come to the school office and sign him/her out. Your child will be called to the office at that time. For the safety of our students, parents are not allowed to go directly to a classroom to get their child.

Students will not be checked out of school one hour or less prior to the end of the school day. If your child has medical/dental or others appointments late in the afternoon, please sign him/her out at least one hour before school ends. Students will NOT be sent to the office for dismissal until the parent is present for checkout. Please do not email teachers requesting that they release students.

Please remember that early dismissals are documented just as absences or tardies. We ask that these be kept to a minimum.

Absence from School

Please contact attendance@biaschool.org to report all illnesses and submit documentation for excused absences (must be written and submitted to the attendance@biaschool.org or the front office to be included in our records.) Other email and/or phone communications will not be accepted.

Absences are categorized as either EXCUSED or UNEXCUSED.

Excused

BIA’s Governing Board recognizes EXCUSED absences for the following reasons:

Documented illness or hospitalization;
Documented illness or death in the immediate family, which would reasonably necessitate absence from school;
Special and recognized religious holidays observed by the student’s faith
Court orders or mandates by order of governmental agencies;
Conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety;
Other circumstances where the parent/guardian obtains permission from an administrator at least two weeks in advance;
Utilizing the Georgia Military Family Act

Unexcused

UNEXCUSED absences are those outside of the above-listed excused absences or those approved by administration. After 3 unexcused absences, a letter will be sent home to the student’s parent/guardian requiring the parent/guardian to contact the school’s designee regarding unexcused absences. In the event of five unexcused absences, the school counselor will schedule a conference with the parent/guardian, student, and an administrator to develop an attendance intervention support plan.

According to S.B.O.E. 160-5-1-.10, a child is truant and subject to compulsory attendance who, during the school calendar year, has more than 5 days of unexcused absences. Should 10 absences or more occur, the student and parent/guardian will be subject to referral(s) to Juvenile Court, Magistrate Court and/or the Department of Family and Children’s Services for truancy and/or educational neglect.

Detailed information pertaining to the student, BIA, and school interventions will be necessary when filing a complaint with the above-listed agencies. 10 consecutive unexcused absences will result in student being withdrawn from BIA. After 15 or more unexcused absences, grade-level retention will be considered.

Students must make up all work from excused and unexcused absences upon their return to school. It is the responsibility of the student and/or parent/guardian to contact the teacher for make-up work, projects, and/or assessments. Students will be granted the same number of days to make up their work that is equal to the number of absences.

The student must return to school with documentation as to why the student was absent.

Documentation includes:

A signed note from a parent is required to excuse a student from school due to an illness that results in an absence of less than three days.
An absence of 3 days or more requires a doctor’s note for re-entry into
school.Documentation from the medical office is required for medical
appointments. Please make every effort to schedule routine appointments during after school hours.
Family vacations are NOT excused absences.

Student Illness

The main reasons for keeping your student home from school are because he/she is too sick to participate comfortably at school or might spread a contagious illness to other students. If your student has been diagnosed with a contagious illness, please contact the office so other students’ parents and school staff may be alerted of the symptoms.

Reasons your child will be sent home or should stay home from school:

Fever

If a student has a fever of 100 degrees or higher, parents will be notified and asked to pick up their child.

Student should stay home until there is NO FEVER for 24 hours WITHOUT MEDICATION.
Call your doctor if the fever is with pain, rash, weakness, vomiting or diarrhea. (*Based on CDC Recommendations)

Vomiting or Diarrhea

Student should stay home with ONE event of vomiting or diarrhea.
Call your doctor if vomiting or diarrhea continues or with fever, rash, or weakness.

Drainage from a wound, rash or eyes

Student should stay home with drainage from a wound, rash, or eyes. Call your doctor for treatment.

Head Lice or Scabies

Student should stay home until after treatment is complete and there is no sign of lice or nits. Contact the health department or your doctor for treatment. Students will be rechecked by staff upon return to school.
Students should stay home with an unexplained rash.
Call your doctor for treatment.

BIA Emergency Closure Procedures

Whenever we are notified that severe weather in the state is imminent, BIA Charter School will closely monitor the weather conditions in our area. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities, and we are taking proactive measures to ensure everyone’s safety.

If there is a possibility of inclement weather affecting our region in the coming hours/days, we will be sure to notify all stakeholders via several platforms. If a decision is made to close the school, we will place a notice on the website, make an announcement on Class Dojo, send out an email, notify WSB-TV, and send out a phone blast. It is imperative that everyone keeps their contact information up to date so that you do receive the email and phone blast.

We understand the potential inconvenience school closures/delays may cause, but we believe it is crucial to prioritize the safety of our school community. We will always closely monitor weather updates and consult with local authorities to make an informed decision regarding the school closure. Our primary concern is to ensure that everyone can travel to and from the school safely and without unnecessary risks.

Unlike traditional public schools, BIA Charter School does not have students standing at bus stops in the morning. Typical public school districts keep student safety as a priority during times of inclement weather and make decisions based on this matter. We, however, prioritize the safety of student walkers and van riders, as well as the ability of parents to safely transport their children to/from school.

Please stay tuned for pending weather updates via email, text messages, and our school website. We will strive to make a decision well in advance to allow you to make necessary arrangements for your child’s care in the event of a closure/delay.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. The safety of our students and staff remains our utmost priority, and we are committed to keeping you informed as the situation unfolds.

If you have any immediate concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact our school office.

School Uniform Policy

While attending school, all students must be in uniform daily. Uniforms must be neat and clean. Belts must be worn to hold up pants and shorts at the waist, or pants and shorts must fit snugly around the waist to keep them from falling below the waistline. Students should also practice good hygiene. If a child is out of uniform, parents will be contacted and required to bring the necessary items before students are admitted to class.

Dress Code:

Bottoms – Khaki or Navy pants, shorts, jumpers, skorts or skirts. Shorts, jumpers, skorts and skirts must be no more than three inches above the knee. The following bottoms are considered to be out of dress code compliance:

Bottoms in any other color than those specified above.

Leggings worn as bottoms. These can only be worn under a jumper, skirt or skorts.
Pants with elastic at the ankle and/or with stripes down the sides.
Sweat pants.
Knit pants.
Bottoms that do not stay up at the waistline.
Cargo pants.

Tops – White, Navy, Kelly or Aqua Green collared polo or long-sleeved, button-down oxford with button collar. The following are considered to be out of dress code compliance:

Shirts without a collar.
Shirts with logos other than the BIA logo.
Shirts in any other color than those specified above.
Optional Layer – Navy, green, white or aqua cardigan sweater, button-up sweater, crewneck sweatshirt, or sweater vest. The following optional layers are considered to be out of dress code compliance:
Anything with a logo other than BIA.
Sweatshirt with a hoodie.
Optional layer in any other color than those specified above.

Outerwear – Outerwear jackets for cold weather should be worn to and from school and at outdoor recess; however, while in the school outerwear must remain in the student cubbie or locker. An optional layer, as described above, is recommended as well as outerwear.

Fridays – BIA spirit shirt with uniform pants.

Scoliosis Screening Policy

Scoliosis screening is required for all students in the 6th and 8th grades who attend public school in Georgia.

Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine. About 3% of children are affected by scoliosis. It can
occur at any age but is often noticeable between the ages of 9 and 16, when growth occurs
rapidly. Early detection is important to avoid potentially serious problems later in life if a spinal
curve is not recognized, treated, and it continues to progress. The screening test is an
observation of the child’s back when standing and bending forward.

There are options for how the screening can be completed:
• Submit a completed Form #4400, Certificate of Scoliosis screening. Form #4400 can be
completed by a physician with an active GA license or person working under the
supervision of a physician with an active GA license, the local health department, or
licensed school nurse. A completed Form #4400 should be provided to the school within
the first 90 days of 6th and 8th grade. Form #4400 can be found at
www.dph.georgia.gov.
OR
• Children can participate in a school scoliosis screening event. Students without a
completed Form #4400 on file more than 90 days after the start of school will be asked
to participate in scoliosis screening during a school screening event.

Parents or guardians can choose to not have their student screened for scoliosis by selecting
the opt-out option on Form #4400 or opt-out of the school scoliosis screening event later in the
school year

2021-06-22_Scoliosis Parent Letter – English GA DPH Form 4400_Certificate of Scoliosis Screening