School Handbook

Good attendance is critical for steady academic growth, and, by law, children are required to attend school. 

Please call the school office any time your child will not be in school. 

If you are asked to leave a voice mail, please give the following information:

• Name of the parent or guardian calling
• Student's name and grade
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence; please be specific

Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:

• Illness
• Medical or dental appointment
• A family death or serious illness
• Court/judicial appearance
• Religious observations
• School-sponsored activities

Students who are late to school will be considered tardy. Please make every effort to have your student at school on time. 

Additionally signing your child out in the afternoon prior to the end of the school day affects their attendance and learning. 

Students who become truant (inexcusably absent three consecutive days or five school days in any semester or seven days in a school year) will be reported to the Kansas Department for Children and Families in accordance with Board of Education Policy 1461. 
 

Students must live 2.5 miles or more from their assigned school to qualify for transportation to that school.

For questions about WPS transportation and busing, call 316-973-2190.

The district does offer the FirstView app that helps families track their student's school bus. Families will need a security code from the school office to use the app.

Drop Off Procedures

All bus students will enter through the main entrance.

• 3rd-5th grade will enter the building through door 1 (front door)
• 1st/2nd grade students will enter the building through door 8 (north end of the building)
• Kinder will enter through door 2 (sidewalk just south of the main doors).

Students will be let in when bell rings at 8:50 a.m.  

There is NO before school coverage so students should not be dropped of prior to 8:50 a.m. unless they attend latchkey.  

Pre-K will enter the building through door 3 (far south end).  

Pre-K students MUST be a hand-to-hand adult transfer.  

Please walk to door 3 to drop off your student.

Pre-K arrival times are 8:50 for AM session and 1:20 for PM session.  

Pick-up Procedures

• 3rd-5th grade students will exit the building through door 1 (front door)
• Kinder will exit through door 2 (sidewalk just south of the main doors). These students should be picked up using the south parking lot.  
• 1st/2nd grade students will exit the building through door 8 (north end of the building).  Parents who wish to pick up their students using the north parking lot will need to park and get out of the car to pick up their students.  \
• Pre-K will exit the building through door 3 (far south end).  Pre-K students MUST be a hand-to-hand adult transfer.  Please walk to door 3 to pick up your student.  

Jackson Elementary does not have an official code of dress. However, the following guidelines are expected to be followed: 

• Jeans/pants/shorts that are too large will need to be held up at the waist with a belt. If no belt is present, a loaner or string will be provided to assist in keeping the pants/shorts from sagging. 
• Jeans/pants/shorts/skirts with holes are permitted provided the holes do NOT reveal excessive skin underneath in regions that should be covered.
• Shirts need to be free of any profanity, advertising of tobacco, alcohol, violent images/weapons. 
• Girls are asked to wear leggings or shorts under skirts.
• No spaghetti strap shirts. 
• No shirts that expose excess skin (too short, too low cut). 
• Caps, hats and bandanas are not to be worn at school. Additionally, while inside the building, hoods will not be worn on heads from hooded sweatshirts, jackets, or coats. They are permitted outside in the event of cold weather. 
• Shoes with a solid/hard sole are expected to be worn for safety purposes. Students will NOT be allowed to wear slippers, house shoes, or any other type of shoe with a soft sole. 

We thank you for working with us to ensure our students are dressed appropriately for the school setting.

Fashion trends do not always fit in with what is expected and acceptable in the school environment. 

If your child’s dress violates one of the above criteria or is distracting, as determined by school administration, a phone call will be made home and we will ask that a change of clothes be brought up for the student.

If an adult is unable to bring up a change of clothing, students will be given clothing from out donated clothing supply to wear for the remainder of the day.
 

Parents should notify the school nurse if there are any health conditions that may require medical attention, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, they should request a pass to see the nurse. 

Students who exhibit fever, sore throat or tonsillitis, any eruption of the skin or rash, any respiratory symptoms accompanied by a fever, severe cough or cold, or any eruption of the scalp, will be sent home.

Parents will be notified to pick up their student and must do so in a timely manner to limit exposure to other students and school staff.

Please keep your emergency contact information up to date with both the teacher and office staff.

School board policy (BOE P5316) restricts school personnel from giving students any medication, including over-the-counter medication.

Medication is given only upon written request from both the parent/guardian and the student's physician. Students must also have received one dose of medication without an adverse reaction prior to any doses being given at school.

All medicine must be in the original container and be presented by a parent to the school nurse for safe keeping and scheduled administration.

The container should be labelled with the following:

• Name of student
• Name of medication
• Directions for use
• Name of physician
• Name and address of pharmacy
• Date of prescription

The district uses the ParentVUE online portal to give parents to access information about their student's attendance, assignments and grades.

ParentVUE allows parents to quickly and easily update their family contact information, which is vital in order to maintain strong home-to-school connections. 

We provide breakfast for all students free of charge.

Lunch fees can depend on family income.

Complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application annually to qualify for free lunch and adjustments to school fees. 

The district uses an app called School Cafe to allow families to see menus.

The district uses LINQ Connect to pay for meals.

For special dietary restrictions, please contact the school nurse. 
 

Field trips with our city and nearby sites of interest are scheduled by classroom teachers throughout the school year.

These trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the classroom curriculum and introduce students to resources within the community.

Parents will be notified of the planned trip at least five days in advance and must sign a trip waiver for students to attend.

If a student does not have a signed permission slip to attend the trip, they will not go.

We will not accept verbal permission over the phone.

If there is a fee for the field trip, the money needs to be submitted at least three days prior to the scheduled trip.

All field trips require the use of school buses. Parents are not able to transport students on field trips.

If a parent serves as a chaperone, they will need to complete the school district's volunteer registration process prior to the field trip.
 

The safety of students, staff and parents is the Wichita Public Schools' greatest priority during the threat of dangerous conditions.

Emergency plans are in place should tornadoes, lightning, hail, snow or other dangerous circumstances present a safety concern. 

If schools are to be closed or activities cancelled or rescheduled due to weather conditions, the information will be posted on the Wichita Public Schools' main webpage and displayed on all school websites.
 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great way to stay involved in your child's education.

Parents have the opportunity to discuss their child's progress, review assignments, learn about future projects and to strengthen the connection between home and school. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice a year in October and February. 
 

Field trips with our city and nearby sites of interest are scheduled by classroom teachers throughout the school year.

These trips are designed to supplement different aspects of the classroom curriculum and introduce students to resources within the community.

Parents will be notified of the planned trip at least five days in advance and must sign a trip waiver for students to attend.

If a student does not have a signed permission slip to attend the trip, they will not go.

We will not accept verbal permission over the phone.

If there is a fee for the field trip, the money needs to be submitted at least three days prior to the scheduled trip.

All field trips require the use of school buses. Parents are not able to transport students on field trips.

If a parent serves as a chaperone, they will need to complete the school district's volunteer registration process prior to the field trip.
 

Progress reports are provided to parents every quarter.

Reviewing these reports is an essential component of parent involvement in their child's education.

Please look for these reports and discuss them with your student.

You may also log on to ParentVue for an ongoing list of grades provided by the teacher.

If you have any concerns about these reports, contact your student's teacher.

All visitors to the building, including parents, must sign in through our visitor management system HallPass.

Parents, caregivers and other relatives wanting to volunteer in the school or for field trips are required to register every year as a volunteer.

Visit the Volunteer Registration page to complete your annual registration.
 

We have the opportunity to participate in many fun celebrations throughout the school year.

We are always appreciative to parents who can bring snacks for these celebrations (Fall Parties, Valentine’s Day, etc).

We typically have an overabundance of sweet treats (cupcakes, cookies, candy) and would like to ask that you check with your child’s teacher before sending sweet treats to ensure we have a balance of healthy items for the students to enjoy.

Please also know that we have students with food allergies, so double checking is always a good idea and the reason that store bought treats are best.

This enables the teacher to check ingredients before serving. 

In terms of volunteering for a classroom party, teachers will ONLY reach out for volunteers IF they are doing an activity that requires additional supervision and support.

In the event they reach out for volunteers to support with an activity, they will be limited to NO MORE than 5 adults who are arranged in advance to attend during the scheduled time.

Teachers will be required to communicate with the office in advance as to who they are expecting during that time.

If visitors show up and state they are here to help for a classroom activity, this will be confirmed with the teacher if they have not already communicated with the office as expected.

Adults will NOT be permitted to attend parties simply as a guest.

If the celebration/party simply consists of treats being consumed and basic activities that can be supervised by school staff, parents/guardians will not be invited to attend during that time. 

Student Birthdays

Students will be allowed to provide treats to the class on the Friday before or after their birthday.

Parents are encouraged to arrange this in advance with the classroom teacher to ensure food allergy guidelines are followed, and the class will not be overloaded with treats on one day.

Parents/guardians will NOT be allowed to bring treats to the classroom directly.

Rather, students should either bring them to school, or parents/guardians will be allowed to drop them off in the office. 

Additionally, parents are asked not to deliver ballon bouquets or excessive attention-seeking items.

If they do, those items will remain secured in the office until the end of the school day to prohibit distractions to learning environment during the school day.

While we do want to celebrate our students for various milestones and achievements, celebrations will not take the place of learning.

Our primary goal at Jackson is to provide a quality education to students while they are here, and education will remain our focus at all times.